professor trystan watson
Photovoltaics Scale-up Research Lead
Trystan started his academic career with a Chemistry degree at Swansea University spending a year out as an analytical chemist at 3M. He then transferred to the College of Engineering to carry out a Doctorate in Steel Technology. As part of this doctorate he used scanning electrochemical techniques to characterise corrosion phenomena such as Filiform corrosion on packaging substrates and co-invented a novel packaging coating to inhibit corrosion during high temperature heat treatments.
Trystan then moved to Corus Strip Products (now Tata Steel) as a product development engineer as well as a theme leader for the process technology group in the engineering doctorate scheme. It was there that he became a chartered engineer with the Institute of Materials Minerals and Mining (IOM3).
In 2007, Trystan returned to academia to take up a research position on the development of dye-sensitized solar cells on metal substrates.
Since then his research has focused on thin film printed photovoltaics with a specialism in developing new technologies for the manufacture of solution processable photovoltaics such as perovskites and OPV including deposition (roll to roll and sheet to sheet) and curing processes and their characterisation using electrochemistry, photochemistry or optoelectronic methods.
During his career, Trystan has published over 170 academic papers. His research goal is to take these new material sets and develop the manufacturing pipeline for fabrication at scale. This is achieved by determining the loss mechanisms associated with scale, addressing process bottlenecks to reduce fabrication time and ensuring the widest range of substrates by building devices on sheet processed glass and roll to roll metal or plastic.
Trystan is married with three daughters and a son and spends most of his home life wrapped around their fingers. Trystan is a Professor in Photovoltaics.