The KAUST Solar Future 2014 meeting was held on the University’s campus from November 7-11. Hosted by the Solar & Photovoltaics Engineering Research Center (SPERC), one of the University’s main research centers, the Solar Future meeting brought over 30 speakers from KAUST and different international universities to speak on current and future advances in solar and photovoltaic technologies.

Professor Jean-Luc Bredas, Director of SPERC, noted the event was important in supporting the center’s mission of becoming a leading institution in renewable energy science and engineering.

“The symposium was absolutely great,” he said. “We had a tremendous list of speakers, and we believe their interactions with our KAUST faculty and students will lead to the start of collaborations, or to the strengthening of currently existing ones.”

In addition to the visiting professors, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows from several international universities also attended the event. They and KAUST students and postdocs presented posters on their work in the field at two poster sessions on November 9 and 10. These sessions were organized by the KAUST student chapter of the Materials Research Society (MRS), and included prizes sponsored by the Royal Society of Chemistry for the best posters.

“The poster sessions were very important because they provided a chance for external students to interact with KAUST students and faculty,” explained Prof. Bredas. “Through these, and through events like the Solar Future meeting, we hope also to attract new students and postdocs to come work or study at KAUST.”

Prof. Bredas added that the visiting professors, students and postdocs “all had a very positive experience, which is an important point – when they return home, they will be able to say KAUST is a unique place in a positive way, and will be even more keen to start collaborations with us. I think this has certainly been the outcome from this year’s Solar Future meeting.”