Mária Telkes
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Mária Telkes (1900 - 1995) was a Hungarian-American scientist and inventor who worked on solar energy technologies.
Telkes moved to the United States after completing her PhD in physical chemistry in Hungary. She worked as a biophysicist in the United States and from 1939 to 1953 she was involved in solar energy research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Telkes is known for creating the first thermoelectric power generator in 1947 and the first thermoelectric refrigerator in 1953 using the principles of semiconductor thermoelectricity.