Alexis Pascaris is a social scientist at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Her research portfolio features mixed method approaches to understanding the socio-political challenges and opportunities at the energy-agriculture nexus, with a specific focus on using stakeholder engagement to inform policy and practice for agrivoltaics. She believes agrivoltaics can play an important role in fostering cross-sector partnerships that maximize the social, environmental, and economic benefits of solar development. As an InSPIRE team member, Alexis works to better position agrivoltaics as a farm viability tool by identifying best practices for policy making, business models, and participatory planning.

Álvaro Fernández Solas is a researcher in the field of Agrivoltaics at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), based at the Institute of Solar Research in Almería, Spain. He completed his studies in industrial engineering at the University of Jaén (UJA), Spain, obtaining his M.Sc. degree in 2019. In 2023, he successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis on photovoltaic soiling at UJA. During his academic journey, he served as a visiting researcher at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). Throughout his career, he has actively engaged in various national and European research projects related to photovoltaics. His dedication is reflected in several contributions, such as papers in peer-reviewed journals and presentations in solar energy-related conferences, focusing on topics such as PV soiling and agrivoltaics. Currently, he directs his research efforts towards agrivoltaics, exploring applications in both open and closed systems. He actively participates in the "Agrivoltaics subtask" of the IEA Task 13 and is a member of scientific societies, such as the AiDo working group and the NEXUSNET COST Action.

Soo-Young Oh received his B. S. E. E. from Seoul National University in 1972, and M. S. E. E. in 1977 and Ph. D. in electrical Engineering in 1981 from Stanford University. He has worked 17 years in scientist and project manager in Hewlett Packard Labs. He is a recognized expert in high-speed device modeling and design of the digital and mixed signal SOC.

Dr. Oh has been the vice president of Convergence Components & Materials Research Lab. in Electrical Communication Research Institute (ETRI) in Korea from 2006 to 2012. He has been the directer of Advanced Solar Technology Resaerch Division in ETRI and manages the development of flexibls DSSC and CIGS solar cell.

Now he is the professor of Yeungnam University from 2012 doing the research on the reliability of Solar Cells and AgriPhotoVoltaics(APV).

Onno Muller is a plant ecophysiologist interested in how and why plants respond to their environment, specifically photosynthesis and related traits of plants and crops in their natural habitat. With his group he combines advanced sensors as well as advance positioning for high spatial and temporal throughput of plant trait measurements. Among others he integrated and coordinates these field phenotyping approaches in the Agri Food and Energy park Alt- Morsenich with different Agriphotovoltaics systems.

R. Ari Kießer is a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) practitioner with over five years of experience in sustainability assessments. They began their career as a sustainability consultant, specializing in agricultural LCA modelling and related topics such as land use change and soil organic carbon. In September 2024, they joined the Fraunhofer ISE as a research associate, where they work within the agrivoltaics department and continue to focus on LCA of agrivoltaics. Currently, they are also pursuing a dissertation focused on life cycle sustainability assessments (LCSA) for agrivoltaic systems, expanding the scope of the environmental analysis to include all pillars of sustainability.

Ricardo Rüther is a Full Professor at Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina in Florianopolis-Brazil, in the field of solar photovoltaics, solar irradiation resource assessment, electrochemical storage, electromobility, agriphotovoltaics and green hydrogen. He completed a BE with honours (1989) and a M.Sc. (1991) degree in Metallurgy and Materials Science at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, and obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Western Australia at the Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering in 1995. He was an Alexander von Humboldt post-doctoral research fellow at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems in Germany (1995-1996), and was tenured at Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina in 2000. Prof. Rüther is also a guest lecturer at the Master of Science Solar Energy Engineering course at the University of Freiburg – Germany, and a permanent member of the International Solar Energy Society – ISES.

Prof Ulrike Feistel is a hydrologist working at the University of Applied Sciences Dresden. Following her PhD in environmental sciences she was involved in international research on climate change at the Centre de Recharge Eco-Geographic, France. She worked as GIS specialist for WASY Ltd, Germany and for eleven years as Senior Hydrologist for the environmental department of Mott MacDonald, UK. In 2017 she and her team started investigating the impact of solar farms on the environment. Their research has focused on the influence of large-scale solar parks and small Agri-PV systems of various designs on soil water dynamics and microclimate.

Shilp has more than two decades of experience in the water, energy and rural livelihoods domain. With a background in Economics, Rural Management and Water Resources Management, Shilp has worked with several national and international organizations and since 2019, has been working as an internationally recruited scientist with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). IN his role as Senior Researcher (Water-Energy-Food Policies) and Deputy Country Representative – India, Shilp provides leadership to inform, inspire, and influence policies aimed at sustainable resource management and economic growth. He leads the IWMI-Tata Water Policy Program, IWMI’s long-standing partnership with Tata Trusts and several key IWMI initiatives in Asia and Africa.

Dr Xinyu Zhang, associate researcher in the Department of Optics and Optical Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC). He focuses on the research of advanced agrivoltaic systems that combine photosynthesis and PV power generation, and developed Spectrally Separated Concentrated Agrivoltaic (SCAPV), Envn-lighting Agrivoltaic (EPAV), Dynamically Tracked Agrivoltaic (TAPV), Greenhouse Agrivoltaic (GAPV), and Plant Factory with Artificial Lighting (PFAL), the research published in Applied Energy, Energy Conversion & Management, iScience etc. The developed agrivoltaic system has achieved about 20MW of large-scale application.

Dr. Max Zhang is the Irving Porter Church Professor of Engineering at Cornell University. His research interests focus on energy and the environment, driven by societal impact. He studies the interactions between energy and environmental systems using numerical models and experimental techniques, in the context of renewable energy and deep decarbonization. Dr. Zhang has been working with colleagues across Cornell University to create a sustainable solar initiative. His primary research interest in this area is to create a holistic platform to transform the design process of future solar farms. Dr. Zhang’s research has led to major legislation and programs in New York, the U.S., and internationally. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Makoto TAJIMA has over 25 years of experience in international development work and research, working overseas for NGOs and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) as an expert/advisor. He is the director/senior research fellow of the Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies (ISEP) and advisor on Disaster Risk Reduction and Response of Japan NGO Center for International Cooperation (JANIC). He also serves on the Japan Solar Sharing Federation (JSSF), CWS Japan, Women’s Eye board, and AgriVoltaics 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 Scientific Committee. His professional background is in natural resources management—MSc in agronomy and soil science specializing in agroforestry, the University of Hawaii.

Richard’s research bridges sectors and disciplines to address complex global sustainability challenges, with a focus on solar energy initiatives. The overarching question guiding much of his research is: how can we achieve even greater socio-economic and environmental benefits from renewable energy initiatives, in addition to much-needed low-carbon electricity generation? He has a passion for agrivoltaics and its ability to tackle multiple sustainable development goals simultaneously. His experience in this area ranges from implementing agrivoltaic pilots in East Africa - where PV potential is enormous and climate change threatens food production, through to expanding agrivoltaics research in Norway – where all proposed solar parks involve deforestation.

Jonathan Leloux has been working in the field of solar photovoltaic energy since 2005, as an engineer, researcher, consultant and entrepreneur. He holds of an engineering degree from Faculté Polytechnique de Mons, Belgium, and a PhD in photovoltaic systems from Instituto de Energía Solar – Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (IES-UPM), Spain.
He is a co-founder and the managing director of the company LuciSun, where is contributing to the development of the software simulation tool LuSim, which incorporates advanced modelling features for agrivoltaic systems.
Jonathan has participated in several research projects at the national and European levels. He is involved with LuciSun in the Horizon Europe research project SYMBIOSYST, leading the work on agrivoltaic systems modelling. He is a participant in the IEA PVPS Programme Task 13 on PV systems performance, including agrivoltaics.
He is an editor for IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics.

Dr. Altyeb Ali Abaker Omer is an associate researcher at Pu'er University, China. With expertise in designing and optimizing agrivoltaic systems, his work addresses the water-food-energy nexus and promotes sustainable solutions for climate change mitigation. He has presented and contributed at multiple AgriVoltaics World Conferences, advancing innovative agrivoltaic technologies. His research spans greenhouse management, crop yield optimization, and renewable energy integration, showcasing his dedication to sustainable agriculture.

I am a plant ecophysiology researcher at INRAE, the French National Research Institute for Agriculture and the Environment, based at the Institut Agro Montpellier. My research focuses on how plant growth and development respond to abiotic stresses. Since 2014, I have been involved in agrivoltaics, exploring plant acclimation to intermittent shading and investigating these systems as a solution to climate change. I recently joined the team at INRAE's National Center for Research, Innovation, and Education on Agrivoltaics (Agri-PV). This consortium aims to advance research in France on combining agriculture and energy production by bringing together public and private actors.

Frederik Schönberger has been dedicated to agrivoltaics and renewable energy applied research for over five years. He leads the Integrated Photovoltaics Research Line at Fraunhofer Chile Research in Santiago, Chile. Frederik holds a master's degree in Renewable Energy Engineering and Management, with a focus on advancing agrivoltaics in South America. His work includes developing and piloting agrivoltaic systems, conducting techno-economic evaluations, analyzing policies, and assessing geospatial potential. Through his involvement in projects across Chile, Brazil, and Uruguay, Frederik has gained a broad perspective on the technological evolution and opportunities for agrivoltaics in Latin America. His contributions aim to drive innovation and strengthen the integration of solar energy and agriculture through integrated photovoltaic technologies.

Dr. Matthias Meier-Grüll is member of the institute for Plant Sciences at Forschungszentrum Jülich and Leader of the Agri-Horti-PV activities at the research center. He received his PhD in Electrical Engineering and Nanotechnology at the Technical University of Aachen in 2009. After his Post Doc he became Group Leader at the institute of Photovoltaics in Jülich in 2013. In 2015 he became Head of the department of Scientific Coordination at the PV institute where he was responsible for strategy development, third party funding and resource management as science manager. Finally, he changed to the institute of plant sciences as project leader of the first APV 2.0 project in Jülich in the frame of the BioökonomieREVIER initiative and Hub-Lead “Bioeconomy meets Energy”, wherein he develops and runs energy projects with bioeconomy background. Together with the Agri-PV team Matthias actually runs six Agri-PV projects with different focus on e.g. soy bean growth or semitransparent PV modules.”

Research director and head of the Grassland Ecosytem Research Unit (INRAE, Clermont-Ferrand, France). Her main resarch topic is to understand how climate change and management affect species and communities of perennial grasslands. She coordinates research in agrivoltaism in sheep grazed grassland.

Chris Hegadorn is Adjunct Professor of Global Food Politics at Sciences Po University in Paris where he teaches graduate courses on global food systems and linkages between food production, climate change and public health. Mr Hegadorn leads the Consortium for Sustainable Agrivoltaics (C4SA) Foundation, a Paris-based non-profit that focuses on accelerating uptake of, and investments in, agrivoltaic approaches in developing countries at the nexus of food, energy and water security. He also curates customized food crisis simulation workshops for governments and experts to strengthen food systems resilience and disaster preparedness. A former U.S. diplomat, Mr Hegadorn spent more than three decades in international development and multilateralism, serving in Asia, Africa, the Near East and with the UN, including nearly four years as Executive Secretary of the UN’s Committee on World Food Security (CFS) in Rome.

Jordan Macknick has led agrivoltaics research at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) since 2013. Jordan’s research focus spans examining the water and land impacts of the energy sector broadly, assessing opportunities to reduce the energy intensity of water infrastructure, and identifying synergies across energy, agriculture, and water sectors through agrivoltaics. Jordan leads the multi-disciplinary InSPIRE research team in its diverse set of approaches to studying agrivoltaics, including: fieldwork, techno-economic modeling, geospatial analyses, optimization modeling, social sciences, technical assistance, outreach and education, and global thought leadership. The U.S. Department of Energy InSPIRE project is the longest-running, largest, and most comprehensive agrivoltaics research project in the United States. In the international arena, Jordan co-leads the Agrivoltaics Action Group as part of the International Energy Agency’s Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVPS), which coordinates agrivoltaic research across continents.

Klaus Mueller is a scientist at the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) and a retired Professor at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. His research is focused on multifunctional and sustainable use of agricultural landscapes and the resolution of related conflicts. One focus of his more recent work is the topic of agrivoltaics.

Dr.-Ing. Matthew Berwind leads a team of PV scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems focusing on the simulation and modelling of PV power plants. His work in agrivoltaics often deals with addressing the ways in which PV and agricultural systems interact with one another, attempting to predict the performance of such dual-yield systems. The simulation-supported optimization of PV trackers and their intelligent application in agrivoltaics is another key focus of his work.

Natalie Hanrieder is the Agrivoltaics team leader at the Institute of Solar Research at the German Aerospace Center (DLR). She holds a PhD in Physics, has over 12 years of experience in research on the meteorological influences on solar energy system and participates in the IEA PVPS Task 13 and 16.

Full professor of Agronomy and Field Crops at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. His research focusses on developing management strategies to increase sustainability of agricultural systems. He is working on the optimisation of agrivoltaics and he was chairman of the international conference Agrivoltacis2022.

I am a Research Associate in the Agrivoltaics Group at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE. With a Master's in Environmental Sciences, a Bachelor’s in Energy Engineering and over three years of experience in Agrivoltaics, I possess a strong understanding of renewable energy and integrated PV solutions. I have hands-on experience with monitoring concepts, sensor installations, and data analysis, and I am proficient in programming, particularly for database management.

Brecht Willockx (PhD) is a Belgian engineer and researcher specializing in agrivoltaics.
His work includes studies on performance indicators, classification, and the development of Belgium’s first pilot agrivoltaic projects (pear orchard and tracking systems).
He also created a public modeling tool to optimize these systems and is currently promoting sustainable agrisolar scaling in Belgium.

Dr. DUPRAZ Christian, Ph.D, Director of Research in Agroforestry and Agrivoltaism, INRAE, University of Montpellier, France
Board member, France Agrivoltaisme
Board member Scientific Committee of the French Cluster on Agrivoltaics
Editor in Chief Agroforestry Systems Journal ; Editor of a special issue on Agrivoltaism
Member, Académie d’Agriculture de France
Member of the organizing committee of the World Agrivoltaics congress
Founding President International Union for Agroforestry (IUAF)

Karl Wild works at the University of Applied Sciences Dresden, Germany. He specializes in agricultural systems technology and works on the further development of equipment for farming in agrivoltaics systems. This primarily involves the integration of smart farming technologies into the production process.

Pr Frederic Lebeau is head of the Digital Energy and Agriculture Laboratory - University of Liege. DEAL develops connected technologies for tomorrow energy systems and agricultures respectful of well-being, the environment and decarbonized. This research encompasses the food energy nexus, through digital twins development projects.