Accolade and social commitment at the same time: Prof. Dr. Bernd Rech has become a new member of acatech
The German “National Academy of Science and Engineering – acatech” has admitted Prof. Dr. Bernd Rech, an expert in renewable energies, into its circle of members. Bernd Rech has headed the Institute of Silicon Photovoltaics at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) since 2006 and has been the acting Scientific Director of HZB since May 2017. For many years, and in many capacities, he has been a champion for knowledge transfer. “This appointment is an accolade for his scientific accomplishment, and at the same time involves an honorary mandate,” acatech writes in its press release. The federal- and state-funded academy advises social and political actors on technological matters.
“As a member of acatech, I will weigh in more strongly on debates regarding the issue of our energy supply. Within the academy, I am part of an interdisciplinary team with diverse areas of expertise, which develops recommendations for action for politics and society. It is an exciting and very important set of duties, to which I am very much looking forward,” Bernd Rech says.
Bernd Rech is an internationally renowned expert above all in the fields of photovoltaics and thin-film technology, and has distinguished himself through many successes in technology transfer. He has published more than 300 papers and holds more than ten patents. Rech has also been actively involved for many years in promoting the networking of energy research in Germany. He has been the spokesperson for the “Renewable Energies” research program of the Helmholtz Association since 2008. He is also on the board of the Energy Working Group of the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. This affords him a complete picture of the scientific and technological challenges involved in converting to a low-carbon energy supply of the future.
acatech welcomes 26 new members
A total of 26 scientists have been newly accepted into acatech. The members of acatech are from the engineering and natural sciences, the humanities, economics and the social sciences, and operate at the interface between science, economics and politics. In interdisciplinary projects, they collaborate with experts from industry and society to develop options and recommendations for action. Subject matters of these projects range from the global energy supply to digitalisation, Industry 4.0 and telecommunications. More information
- Helmholtz Doctoral Award for Hanna TrzesniowskiDuring her doctoral studies at the Helmholtz Centre Berlin, Hanna Trzesniowski conducted research on nickel-based electrocatalysts for water splitting. Her work contributes to a deeper understanding of alkaline water electrolysis and paves the way for the development of more efficient and stable catalysts. On 8 July 2025, she received the Helmholtz Doctoral Prize, which honours the best and most original doctoral theses in the Helmholtz Association.
- New department at HZB: ‘AI and Biomolecular Structures’Since 1 July 2025, Dr. Andrea Thorn has been setting up the new AI and Biomolecular Structures department at HZB. A biophysicist with many years of experience in AI-based tools for structural biology, she is looking forward to collaborating closely with the macromolecular crystallography team at the MX beamlines of BESSY II.
- Almost 4,000 People at the Long Night of the Sciences at HZBHelmholtz-Zentrum Berlin was delighted to welcome nearly 4,000 visitors to its Adlershof campus for the Long Night of the Sciences. It was a fantastic celebration of science, and we thank all our guests for their great interest.