#FaradayPathways Pooja Vadhva

From a childhood fascination with space living near NASA’s Johnson Space Center, to her current role as a Technical Asset Manager in Battery Energy Storage at Gresham House, Dr Pooja Vadhva’s pathway shows the global and dynamic paths a career in battery science can take. Her pathway is an inspiring example of what determination and perseverance can achieve.

Early years and education

Pooja’s interest in science began at a young age, having spent a couple of years during her early childhood in Houston, near NASA’s Johnson Space Center, before moving back to the UK at age five. Her curiosity about space eventually led her to pursue a Master’s degree in physics at the University of Manchester.

During her final Master’s project on solar energy, Pooja’s desire to work with something more hands-on coincided with growing global concern about climate change. A hackathon with Shell deepened her interest in renewables.

“We talked about how battery tech hadn’t developed enough, and how it was the bottleneck for deployment of solar and wind energy. It sparked my interest in energy storage.”

Entering battery research

Graduating in 2018 into a tough job market, Pooja interned with Jaguar Land Rover’s battery team, which gave her a valuable entry point, but wasn’t a long-term role. Initially hesitant about taking a doctoral position, a visit to UCL changed her mind, leading to her working on the Faraday Institution’s SOLBAT project as an affiliated PhD researcher.

“The team was outgoing, and the lab was social and exciting. It felt very different to my preconceptions of what a PhD was – there was no being stuck by yourself, researching solo.

“The team also told me about the Faraday Institution’s industrial internships. I saw a pathway to industry through academic research, and it convinced me of the value of completing the PhD.”

Only a few months into her PhD, the pandemic disrupted access to labs, but Pooja didn’t let this slow her down, using the time in lockdown to publish a highly cited review paper summarising a key test for solid-state batteries. During this time, Pooja also shifted her focus to battery modelling, reaching out to Dr Mei-Chin Pang, a researcher at Imperial College who was working on solid-state batteries at the time.

The connection turned into a partnership, and, when her Imperial contact graduated, Pooja took the lead on the project modelling thin film solid-state batteries collaborating with Professor Gregory Offer’s group at Imperial and giving her exposure to industry partnerships.

“We secured Innovate UK funding and built a deeper relationship with the UK’s largest solid-state battery manufacturer, Ilika.”

Moving into industry and international experiences

Pooja decided to further explore her interest in industry through a nine-month internship at Tesla in Silicon Valley, which she secured in the third year of her PhD. She shared her experience of setting up her international internship.

“During COVID there were Battery Brunch and Battery Pub events online run by the Volta Foundation where researchers from all over the world would meet to talk about batteries. I made several international connections through conferences and events like those, which gave me the confidence to go for the Tesla internship.

“Everyone seems to know each other in the global battery industry despite being spread across the world. When I started at Tesla on my first day, there were quite a few people I already knew from interactions online or LinkedIn connections!”

Pooja also reflected on securing the competitive Tesla internship after an initial rejection due to difficulties with visa sponsorship.

“I kept pushing, and it was worth it. It gave me confidence and so much industry exposure.”

Having made connections in industry across Silicon Valley, after finishing her PhD at UCL in 2023  Pooja accepted a position as a senior battery materials engineering contractor at Lucid Motors, also based in California. However, despite enjoying the role, which aligned with her PhD focus, Pooja faced challenges with visa constraints and personal commitments.

A shift from EVs to the energy storage industry

Seeking greater stability, Pooja transitioned to an engineering role at Rimac Energy in the UK, shifting her focus from EVs to energy storage. She helped with the verification and validation of their battery storage units and carried out key tests.

“I found the energy storage industry really exciting. It’s growing everywhere. Every country needs its own energy storage and energy security. I wanted to be part of that expansion.”

While she embraced the move to the energy storage industry, Pooja sought to find a more self-managed role.

“During my PhD I was the engineer, doing the hands-on work, but also acting as my own manager, in a sense. As a technical engineer at my level, I missed being involved in strategic decision making.”

This self-reflection led Pooja to accept her current role as a Technical Asset Manager for battery energy storage assets at Gresham House, a specialist alternative asset management firm.

“You get more of a top down view. You’re not just looking at the battery technologies but also at the battery suppliers, the inverters, the grid connection, how the energy storage sites operate and generate revenue. The UK energy storage market is advanced and highly complex. Its incredibly fascinating to understand and work in. We investigate potential issues, assess financial revenues, speak to investors – we look at the entire business case. It’s fantastic having more variation in my role.”

“Our day-to-day includes investigating potential issues with UK energy – keeping the lights on! The energy storage batteries that I manage at Gresham House are at the grid scale, providing energy security and helping to meet the UK’s decarbonisation goals. It’s quite a high pressure job, but it’s exciting at the same time.”

Pooja reflected on the social nature of her current role.

“It’s great being able to talk to people, and speak to different experts. I like learning about all the different areas involved in energy storage.”

Personal life, perseverance and reflections

Outside the lab, Pooja has also achieved impressive personal goals, earning medals for Great Britain in Taekwondo while completing a first-class degree in physics.

“I’d train early in the morning, go to lectures, then train again. But I always made space for friends and rest. The balance helped me cope.”

Pooja reflected on her multifaceted career, and credits the Faraday Institution with giving her industry connections, a collaborative network, and the flexibility to build her pathway.

“Each shift made interviews harder. I took a non-traditional route. I had to convince people, and myself, that I could succeed. But every leap paid off.

“The Faraday Institution opened so many doors, both in academia and industry, particularly networking opportunities. It really enables you to reach out to people.”

Pooja has long-term ambitions, aspiring to help bring energy storage solutions to developing countries.

As for advice to those starting out in the battery industry, Pooja reminds early career researchers to make the most of opportunities.

“Take the leap when opportunities arise, even if they disrupt your life or studies. Talk to people who’ve been there. You won’t regret trying.”

Read more:

• Learn more about the SOLBAT project
• Discover possible PhD internships
• Find out how the Faraday Institution supports early career researchers.
• Explore how the Faraday Institution is leading the Ayrton Challenge on Energy Storage to advance energy storage technology for emerging economies

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