#FaradayPathways Ashley Willow

Dr Ashley Willow’s #FaradayPathway explores his journey across academia and industry, spanning multiple disciplines. Now a Senior Lecturer based at Swansea University’s Department of Chemical Engineering, Ashley plays a leading role in helping shape the UK’s sodium-ion battery landscape. Ashley’s story is a reminder that careers in battery science don’t have to follow a straight line, and that career success often comes from balancing research passion with practicality and personal needs.

Early career and education

From a young age, Ashley was fascinated by maths and science, recalling his early awareness of climate change.

“Climate change was in the news a lot when I was at school. I always liked trying to solve problems, and would often draw diagrams to try and understand the science behind environmental issues. That curiosity carried through to my undergraduate years.”

Having grown up in Wales, Ashley completed his bachelor’s degree in chemistry at the University of Glamorgan (now the University of South Wales) and went on to complete a Master’s at the Catalysis Institute at the University of Cardiff. It was there that he found his love for electrochemistry.

“I didn’t have much exposure to research during my undergraduate degree. During my Master’s there was a module on electrocatalysis: electrochemistry and its application to catalysis, that I found really exciting. That was when I started to understand what research looked like, and I knew research was the path I wanted to follow.”

Ashley’s Master’s project involved electrochemistry for fuel cells, sparking his interest in energy research. His supervisor, Professor Gary Attard, became a key figure in his academic development, and supported Ashley’s interest in continuing as a PhD researcher at Cardiff.

“Gary was really enthusiastic about the research, even after decades into his career. He’d still go into the lab and run experiments himself; his energy was really motivating.”

Ashley’s PhD research focused on studying the oxygen reduction reaction on platinum single crystals – an essential reaction in fuel cells.

A shift to industry

After completing his PhD, Ashley initially hoped to remain in academia, but opportunities were limited. He took on a few short postdoctoral roles, but found the instability frustrating.

Permanent opportunities were available in industry, however, where Ashley made his first career move. He joined OXIS Energy, a company that was developing lithium-sulfur battery technology. He quickly felt at home there and enjoyed the collaborative atmosphere.

“It was a big change, but exciting. OXIS had a very research-focused environment, with plenty of open discussions and team collaboration, which was fantastic.

“It was the first time I worked with such a large team, about 80 people all working towards the same goal. It was great, it felt like a conference, but every day.”

Working as part of the electrolyte team as a research scientist, Ashley explored concentrated salt systems to improve battery performance, preparing and testing pouch cells with various electrolyte compositions.

Despite enjoying his time at OXIS, Ashley made the move to Tata Steel in Wales to allow him to be closer to family. There, he researched corrosion resistance and coatings.

“I had to think about long-term stability, being close to family and allowing me to live in an affordable area. Joining Tata just made sense both professionally and personally, and still allowed me to work in electrochemistry.”

Return to academia and Faraday Institution influence

Though he embraced his role at Tata, Ashley’s desire to return to the energy storage field led him to Swansea University in 2021, where he is now a Senior Lecturer. He played a central role in setting up Swansea’s new facilities for pouch cell manufacturing, increasing research capacity to a much greater scale than previously available.

At Swansea he became a key researcher in a Faraday Institution Industry Sprint project – a collaboration between Swansea and Batri Ltd, a Welsh startup developing sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) using locally derived carbon from Welsh anthracite coal. The Sprint is developing an optimal cell by combining Batri’s anthracite-derived hard carbon anode with an optimised Prussian White cathode developed by Swansea. The combination has a predicted energy density greater than commercially available SIBs, potentially making it competitive with lithium iron phosphate.

“We have huge untapped sources of potential battery materials in the UK. Hopefully this project will facilitate the use of more locally sourced materials.”

Ashley will also be involved in StamiNa, a new Faraday Institution-funded concept-to-demonstrator project related to the Batri Industry Sprint and funded as part of the Ayrton Challenge on Energy Storage. This project aims to validate the SIB technology by developing a prototype swappable battery pack designed for e-mobility applications in East Africa, in partnership with Coventry University, Batri, Strathmore University (Kenya), AceOn Group and the Federal University of Technology Owerri (Nigeria).

As a researcher and university relatively new to the Faraday Institution community, Ashley describes his excitement regarding Swansea’s involvement.

“The Faraday Institution has massively increased the visibility and momentum of our work. It’s great to be recognised alongside some of the UK’s leading battery scientists.”

Reflections and aspirations

Reflecting on his career, Ashley describes key achievements and highlights the growing STRIKE symposium, one of the UK’s first research events dedicated entirely to sodium batteries. The conference will be taking place for its second year in August 2025.

“It’s been fantastic to be able to bring my own expertise to Swansea – I have loved being able to teach alongside research. It has been amazing to see what our small group in Swansea has been able to do in the last few years. Hosting the first sodium-ion conference was a big challenge, and it’s something I’m particularly proud of.”

Ashley’s journey shows that successful battery careers aren’t necessarily a straight line, highlighting the importance of pursuing a career in a field you enjoy, but also balancing work and personal commitments.

His closing advice for early career researchers was a reminder to keep going despite challenges.

“Don’t overthink. Focus on what needs doing. Making progress and doing what needs to be done often makes you calmer.

“Accepting criticism is important. My time at OXIS, with deep debate and constant feedback, was important to make me a better researcher.

“Use everything at your disposal. Even short side projects can teach you valuable skills you’ll use later.”

Read more:

• Find out about this year’s STRIKE symposium
• Ashley’s group leader, Professor Serena Margadonna, will be participating on a panel discussion “What might the future state of academic and industrial collaboration look like?” on day 3 of the Faraday Institution Conference in September 2025.
• Read about the Batri Industry Sprint and concept-to-demonstrator project

#FaradayPathway written by Rebecca Dawes, Science Communications Intern, and published July 2025.