News

f.l.t.r: chair of the advisory board Dr. Bucher, new board member Dr. Isakin, BayBatt director Prof. Danzer

On October 7 and 8, 2026, the Advisory Board of the Bavarian Center for Battery Technology (BayBatt) convened for its seventh meeting, chaired by Advisory Board Chair Dr. Nicolas Bucher (VARTA) and BayBatt Director Prof. Dr. Michael Danzer. The Advisory Board currently consists of 16 distinguished representatives from industry and academia who advise BayBatt on its technical and strategic direction.

A highlight of this year’s meeting was the appointment of Dr. Olga Isakin (BYK Additives) as a new member of the Advisory Board. Dr. Isakin is an alumna of the University of Bayreuth and earned her Ph.D. on the development and production of innovative composite materials for lithium-ion batteries as part of an industry collaboration. Since 2025, she has been working in the New Business & Business Development Energy Storage division at BYK, a company of the ALTANA Group. In this role, she is responsible for developing and supporting international clients as well as implementing strategic projects in the field of battery technologies and energy storage. With her industry expertise, she brings another valuable perspective to the committee.

Participants of the advisory board meeting

The advisory board meeting focused on fostering dialogue between the advisory board members and BayBatt researchers through various keynote presentations:

• Prof. Dr. Fridolin Röder demonstrated why mechanistic battery models remain indispensable even in the age of artificial intelligence. Dr. Qingsong Wang presented his work on cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries, and Prof. Dr. Josef Breu reported on inorganic nanolayers as protective coatings for high-voltage cathode materials.
  
• Dr. Nicolas Bucher provided an overview of the new BMFTR funding guideline “Vertical Application Alliances for Batteries” and the opportunities it presents for collaboration between academia and industry.
  
• Dr. Markus Meiler (Webasto) offered an industry perspective with his keynote presentation on battery safety and the prevention of thermal runaway.
  
• Finally, Prof. Dr. Ralf Moos presented highlights from BayBatt’s chairs and early-career research groups.
  

The concluding part of the meeting focused on the strategic development of BayBatt: the center’s visibility, networking across the entire value chain, and the strengthening of its degree programs.

BayBatt would like to thank all advisory board members and guests for the open and constructive exchange.