This year’s session focuses on personal resilience: how people in the PV community find support, build community, maintain purpose, and continue meaningful scientific work during uncertain times. The session will begin with a short panel discussion featuring Dr. Michael Cunningham of Tulane University and Dr. Claudia Buerhop-Lutz of Forschungszentrum Jülich. The panel will be followed by small-group table discussions, giving attendees space to reflect, listen, connect, and share practical ways of supporting one another. The goal is to create a respectful space for honest conversation, mutual support, and concrete connection within the PVSC community. All attendees who wish to engage constructively with these topics are welcome.
Minority Carriers aims to provide professional development guidance that reflects the intersectionality and nuance of the diversity within our field. This session is open for all PVSC attendees. Individuals who self-identify as underrepresented in the PV community (including people of color, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, individuals from underrepresented nationalities, first-generation students, socioeconomically disadvantaged groups, and individuals with disabilities) and their allies are strongly encouraged to attend. We hope to see you at this special lunch session!
Panelists:
Professor Michael Cunningham (he/him)
Dr. Mike Cunningham is Professor of Psychology and Africana Studies at Tulane University. He also serves as the Associate Provost for Graduate Studies and Research. His research examines resilience, vulnerability, racial identity, social support, and academic and mental-health outcomes among African American adolescents and communities.
Dr. Claudia Buerhop-Lutz (she/her)
Dr. Claudia Buerhop-Lutz is a Principal Investigator at the Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nuremberg for Renewable Energy, Forschungszentrum Jülich. Her research focuses on high-throughput inspection of photovoltaic power plants using advanced imaging, data analysis, and AI to improve solar plant performance and reliability.
Moderator:
Sebastian Husein, Program Manager, University of Twente, Battery Centre Twente
MINORITY CARRIERS PANEL
Tuesday, June 9, 2026 at 12:00 pm ET
Please join us for the "Minority Carriers" (MC) panel and group discussion. The MC lunch is a non-technical PVSC session. The name is a play on words familiar to the solar community: minority charge carriers are essential to photovoltaic devices, and minority voices are essential to a strong, creative, and resilient PV field! This event is open to all individuals who wish to attend. Click here to register for this event.This year’s session focuses on personal resilience: how people in the PV community find support, build community, maintain purpose, and continue meaningful scientific work during uncertain times. The session will begin with a short panel discussion featuring Dr. Michael Cunningham of Tulane University and Dr. Claudia Buerhop-Lutz of Forschungszentrum Jülich. The panel will be followed by small-group table discussions, giving attendees space to reflect, listen, connect, and share practical ways of supporting one another. The goal is to create a respectful space for honest conversation, mutual support, and concrete connection within the PVSC community. All attendees who wish to engage constructively with these topics are welcome.
Minority Carriers aims to provide professional development guidance that reflects the intersectionality and nuance of the diversity within our field. This session is open for all PVSC attendees. Individuals who self-identify as underrepresented in the PV community (including people of color, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, individuals from underrepresented nationalities, first-generation students, socioeconomically disadvantaged groups, and individuals with disabilities) and their allies are strongly encouraged to attend. We hope to see you at this special lunch session!
Panelists:
Professor Michael Cunningham (he/him)
Dr. Mike Cunningham is Professor of Psychology and Africana Studies at Tulane University. He also serves as the Associate Provost for Graduate Studies and Research. His research examines resilience, vulnerability, racial identity, social support, and academic and mental-health outcomes among African American adolescents and communities.
Dr. Claudia Buerhop-Lutz (she/her)
Dr. Claudia Buerhop-Lutz is a Principal Investigator at the Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nuremberg for Renewable Energy, Forschungszentrum Jülich. Her research focuses on high-throughput inspection of photovoltaic power plants using advanced imaging, data analysis, and AI to improve solar plant performance and reliability.
Moderator:
Sebastian Husein, Program Manager, University of Twente, Battery Centre Twente