Dirk Weiss

Dirk Weiss has a diverse work experience spanning different companies and roles. Dirk started their career at United Technologies as a Senior Research Scientist, where they led an experimental study on failure mechanisms in PEM fuel cell membranes. Dirk also built a physical model for thermoelectric microdevices for energy-conversion applications.

After that, they joined Scifiniti (formerly iPV) as a Senior Scientist before becoming the Chief Scientist. In this role, they led a team responsible for high-efficiency devices and wafer architecture. Under their leadership, the team advanced solar-cell efficiency by more than 30%, meeting key roadmap milestones. Dirk also identified and hired talented scientists and technicians.

Next, Dirk joined the University of Washington as an Affiliate Professor and later as the Principal Investigator at the Washington Nanofabrication Facility. Dirk established a research program for nanoimprint lithography and collaborated with startup companies and academic research groups. Dirk was responsible for managing over $1M in research funding.

Lastly, Dirk worked at First Solar as the Head of Technology Assessment.

Dirk Weiss completed their education from 1991 to 1996 at Freie Universität Berlin, where they obtained a Diplom Physiker degree in Applied Physics. Dirk then pursued further studies at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (formerly Metals Research) between 1997 and 2000, obtaining a Dr. rer. nat. (Ph.D.) in Materials Science. Following this, they attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 2001 to 2005 as a Postdoctoral Fellow, specializing in Chemistry, Physics, Materials Science, and Nanotechnology.