Timothy Gessert is the Managing Member of Gessert Consulting, LLC (Conifer, Colorado, USA), and a former/retired Principal Scientist at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.  Tim received degrees in physics from University of Wisconsin – River Falls (B.Sc, 1982), Colorado School of Mines (M.Sc, 1984), and University of Wales – College of Cardiff (Ph.D, 1996).  His 35+ years of research includes synthesis and characterization for photovoltaic and other thin films including GaAs, InP, Si, CuInGaSe2, CdTe, and transparent conducting oxides (TCOs).  Interests also include mentoring graduate students from institutions such as Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University, University of Toledo, Vanderbilt University, and University of Illinois at Chicago.  Tim has collaboratively published over 230 papers, 6 book chapters, and has over 30 awarded or pending U.S. patents.  He is active in developing and teaching short courses for various institutions and societies as related Vacuum Technology, Contamination Control, Transparent Conducting Oxides, and Thin-Film Photovoltaics.  Tim has been a long-term member of the American Vacuum Society (AVS), Society of Vacuum Coaters (SVC), the Materials Research Society (MRS), the IEEE, and the Institute of Physics (IOP).  He has served on numerous Conference Committees and Editorial Boards, and is an Associate Editor of the scientific journal Thin Solid Films..