PVSC PROGRAM

IEEE Stuart R. Wenham Young Professional Award Winner:
Dr. Silvana Ovaitt will receive the Young Professional Award at PVSC 54

Title: The Next Phase of Solar Deployment Is Reliability
Presentation Date: Tuesday, June 9, 1:30pm, Celestin A (Area 8)

Dr. Silvana Ovaitt is a research scientist at the U.S. National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR, formerly the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, NREL) specializing in photovoltaic reliability, field performance, and sustainability. Her work spans bifacial PV, agrivoltaics, degradation modeling, repowering, and circularity, with many publications and leadership roles in DuraMAT, InSPIRE, and IEA PVPS Task 13, as well as other international technical initiatives. Originally from Mexico and Uruguay, she maintains strong professional and research connections across Latin America, and is a recipient of the 2024 SHPE Start of TomorrowAward from the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, the 2024 Powermark Prize in PV Reliability, and is a U.S. National Academy of Engineering Frontiers of Engineering and National Academies Latin American Connections alumna. She is an avid outreach educator and leads the HOPE (Hands-On Photovoltaic Experience) program, training Ph.D. students and early-career researchers in photovoltaic technologies, from cell fabrication to system performance and reliability, through hands-on learning. She also contributes to the PVSC organizing committee and has led international workshops—including multiple bifiPV workshops and the PV Circularity Workshop—advancing collaboration and knowledge exchange in the global PV community, and will serve as chair of the 2027 PV Reliability Workshop. Silvana’s academic and professional endeavors reflect her deep commitment to advancing renewable energy technologies and mentoring the next generation of researchers in this vital field.

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.

Questions? The Awards Chair can be reached at [email protected]

Previous Recipients

Yifeng Chen, 2023 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