Konarka Technologies, Inc. has appointed Dr. Christoph Brabec as the company's chief technology officer. Previously Brabec was Konarka's director of polymer photovoltaics.
"Not only is Dr. Brabec a world recognized leader in organic chemistry and photovoltaic technology, but he also grasps the implications of that technology, which makes him a strong leader in addition to being an exceptional technologist," commented Howard Berke, Konarka's chairman and CEO. "A distinguished scientist who is both multi-cultural and multi-lingual, Dr. Brabec recognizes and foresees the potential global impact of our Power Plastic™, and he will play a key role in ensuring that our product has global impact."
Since joining Konarka in September of 2004 as part of the acquisition of Siemens' organic photovoltaic research group, Dr. Brabec has successfully led Konarka's European research and development efforts. Additionally, he has expanded the Company's intellectual property and patent portfolio, while making strong contributions to the development and continued relationship with manufacturing partner KURZ and other European partners, including Merck.
Before joining Konarka, Dr. Brabec was project leader for organic semiconductor devices at Siemens Corporate Technology. Prior to his role at Siemens, he worked with Dr. Alan Heeger, Konarka's founding scientist, director and winner of the 2000 Nobel Chemistry Prize for pioneering research in the area of semiconducting and metallic polymers. Additionally, Dr. Brabec has authored or co-authored more than 100 papers, filed over 30 patents and presented at numerous technical symposia in both the U.S. and Europe.
Dr. Alan Heeger remarked, "Dr. Brabec is a world-recognized innovator in organic and photovoltaic technologies. He has been instrumental in translating breakthroughs in scientific theory and research into functional applications that will fundamentally change the way we generate and consume energy."
