Plenary sessions

Unlocking New Wave Phenomena with Metamaterials

Andrea Alù
Photonics Initiative, Advanced Science Research Center,
City University of New York
Physics Program, Graduate Center, City University of New York
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering,
City College of New York
U.S.A.

Metamaterials—artificial structures engineered at the nanoscale—have been transforming our ability to control waves such as light, radio-waves and sound. By designing these materials with specific geometrical patterns, we can unveil remarkable effects and phenomena that do not commonly exist in natural materials. In this talk, I will discuss how these engineered materials can offer a powerful platform to expand the range of available materials for various technologies of interest, and how in return they can leverage the latest developments in material synthesis to enable extreme wave phenomena by combining them with photonic engineering.

In particular, by leveraging polaritonic phenomena in structured materials we can enable giant nonlinear responses and light-matter interactions, and extreme control over the incoming and outgoing wavefronts in space, time, frequency, momentum, energy and coherence. These concepts open the door to phenomena that tightly connect physics, engineering and materials science. Finally, I will discuss how these principles translate into emerging technologies—from imaging and energy systems to improved sensing, computation and communication devices, spanning classical and quantum wave technologies.

Biography:

Andrea Alù is a Distinguished Professor at the City University of New York (CUNY), the Founding Director of the Photonics Initiative at the CUNY Advanced Science Research Center, and the Einstein Professor of Physics at the CUNY Graduate Center. He received his Laurea (2001) and PhD (2007) from the University of Roma Tre, Italy, and, after a postdoc at the University of Pennsylvania, he joined the faculty of the University of Texas at Austin in 2009, where he was the Temple Foundation Endowed Professor until 2018. His research interests span over nanophotonics, metamaterials and wave physics.

Innovating Gigawatt-Scale PV Manufacturing in Europe

Cosimo Gerardi 3SUN Gigafactory
Catania, Italy

Scaling high-efficiency photovoltaic (PV) technologies to gigawatt-level production in Europe represents both a formidable technical challenge and a strategic imperative for energy sovereignty. 3SUN is leading this transformation, with a strong focus on the industrialization of silicon heterojunction (HJT) solar cells—renowned for their superior efficiency and long-term stability. To enable large-scale manufacturing, our research and development teams are advancing innovations in process control, next-generation equipment design, and sustainable material sourcing, systematically addressing the key bottlenecks that currently constrain throughput and yield.

In parallel, we are at the forefront of developing next-generation tandem solar architectures, specifically integrating HJT as the bottom cell with a perovskite top cell. Our research spans materials engineering, interface optimization, and rigorous reliability testing, all aimed at surpassing 30% power conversion efficiency and ensuring robust operational stability. We are also pioneering scalable deposition and encapsulation techniques to accelerate the industrial deployment of these tandem devices.

By integrating fundamental research with applied engineering, 3SUN is committed to accelerating the reshoring of Europe’s PV manufacturing industry. Our efforts are directed toward establishing a resilient, high-efficiency, and sustainable solar value chain, positioning Europe as a leader in advanced PV technology.

Biography:

Cosimo Gerardi is the Chief Technology Officer of 3SUN, the PV Gigafactory of Enel Group. He has nearly 30 years of experience in semiconductors and photovoltaic technologies. He began his career as a scientific researcher and spent over 15 years as R&D Manager in micro- and nano-electronic technologies at STMicroelectronics.

Since 2011, he has led R&D and Product Engineering at 3SUN, driving innovation in photovoltaic technology. As CTO, he oversees the R&D and Product Engineering teams, driving innovation and new product development for the company. He is the author of more than 200 publications, including patents and technical papers, reflecting his significant contributions to the advancement of photovoltaic and semiconductor technologies.

How and why prepare a project for the European Research Council – ERC?

Dr. Christine Courillon
«Synthetic Chemistry and Materials» Research Program Agent
ERC Executive Agency
Place Rogier, 16
B-1049 Brussels, Belgium 

The European Research Council (ERC) and its executive agency are recognized for funding cutting-edge research proposed by researchers from around the world working in all scientific fields.

Applicants, who may be of any nationality, commit to implementing their research project in Europe (in one of the EU Member States or one of the associated countries).

Within the framework of the "Horizon Europe" program, the entire process will be presented, including the new features of the 2026 calls and those planned for 2027: from application preparation to project implementation, including evaluation and contract signing.

Several stakeholders (principal investigators, evaluators) will be invited to share their "ERC" experience. 

Biography:

Christine Courillon followed PhD studies at CNRS and was a post-doctoral associate at the University of Austin, Texas, where she worked on the total synthesis of Ambruticine.
Christine returned to Paris at the University Pierre et Marie Curie where she defended an Habilitation to direct research in the field of stereoselective organic chemistry.
She then received a full professor position at the University Paris-Diderot where she developed radical heterocyclic chemistry.
In 2009, Christine left Paris for Brussels first as an innovation manager and then as the chair of the European project office at the Free University of Brussels. She joined ERCEA in 2015, as the "Physical & Analytical Chemistry" (PE4) panel coordinator and now coordinates the PE5 panel "Synthetic Chemistry and Material Sciences".