HIT graduate was appointed VP of Product Development at GenCell

Boaz Azar, a graduate of the Faculty of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at HIT, was appointed this week as VP of Product Development for GenCell.

Boaz Azar, VP of Product Development for GenCell.

Boaz’s new position at GenCell includes establishing a new organizational unit, which will oversee the company’s activities in the fields of strategy, engineering, electronics, software, and certification.

Azar grew up in Holon and chose to study at HIT after he was impressed at an open day by the curriculum and the place’s pleasant and welcoming atmosphere. The "big trip" abroad after completing his military service, was the turning point after which he decided to choose academic studies, and after a year of computer science studies in Be'er Sheva, he decided to start his studies at the Faculty of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at HIT.

"I came to HIT with no previous background, except for a physics major in high school," he recalls. "Today I can say with confidence that my degree studies at the Faculty of Electrical and Electronics Engineering gave me the cognitive tools to deal with the world of research and development while getting to know the field of electronics, the basis of mathematics and microprocessors. My favorite course was mathematics."

In the last decade, Azar has served in several senior management positions at Stratasys, a 3D printer manufacturer (which maintains collaborations with the design faculty at HIT), the last of which was VP of Development in the company's Design & HC division.

In his previous position, he was responsible for the development of the machines of Stratasys including the world's first printer that prints seven materials in full color.
"When you go out to the 'real world', you find out that there is a significant distance between the world of academia and the world of industry, but in my case, it was the Institute’s strong ties with the industry and the practical studies, that allowed me to make the transition very easily with a lot of applied knowledge," Boaz concludes.

According to him, his new position at GenCell aligns with his agenda in relation to the quality of the environment, its improvement, and development. "This company suits my agenda, which is the development of environmental innovation and sustainability to which the growing market of hydrogen renewable energy is one of the signs and I believe that we can see progress in this direction that I am happy to promote. Environmental quality is a part of my life and is also related to the way I educate my children. I hope more and more organizations will contribute to the promotion of this important field."

The Faculty of Electrical and Electronics Engineering is the oldest faculty at HIT and today about 1,200 undergraduate and graduate students study there. The faculty has many laboratory infrastructures that meet all the requirements of a higher education institution dealing in the fields of engineering and technology. There are about 30 research and teaching laboratories and several centers of excellence in the field of communication engineering, in the field of bioengineering, electro-optics, power systems, and alternative energies.

GenCell, established in 2011, developed a technology to produce electricity from hydrogen fuel cells and clean ammonia and managed to significantly reduce the costs of electricity production through the development of fuel cell technology that allows the use of hydrogen at an industrial level, which is cheaper, and without the use of precious metals such as platinum as a catalyst.