PVSC Awards

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Brett Hallam will receive the Young Professional Award at PVSC 47.

Brett Hallam is an Associate Professor in the School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering (University of New South Wales, Sydney).

He was in the fifth batch of students studying the world’s first Bachelor degree dedicated to photovoltaics (Photovoltaic and Solar Energy Engineering, UNSW). He then completed a PhD in Photovoltaic Engineering (UNSW) on hydrogen passivation and laser doping for silicon solar cells, supervised by the late Professor Wenham. During this time, he was a consultant for Suntech, and part of the team to develop the world’s first 20% efficient industrial p-type Cz solar cell.

He is best known for his work on manipulating hydrogen charge states (advanced hydrogenation) for defect passivation, and development of rapid processes to eliminate LID and LeTID, which he and the UNSW hydrogenation team subsequently commercialised. His latest achievement is the demonstration of p-type Cz heterojunction solar cells with stable open circuit voltages >735 mV.

He is now the Research Director for Advanced Hydrogenation at UNSW, working with many of the world’s leading solar cell manufacturers, and a visiting academic at the University of Oxford.

When not working, he is most likely enjoying time under the sun at the beach surfing or kitesurfing.

About the Award

The IEEE Stuart R. Wenham Young Professional Award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the science and technology of photovoltaic energy conversion, including work on PV materials, devices, modules, and/or systems. The award recipient must also show significant promise as a leader in the field. An award is given annually at the PVSC. The award was recently renamed in honor of Stuart Wenham, in recognition of his profound contributions to photovoltaics, and in memory of his great scholarship and friendship.

Award Package

The award consists of a $2000 monetary award, complimentary conference registration, plaque, and recognition at the PVSC Opening Ceremony. In addition, the awardee will give an honorary 30-minute talk during a regular session of the conference, in conjunction with his/her respective technical area.

Rules & Eligibility

• Nominee must be a young scientist or engineer who has made significant contributions to photovoltaic energy conversion, including work on PV materials, devices, modules, and/or systems.
• Nominee must have received their first post-secondary degree (Bachelor’s level) within the past 15 years, relative to the nomination deadline.
• Nominees are not required to be members of IEEE or EDS. 
• Nominees from any country and institution are eligible. 
• Nominees are expected to have prior contributions to the PVSC. 
• Previous recipients of the Young Professional Award are not eligible.
• Self-nominations will not be accepted.
• Nominations will not automatically roll over to subsequent years, but nominators are allowed to re-submit nominations, provided the nominee is still eligible. Supplements to the original nomination are permitted, and should reflect the nominee’s latest work. 
• Members of the awards subcommittee in charge of selection are eligible to be nominated, and can nominate colleagues, but would recuse themselves of subcommittee duties in either case.
• The award must be received by the winner in person at the PVSC; no award will be made in absentia, except under extraordinary circumstances, as determined by the conference chair.

Nomination Package Requirements

• Completed and Signed Nomination Summary Form (2 pages)
• Nominator Statement (2 page limit) supporting the nominee’s suitability for the award with respect to:
• innovative and creative nature of the nominee’s work
• significance of the nominee’s work with respect to the broader PV community
• previous contributions to the PVSC 
• potential shown as a future leader in the PV community 
• Nominee Curriculum vitae (2 page limit)
• List of nominee’s key publications and patents (1 page limit)
• Up to 3 letters of endorsement from individuals familiar with the nominee’s qualifications and area of research. Each letter may be up to 1 page long and should make reference to specific qualifications that make the nominee best-suited for the award. Each letter should be on letterhead and include the signature of the endorser. 
• Entire nomination package should be assembled as a single PDF document (10 pages, maximum) in the following order: 
• Nomination Summary Form (2 pages) 
• Nominator Statement (2 page limit) 
• Curriculum Vitae (2 page limit)
• List of nominee’s key publications, patents, and/or other technical literature (1 page limit)
• Letters of support (up to 3, each letter 1 page limit)

Please submit the nomination packet by January 31, 2020 via email to [email protected].

Questions? Contact the Awards Chair [email protected]

Previous Recipients