SAN JOSE, Calif. — GAF Energy announced that Gabriela Bunea has joined the company as head of research and development.

In her new role based in the Bay Area, Bunea will lead development and innovation of solar technology at GAF Energy.

“Gabi is a world class leader in solar technology, and we are thrilled for her to direct our R&D efforts at GAF Energy,” said David Winter, co-CEO of Standard Industries. “Her technical expertise and creative approach to energy-efficient solutions will be central in driving innovation and helping us achieve our mission to generate energy from every roof.”

Led by Martin DeBono, GAF Energy is driving the next frontier of integrated solar technology directly into rooftop materials. Given the scale of investment and GAF’s broad customer base, GAF Energy said it is in a prime position to accelerate the adoption of affordable residential rooftop solar, delivering high quality products at scale.

With Bunea at the helm, the company says, GAF Energy’s research and development team will design the solar roof of the future.

“Gabi has a proven track record in the solar industry, and she brings unparalleled technical expertise to GAF Energy,” said David Millstone, co-CEO of Standard Industries. “Combining our strategic focus and the scale of our roofing businesses with Gabi’s innovative leadership will pioneer new and affordable solar solutions for our customers around the world.”

Bunea brings 20 years of extensive technical experience and leadership in the solar and microelectronics industries to GAF Energy, most recently as vice president of research, development and deployment at SunPower Corp. Prior to that, she held multiple roles managing module research, development, deployment and product design at SunPower, and previously worked as a member of the technical staff in the microelectronics division at Lucent Technology. She holds a Ph.D. in physics from Boston University and is an active member in IEEE Women in Engineering.