Advisory Board

Prof. Dr. Philipp Adelhelm studied materials science at the University of Stuttgart. He moved to Potsdam for his doctoral thesis at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Surfaces (Department of Prof Antionetti/Smarsly, 2005-2007; University of Potsdam). This was followed by stays at the University of Utrecht (postdoc, Prof de Jongh) and at the Justus Liebig University Giessen (junior research group leader, Prof. Janek). From 2015 to 2019, he was a professor at the Institute of Technical Chemistry and Environmental Chemistry at Friedrich Schiller University Jena. Since 2019, he has been a professor at the Institute of Chemistry at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and heads a joint research group at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin.

Prof. Adelhelm's research group works on alternative battery systems and is particularly interested in the development and investigation of electrode materials. Various cell chemistries (especially Na-ion) and cell concepts (conventional, solid-state) are being investigated. One focus is the characterisation of electrode materials using in-situ or operando methods.

As Head of Funded Projects, Dr. Nicolas Bucher has been responsible for national and international collaborative projects at VARTA AG since April 2021. The project content ranges from the evaluation of new materials, components and process technologies for various electrochemical energy storage systems to scaling research and digitalization. Technology scouting, as well as representing VARTA's interests in committees and associations, are all aspects of his work.

From 2017 to 2021, he worked at SGL Carbon SE on the development of novel high-energy C/Si composite anodes. Dr. Bucher studied chemistry, electrochemistry and analytics at the University of Ulm and at the EPFL and received his doctorate in a joint PhD program at the Technical University of Munich and NTU Singapore. During his studies, he conducted basic research in the field of synthesis and characterization of new electrolytes and cathode materials for sodium and lithium-ion batteries.

Dr Klaus Eichhorn is CEO of MOLL Batterien GmbH.

Founded in 1946, MOLL Batterien is a leading specialist in starter batteries based in Bad Staffelstein, Bavaria. With around 230 highly qualified employees, MOLL combines many years of expertise in the development and production of premium batteries for the automotive industry, the global replacement market and demanding export markets.

Dr. Andreas Fischer has been working in the field of electrochemical energy storage and conversion for 30 years. He has been employed by BASF in Ludwigshafen since 1997, mainly in the field of electrochemical research. More than 15 years ago, Andreas Fischer started working on materials for lithium-ion batteries and related systems and established and led research teams in North America, Europe and Asia. In 2012 he was appointed Vice President as Executive Expert "Batteries and Electrochemistry" in BASF. He also serves as an advisor in various committees such as the BMBF's advisory board "Battery Research Germany".

Jürgen Janek has a chair for Physical Chemistry at Justus Liebig University in Giessen (JLU), Germany, is director of the JLU Center for Materials Research and Scientific Director of the BELLA lab at KIT, Karlsruhe. He was visiting professor at Seoul National University (South Korea), Tohoku University (Sendai, Japan) and Université d'Aix-Marseille (France), holds a honorary doctorate by TU Delft (Netherlands), is member of the Leopoldina – German National Academy of Sciences and was recently awarded with the first Greve Prize by Leopoldina and the Research Award of the International Battery Association. He holds numerous patents, has published more than 500 peer-reviewed papers and got numerous awards.

His research interests focus on the physical chemistry of inorganic solids, solid state ionics and reactivity, specifically on the properties of mixed ionic-electronic conductors, defect chemistry of ionic materials, kinetics of solid-state reactions and solid-solid interfaces. In recent years his research is focused strongly to the chemistry of battery materials, solid electrolytes and solid-state batteries and operando studies of batteries. He is scientific coordinator of the German Cluster of Competence for Solid State Batteries FestBatt funded by BMBF (Federal Ministry for Education and Research) and member of the DFG Cluster of Excellence POLIS at Ulm/Karlsruhe.

Prof. Jossen's chair focuses on issues relating to electrochemical energy storage systems for stationary, mobile and portable applications. The characterization, modelling and operating strategies of storage systems and battery management issues are of particular interest here.

Dr. Edwin Knobbe is responsible for the technical coordination of electro-chemical-based simulations of battery cells in the Battery Cell Competence Centre (BCCC) of the BMW Group. He is also the technical project manager of a publicly funded project for simulation-based assessments of battery cells during a thermal event. At the BCCC, BMW has built up the complete infrastructure that is required to investigate and develop battery cells, from material level to complete battery cells in target format. Thus, BMW is pursuing the goal of understanding every aspect of battery cell development to meet battery cell suppliers on an equal footing (“Smart Buyer”).

Dr. Knobbe studied aerospace engineering at the technical university in Delft. At the TU in Delft, he also wrote his doctoral thesis in the field of non-equilibrium thermodynamics governed moving computational meshes. After his studies, he first worked on 1D simulations of Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) catalysts in the aftertreatment system of Diesel engines. Subsequently, he developed new functionalities for the fuel injection in the control unit of petrol engines. He has been employed at BMW in Munich since 2013, where he reorientated himself from internal combustion engines to battery systems. Initially, he worked on new functional concepts for the battery management system and later in the field of electro-chemical-based simulations of battery cells.

Dr. Ing. Martin Krebs studied Physics and Electrochemistry at the TU Clausthal. Then he joined VARTA, building up an electrochemical research lab. Since 2001, he managed collaborative projects funded by the EU Commission and the BMBF and he was a long-standing Manager of Innovative Projects at VARTA.

Since his retirement, he has been active as a freelance battery consultant.

Ulrike Krewer is Professor and Head of the Institute for Applied Materials - Electrochemical Technologies at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.

She has more than 20 years of research expertise in the field of electrochemical technologies including established battery, fuel cell and electrolysis technologies such as Li-ion batteries and PEM electrolysis as well as a range of research cells such as Li/Na metal or solid-state batteries, AEM fuel cells and CO2 electrolysis.

Dr. Markus Meiler is Vice President of Research and Development for Battery Systems at the Webasto Group. The Webasto Group manufactures car roofs, heating and cooling solutions, and battery systems for the automotive industry and is one of the world's top 100 automotive suppliers.

Öttinger Consulting: Carbon and Graphite - Technology, Material and Application

Innovation executive and expert in the field of carbon & graphite materials with more than 25 years of industrial experience (Technology & Innovation at SGL Carbon). Strong leadership and communication skills, distinct strategic thinking and decision making ability. Specialized in expanded graphite and its applications, carbon & graphite-based anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIB), carbon fiber reinforced materials, carbon & graphite based fuel cell components and additive manufacturing of carbon and SiC ceramics. Sound start-up management capabilities. Inventor/co-inventor of more than 60 patent applications. Lecturer at Technical University of Munich (TUM) for more than ten years.

Dr. Rainer Saliger has been a project developer for decentralised energy systems since 2016 and is also named Principal Key Expert for energy storage solutions at Siemens AG. Within Siemens AG, Energy Performance Services is responsible for implementing holistic energy supply concepts consisting of self-generation and storage systems together with customers as a general contractor.

A studied physicist, Dr. Saliger earned his doctorate in energy storage at Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg. He has held various positions at Siemens AG since 2007 in the areas of strategy development, energy scenarios, renewable energies and storage technologies.

Dr. Ingo Schmidt has been Director of Regulatory Affairs at TenneT, the first cross-border electricity transmission system operator in Europe, since 01.07.2020. As a private company based in Germany and the Netherlands, TenneT is one of the largest investors in the energy transition and an active supporter of the European Green Deal.

Together with his international and interdisciplinary team, Dr. Schmidt acts as a central point of contact for national and European regulatory authorities, ministries of economics and industry associations and helps shape the development and implementation of suitable regulatory framework conditions for a secure, climate-neutral and economical energy system. In addition, he is responsible for the planning and management of sales revenues in the TenneT Group and represents the company in various advisory and decision-making bodies at national and European level.

Dr. Schmidt has previously held various specialist and management positions in the energy industry since 2006. Most recently, as Senior Manager Corporate Business Control, he was responsible for several years for corporate planning and control in the TenneT Group as well as for accounting, investment controlling and commercial regulation management of the German TenneT companies. He is a co-founder of TenneT's international trainee program and a member of the board of trustees, mentor, juror and alumnus of the Bavarian Elite Academy Foundation, Munich.

Dr. Schmidt studied business administration at the Universities of Bayreuth and Warwick, Coventry (UK) and received his doctorate in the same subject in 2007.

Dr. Christian Schreiner obtained his PhD on the synthesis and characterisation of ionic liquids for electrochemical applications. After working on polymers and ionic liquids during a Postdoc position at Virginia Tech (USA), he joined the MEET Battery Research Institute at The University of Muenster where he supervised a research group working on electrolyte components (salts, solvents, additives) for lithium ion batteries and their influence on the SEI formation on graphite.

He then joined SGL Carbon some years ago where he manages various development projects, e.g. related to the production of graphite as anode material for lithium ion batteries. He is author/co-author of more than 20 publications and patents.

SGL Carbon is a technology-based compandy and world leader in the development and production of carbon-based solutions. Their high-quality materials and products made from specialty graphite and composites are used in various industrial sectors, e.g. energy storage technology.

Prof. Dr. Werner Tillmetz is a member of the Faculty of Natural Sciences at the University of Ulm. From 2004 to 2018, he was a member of the board of the ZSW (Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg) and head of the "Electrochemical Energy Technologies" division.

In 1984, he obtained his doctorate in applied electrochemistry at the Technical University of Munich. He held various management positions in industry for more than 20 years. His first pioneering activities included new energy technologies and space applications at Dornier Systems. He was subsequently responsible for the development of fuel cell drives at Daimler Benz AG and Ballard Power Systems. At Süd-Chemie AG, he managed the global catalyst business for energy and environmental applications. Werner Tillmetz is a member of various industry and government committees, such as the Advisory Board of the "National Organization Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NOW GmbH)", the Science Council at TOTAL S.A. and the Advisory Board at Emerald Technology Ventures.