PVSC AWARDS

IEEE Stuart R. Wenham Young Professional Award Winner
Yifeng Chen will receive the Young Professional Award at PVSC 50

Dr. Yifeng Chen is the associate vice president of technology in Trina Solar, and vice president of State Key Lab of PV Science and Technology in China. He received his B.S. degree in optics in Sun Yat-Sen University in 2008, and his PhD degree of physics in Sun Yat-Sen University in 2013 on numerical simulation and device physics of high-efficiency c-Si solar cells under the supervision of Prof. Hui. Shen. From 2011 to 2012, he worked as a co-training PhD under the supervision of Dr. Pietro. Altermatt in the Leibniz University of Hanover, Germany. In 2013 he joined Trina Solar as technical assistant of Dr. Pierre Verlinden. Since 2014, Dr. Chen became the group leader of high efficiency solar cells R&D in Trina Solar, leading the team to develop high efficiency PERC, and the first inline hydrogenation tool to deactivate B-O complex in China, the first total-area 25% IBC cell with dimension of 156.75mm (25.04% by JET in 2018), and 24.58% and 23.22% bifacial tunnel oxide passivated contact “i-TOPCon” cell (cited in NREL Efficiency Chart and in Prof. Green’s Efficiency Table). Since 2020, Dr. Chen became the head of technology department, lead the group to develop champion 24.5% p-type PERC and 25.5% n-type i-TOPCon cells on 210mm wafers, modules with power from 400 to 690W (with champion aperture module efficiency of 24.2%), and transfer the technology to mass production. Dr. Chen is the winner of “SiliconPV Award” (3rd SiliconPV conference, Hameln, Germany, 2013) and “Young Researcher Award” (WCPEC-6, Kyoto, Japan, 2014).

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 USD 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)

Questions? Contact the Awards Chair [email protected]

Previous Recipients

Marta Victoria, 2022 Sam Stranks, 2021 Brett Hallam, 2020 Zachary Holman, 2019 Adele Tamboli, 2018 Weiwei Deng, 2017 Bram Hoex, 2016 Henry Snaith, 2015 Oliver Schultz-Wittman, 2014