Michael Heben is a physicist and materials scientist whose research has helped shape the modern landscape of thin-film photovoltaics and other fields. Over a career spanning more than thirty-five years, first at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and then at the University of Toledo, his work has moved from fundamental and applied studies of carbon nanotube and hydrogen sorption materials to research on CdTe, perovskite, and other solar cell materials. Heben's approach combines materials synthesis, device engineering, advanced characterization techniques, and computer simulations to identify and overcome the recombination losses and interface defects that limit solar cell performance, with the ultimate goal of pushing thin-film photovoltaics toward their theoretical efficiency limits while advancing their manufacturability and durability.

Heben and his group and colleagues have impacted a variety of areas including efficiency progression, doping engineering including group-V strategies, tandem architectures, space photovoltaics, industry roadmapping, and sustainability analysis, including conducting lifecycle assessments and techno-economic modeling of emerging PV technologies. He has also contributed to the development and understanding of hybrid energy systems.  His work has helped to inform industry and governmental policy decisions around energy production and utilization.

Heben also serves as the Director of the Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization (PVIC). In this role he works on behalf of his colleagues and the University to develop programs, resources, facilities, and educational offerings that will help to sustain PVIC’s prominence well into the future. 

Heben's work has resulted in numerous highly cited publications, several U.S. patents, and ongoing collaborations with national laboratories and industry partners.  He is currently the Director of the DOE-funded Cadmium Telluride Accelerator Consortium (CTAC) and is a founding member and on the Executive Board of the U.S. Manufacturing of Advanced Cadmium Telluride Photovoltaics (US-MAC) Consortium and the U.S. Manufacturing of Advanced Perovskites (US-MAP) Consortium. 

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