#FaradayPathways Yashraj Tripathy, About:Energy
From a mechanical engineering degree in India, through research roles at Warwick Manufacturing Group, to becoming a senior principal engineer at Rolls Royce and now Head of Product at About:Energy, Dr Yashraj Tripathy has built his career through perseverance and proactively creating and seizing opportunities. He tells us how…
Yash’s career journey started with realising the importance of transportation in providing opportunities, a reflection that with global warming the transportation sector had to change, and a desire to help effect that change.
“The first two years of my Mechanical Engineering degree at the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Pilani, India felt way too theoretical. But then, thinking about accessible transportation and the impact of climate change in developing countries sparked my interest in electric cars as a possible research area and a potential industry I wanted to work in. This was back in 2013. It was very early days for EVs, and opportunities weren’t available in India to pursue such a career there.
“I’d always wanted to come to the UK for an English summer of cricket, tennis, and football! I reached out to Professor Steve Maggs at the University of Warwick and luckily there was an opening for a summer internship in the field of batteries during 2013. Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) was already close to my heart. Its founder, Baron Bhattacharyya, came from the same part of India as me, and I knew there was an interesting mix of academia and industry there.”
After observing Yash’s work for the summer, he was invited to come back for a semester during January-April 2014. He was supervised by Dr Andrew McGordon from WMG, and his visiting studentship was sponsored by Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), where Miguel Gama-Valdez was his industry supervisor.
The WMG years
“The internship was pivotal as it opened doors for me. I was researching state of charge algorithms and being told by engineers at JLR that my work had a real-world impact was so fulfilling. I really enjoyed it and recognised academia as the career path I wanted to go down.”
The internship provided Yash with a bridge to a PhD at WMG with supervisors Dr Andrew McGordon, Dr John Low, and Dr Anup Barai who brought in their expertise in systems modelling, electrochemistry, and battery testing and characterisation.
His initial PhD topic was on combining supercapacitors and batteries into hybrid energy storage systems. However, recognising unexplored research areas, he moved towards researching the behaviour of batteries in low temperature settings – the effect of low temperature on range, improvements in state estimation models at low temperatures, and ways to improve experimental data collection methods underpinned by novel isothermal testing platforms.
“My PhD journey was difficult. I didn’t have a Masters and coming from a mechanical engineering degree I had to teach myself a lot of electrical engineering and electrochemistry.”
Towards the end of his PhD, with his funding running out and with visa restrictions on part-time work in the UK, he took the bold move of accepting a full-time role as a Project Engineer at WMG alongside his PhD research and thesis write up.
“That was a challenging two years. I was working with industry experts from OEMs in the day and writing up in the evenings and weekends. At some points I thought about quitting. I’m glad that I kept going during those difficult phases and pleased that my pride did not prevent me from seeking help from family and friends at critical junctures. Actually, I think working as I completed my PhD helped. It improved the quality of my writing and allowed me to look at the data from my PhD through the lens of an industry partner. Looking back, I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”
What advice would he have given his former self through this time?
“No question is too stupid to ask someone. Don’t hesitate to ask questions. And don’t be worried if you’re only 90% convinced you’re right about something.”
Yash quickly gained promotions within WMG, first to Lead Engineer and then Principal Engineer. To what does he attribute his success?
“I say yes to most things. I also quickly realised that when I took something to my manager, it shouldn’t just be a problem, but a problem AND a proposed solution. Mark Amor-Segan, the Chief Engineer for the Energy Innovation Centre, was a great mentor. He allowed me the freedom to create. I was expected to show up at meetings with industry partners and represent the organisation – a great learning experience.
“Technical skills can only take you to a certain point. I also took the opportunity of taking a lot of the leadership modules that WMG offers. I come from a bookish mindset and have some social anxiety at large events, and courses on emotional intelligence and people skills really helped me.
“At WMG, a highlight was getting involved with the Accel programme that beat the record for the fastest all-electric plane. This is when I first started working with Rolls-Royce.”
Involvement with the Faraday Institution
During his time at WMG, Yash was a member of the Faraday Institution’s Multi-scale Modelling and SafeBatt projects.
“To me the Faraday Institution felt like a country-wide university that makes the world of research that bit smaller. It’s one of a kind. Through it, opportunities multiplied for me. I particularly appreciated meeting co-founders of Faraday Institution spinouts at networking events.”
Dr Tripathy makes a point of getting involved with many initiatives, whether it’s in a personal capacity or through Faraday Institution committees like the Early Career Researcher Committee and the EDI Working Group. He also joined the Faraday Institution’s THRIVE career development programme in 2021, delivered by Skills4. Speaking to Yash it’s clear he has a strong motivation to “get stuck in” and make a difference.
“I’m motivated by a desire to try and drive impact for people – to notice changes that are needed and try and effect that change. For example, to try and build support systems for overseas researchers moving to the UK for the first time.
“THRIVE was instrumental in my move to industry. It came at a perfect time when I was unclear of what I wanted to do next. It was an interesting process of self-discovery. The coaching in particular made me realise that the frustration I was feeling was because I wanted to be closer to impact, customers and real-world applications.”
The move to industry
Dr Tripathy made a move to Rolls Royce where, until June 2023, he was a Senior Principal Engineer for Energy Storage Systems. He worked in a team of around 30 people as a battery systems subject area specialist looking at the industrialisation of energy storage system concepts for aerospace propulsion. Working in this externally facing role he interacted with multiple stakeholders from cell suppliers, through testing and verification, to air frame developers and manufacturers.
“Self-discovery does not stop. Moving to Rolls Royce was a first step, not a last step in my career.”
In July 2023, Yash was appointed as Head of Product at About:Energy.
“I will lead the creation and enhancement of their product portfolio. This involves collaboration with engineering, sales, and business development teams to identify potential customers, understand their requirements, and deliver solutions to fit their needs. I’m really looking forward to being close to the entire battery value chain and reducing barriers to entry for electrification.”
And what advice would he give for people thinking of making the move to industry?
“Work on your own personal brand and make it relevant to industry. Be prepared for a difference in speed – a fail fast approach. Story telling skills are transferable from academia because both require building an argument based on cold, hard evidence. If you’re thinking of making the move then have a go, try it, and see if you like it. You can always move back to academia or do something else if you don’t.”
Yashraj’s links to WMG remain – he is an Honorary Associate Professor there. In that role he mentors junior academic staff and delivers guest lectures.
“This was by far my biggest achievement to date. After my difficult transition to PhD research, it feels like coming full circle. It’s great to still be engaged at WMG – it will always feel like home to me.”
Dr Yashraj Tripathy is speaking in the session “Career journeys from academia to industry” at the Faraday Institution conference, University of Birmingham, 10.30 am 13th September. Join us there to hear more.
#FaradayPathway published July 2023.