Joachim Luther (born 31 March 1941 in Hannover, Germany) received his PhD in experimental physics at the Leibniz University Hannover in 1970.
Academic career
In 1974, Luther became professor of physics at the newly founded University of Oldenburg.[1] In the beginning of the 1980s, his scientific interest shifted towards renewable energy sources, in particular solar power. In 1987, he became dean of the physics faculty at this university.
In 1993, he accepted a call to become professor of solid-state physics at the University of Freiburg in Southern Germany and head of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in this city at the same time. He succeeded Adolf Goetzberger in these functions.
In the following years, Luther established this institute as the largest research center for solar energy in Europe. During his tenure,
various solar cells with world-record characteristics at the time were developed at ISE:
monocrystalline silicon solar cell flexible wafer with only 37 micrometer thickness and 20.2% conversion efficiency.[2]
Professor Luther retired from ISE in 2006. In 2008, he was asked by the Government of Singapore to set-up and head the newly
founded Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS).[3] In 2012, he returned to Germany, where he is director emeritus of ISE.
Memberships
List provided by the German Environment Foundation.[4]
