FUSE 2022

Interns in the lab

In the summer of 2022, the Faraday Undergraduate Summer Experience (FUSE) internship programme provided internships for undergraduate students to undertake paid eight-week placements with battery researchers from partner universities. We were delighted to welcome 55 talented and enthusiastic interns to work with our research community. Thank you to the supervisors for their support.

A series of online cohort events were held to inform and inspire our interns. Many thanks to the speakers from the Faraday Institution community.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my summer as a FUSE intern and found it to provide a great insight to the research being conducted in the battery sector. I feel like I have grown as a scientist and massively improved my skill set.”

Tabitha Seymour, FUSE student, University of Birmingham, Chemistry

I really enjoyed the work, and it made me sure that I want to do a PhD in the battery technology field and after that, I want to pursue a research career. ”

Reka Keresztes, FUSE student, University College London, Chemical Engineering

The interns have been a great addition to the lab, providing a fresh outlook and enthusiasm for their research projects.”

James Robinson, FUSE supervisor, University College London

Our Faraday Institution Summer Experience undergraduate summer interns produced a wealth of high-quality scientific posters at the end of their projects. Some of the posters were awarded ‘highly commended’ or a poster prize. View all the posters below.

 

Poster winners & judges' comments

Scientific content and context - Maud Tregear, poster entitled: Towards High-Performance “Anode-Free” Solid-State Batteries, SOLBAT

Maud’s area of study is particularly timely as eliminating anodes is at the cutting edge of the next generation of battery technology.  It is especially difficult to study these materials due to their environmental sensitivity, making this project highly commendable.  Making such impressive progress, given the time constraints of a short internship, made this project stand out.  Maud has also successfully balanced creating highly engaging visuals, with very clear and concise scientific explanations.

Research progress and findings - Punit Jivan, poster entitled: Debondable adhesives for improved pack disassembly, ReLiB

Punit created a clear narrative, describing the impressive amount of work undertaken for this short internship.  The methods used were easy to comprehend due to the way they were effectively communicated, and the addition of a YouTube video was a nice extra touch.  The poster highlighted how the project was highly applicable to industry, especially with the comparative material costings and referencing international standards.  The conclusions of Punit’s work will be of interest to academia and industry alike.

Visual appeal - Zayd Islam, poster entitled: New pack and cell designs to simplify battery recycling, ReLiB

Zayd created a visually eye catching and colourful poster that entices the reader to explore the scientific content in full.  Key facts are displayed in creative and understandable ways.  The YouTube video is an excellent way to help visualise the methodology.  This poster contains the optimum amount of text and images, making it really easy to digest in one reading.  Clear headings throughout signpost content.  It skilfully demonstrates the real-world relevance of the project and is equally engaging for the expert or newcomer alike.

Student science communicator - Reka Keresztes, poster entitled: Environmental impact analysis of sodium-ion battery manufacturing, Multi-scale Modelling

Reka has successfully created a high-quality poster, as well as harnessed the training provided to confidently start to build a strong researcher identity online.  The judges were impressed by the quality of the graphics which effectively communicate the key facts and findings from the project (with her own illustration in Figure 2 especially standing out).  It is evident that a lot of time and effort was invested into this poster.  The written explanations demonstrate depth of knowledge but also display a clear enthusiasm for the subject.

 

All FUSE 2022 posters

InternPoster topic and link to posterAward
CATMAT
Christina SiakalliSpatially-resolved characterisation of Ni-rich cathodeHighly commended
Jade DoodyOutreach: Behind the Lab Specs
Abigail ParsonsStabilisation of Lithium Nickel Oxide for Lithium-ion battery cathodes
Esme BaileyInvestigating the surface reactivity of the high voltage cathode Li2MnO2F with different electrolytes in Li-ion batteries
Degradation
Junpei ShiFirst principles study of degradation in NMC cathodesHighly commended
Jack GinnisMechanical Properties of Nickel-rich Cathode Materials
Zoe LacourCan Li-air batteries operate via moisture-resistant chemistry?Highly commended
Louis JonesTesting the Effect of Conditions on Lithium-Ion Battery Performance
Poppy MullinsCu and Al current collector corrosion in state-of-the-art Li-ion battery coin cells
FutureCat
Aiman ZaidiProcess Analysis for UK LFP Manufacturing - with Exawatt
Kenan Gnonhoue DokononChemical Imaging of Batteries - with FindenHighly commended
Ben DawsonFUSE Outreach – Electric Car resource for Secondary SchoolsHighly commended
Arun AtwalImpedance measurements of thin film cathodes
LiSTAR
Peter Akinskin3D Current Collectors for Anodeless Li-S CellsHighly commended
Brendan GohInvestigating the Electrocatalytic Conversion of Polysulfides in Li-S BatteriesHighly commended
Swoyam PandaMachine Learning to Discover Lithium Sulfur Battery Models
Isobel OliverColloidal metal sulfide clusters as catalysts for the lithium-sulfur batteryHighly commended
Libby BrookeElectrochemical study of heterogenous catalysts for sulfur redoxHighly commended
Aran WellmanDeveloping an Understanding of the Costs of Manufacturing for Li-S Batteries (Co-Hosted with ExaWatt)Highly commended
Szymon KoscParametric studies via molecular dynamic simulations to investigate the effect of electrolyte in lithium-sulphur batteries
Multi-scale Modelling
Reka KeresztesEnvironmental imapct analysis of sodium-ion battery manufacturingWinner - Student science communicator
Amelia (Shengyi) HuDiscovery of superionic solid-state electrolytes using unsupervised machine learningHighly commended
NEXGENNA
Rachel GordonTaking battery chemistries to scale
Daria TurceletEvaluation of Carbon Tin Composites as Negative Electrodes in Sodium Ion Batteries
Hengyi ZhangRemediated ground waste as novel cathode material for sodium-ion batteries
Adam KavanaghOperando characterisation of Na-ion battery electrode materials
Rebecca WitteCathode development and optimization for high-power sodium-ion batteriesHighly commended
Nextrode
Tabitha SeymourOutreach: Behind the Lab SpecsHighly commended
Tian Jun GohImaging metrology for battery electrode coatings
Zhengyang LiTechnological distance mapping and analysis
ReLiB
Erin BudgeExtraction of lithium sales from geothermal waters
Veronica LaiModelling titanate special anodes
Victoria AliuOutreach: Behind Lab SpacesHighly commended
Zayd IslamNew pack and cell designs to simplify battery recyclingWinner - Visual appeal
Punit JivanDebondable adhesives for improved pack disassemblyWinner - Research progress and findings
SafeBatt
Marco Tome FreireAcoustic Spectroscopy to Improve Battery Safety
Yuchen ZhaoUsing molecular dynamics to probe solvent-salt reactions within li-ion battery thermal runaway
SOLBAT
Jacqueline LeeHopping through the interfaces: a multiscale chemo-mechanics model for solid-state battery energy materialsHighly commended
Maud TregearTowards High-Performance “Anode-Free” Solid-State BatteriesWinner - Scientific content and context
Keiziah ChangDevelopment of Positive Electrode Structures in Solid State Batteries
Other projects
Nicholas GerardEnvironmental impact analysis of lithium-sulphur battery manufacturingHighly commended
Yaashiene PukazhendiInvestigating battery pack balancing strategies
Alen MaguireElectrochemomechanics of the Li-solid electrolyte interphase
Aya RagehRest Easy: Efficient Extraction of a Battery Open Circuit Voltage
Emile El AzarNovel diagnostic and prognostic models for lithium-ion batteries
Anghelina EscovFlow battery design for energy storage
Courtney DyerApplication of a miniaturized fluxgate magnetometer to investigate battery charge/discharge cycles
Gagandeep NanderaDeveloping educational resources to explain high power battery materialsHighly commended
Ishan RajEscaping Temperature-Gridlock through Smart Battery Model Parameterisation
Ed HarrisonPreparation and characterization of advanced coatings on cathode materials
Ningyuan FuCellPod Tooling Design and Optimisation
Sigurd BjerkhaugCell Testing and Product Design

 

I have gained valuable insight into the working world of academia, developed my abilities as an independent worker, and met lots of interesting and brilliant scientists.”

Benjamin Dawson, FUSE student, University of Edinburgh, Chemical Physics

It is a growing industry which is instrumental for a greener future, so definitely a potential career. For me it was a varied internship experience, which exposed me to both the battery industry and a start-up environment.”

Sigurd Bjerkhaug, FUSE student, Imperial College London, Materials Science & Engineering



Posted on October 12, 2022 in Blog, Uncategorized

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About the Author

Sophia Constantinou is a science communicator with a BSc in Chemistry from the University of Edinburgh. She was a Faraday Institution undergraduate intern in 2020 and won an award for the infographics and podcast she created to explain lithium-ion battery manufacturing.

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