Dr Alexander Dyck studied chemistry at the University of Paderborn after training as a chemical laboratory assistant at Bayer AG in Leverkusen. Already during his diploma thesis at Aventis Research & Technologies GmbH in Frankfurt (formerly Hoechst), he dealt with the topic of fuel cells. Mr Dyck carried out his subsequent dissertation at the GKSS Research Centre Geesthacht GmbH (today HZG – Helmholtz Centre Geesthacht) and completed his doctorate in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Paderborn in 2002, on the de-velopment of membrane materials for direct methanol fuel cells.
Mr Dyck gained industrial experience at FRIWO Gerätebau GmbH and CEAG AG as a “technology scout” for fuel cell systems in the low power range. He was already involved as a member of the standardisation committees of IEC TC 105 and DKE K384 for fuel cells at na-tional and international level, as the German spokesperson and chairman for the fuel cell working group K384 in the DKE. With further training as a “certified project manager for economic chemistry” (GDCh), Mr Dyck acquired business knowledge, which he further ex-panded at FWB Kunststofftechnik GmbH, an automotive supplier in Pirmasens, as head of the fuel cell project “for the design of micro fuel cells in the power range of less than ten watts”. The implementation of his experience led to successful marketed small series of PEMFC stacks and field testing of DMFC systems for various applications.

Since 2011, Mr Dyck has worked at the EWE Research Centre for Energy Technology e. V. (NEXT ENERGY) in Oldenburg as Head of Fuel Cell Division. The institute became the DLR Institute for Networked Energy Systems e. V. in June 2017, where Mr Dyck continues to lead the system topics in the Urban and Building Technologies department and headed the Fuel Cells department until the end of 2019. In the groups of the departments, the topics on indi-vidual technologies are worked on, such as system development like caverns for hydrogen or the optimisation of μCHP plants for the energy-efficient provision of electricity and heat. In the sector coupling mobility group, answers to questions about the extended benefits of elec-tromobility are being developed. In the Gas Technology Sector Coupling group, we accom-pany the holistic energy turnaround with the supply for the areas of electricity, industry, heat and transport. The international environment and the exciting research projects in market-related issues at the institute, together with the innovations achieved, have led to the growth of the department with around 30 researchers and engineers.

In 2020 and 2021, Mr Dyck also established the DLR Institute for Maritime Energy Systems in Geesthacht with the aim of decarbonising shipping.