Public Engagement With Research
The Faraday Institution and its research universities actively engage with the public and share a commitment toward increasing the ways that members of the public can join with our researchers in dialogue. Our communications and engagement programmes demonstrate the many ways in which our research programmes in battery energy storage are shared with the public.
Researcher training on public engagement
All Faraday Institution researchers are encouraged to take part in public engagement activities as one way of boosting their researcher identity. By 2025, over 115 PhD researchers have been trained as STEM ambassadors to deliver workshops, school visits, and online outreach.
Engaging with general public
To help the general public engage with, explore, and form opinions about the complex questions raised by the electrification of transport, the Faraday Institution formed a partnership with the Royal Institution.
Together, since 2019, the two organisations have co-curated a series of six thought-provoking events, open to the general public, and held in the iconic Royal Institution lecture theatre. The programme was developed to inspire and share the thoughts and opinions of leading thinkers from business, academic and policy who are helping to lead and shape the transition to EVs and bringing new industries to the UK.
To date, the public engagement partnership between the Faraday Institution and the Royal Institution has led to over 340,000 online views.
Faraday Institution community STEM outreach-related awards
- Elizabeth Driscoll recognised for RSC “Inspirational Member” award in June 2021, largely for outreach and public engagement activities.
- Award winning STEM outreach activity, Crunchie Bar Batteries by Beatrice Browning and Rosie Madge.
- Megan Penrod won the Faraday Institution STEM Outreach award in 2023. Read a #FaradayPathways post about Megan.
- The SafeBatt project team won the Faraday Institution Public Engagement award in 2023.
- Elizabeth Driscoll won IOM3 Robert Perrin award for her work with young people in STEM in 2024.
- Saiful Islam won the Faraday Institution STEM Outreach / Public Engagement award in 2024.
Timeline of public engagement
2025
In June 2025, the Royal Institution Schools Team delivered a Battery Outreach Day at Chilton Trinity School in Bridgwater, near the site of the Agratas gigafactory. Over 550 Key Stage 3 students explored future fuels, sustainability, and the role of batteries in the energy transition. In the evening, a science show welcomed members of the local community with exciting demonstrations and insights into the Agratas project – sparking curiosity and inspiring the next generation of battery innovators.
The Royal Institution Schools Team member doing a demonstration.
2025
The latest public lecture in the Royal Institution x Faraday Institution series was held in May on the subject of ‘Engineering the skies: The rise of electric flight’. The event was chaired by Professor Dame Helen Atkinson, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the School of Aerospace, Transport and Manufacturing at the Cranfield University. With speakers: Jacqueline Castle, CTO of Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), Dr Limhi Somerville, Director of Engineering at Vertical Aerospace and Lee Johnson, Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of Nottingham. Watch the video.
Snapshot of the Royal Institution YouTube video.
2024
The public lecture as part of the Royal Institution x Faraday Institution series was held in May on the subject of ‘Batteries for emerging economies.’ The event featured Emma Kendrick, Professor of Energy Materials at the University of Birmingham, David Howey, Professor of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford, Professor Charlotte Watts, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, and Okenwa Anayo Nas, Founder and CEO, Nayo Tropical Technology. Watch the video.
Snapshot of the Royal Institution YouTube video.
2024
In January and May 2024 two short videos were produced by the Royal Institution’s digital team featuring Professor Louis Piper, WMG. The videos highlight how batteries work, how they are manufactured, and how outstanding research questions must be answered to enable the electrification of all sectors of the economy. The videos have received 45,000+ views on the Royal Institution’s YouTube channel. Watch the videos: How batteries will power the future and The science inside lithium-ion batteries.
Snapshot of the Royal Institution YouTube video.
2024
Faraday Institution researcher Dr Mona Faraji Niri, WMG, University of Warwick was invited to present at a ‘For Your Inspiration’ careers event for 13+ year olds at the Royal Institution in June 2024 where she described her work in AI in battery manufacturing.
Dr Mona Faraji Niri presenting at the Royal Institution.
2024
The day before the Faraday Institution Conference in Newcastle in September 2024, six PhD researchers inspired 140 secondary school students during an outreach event aimed at showcasing the renewable energy research, innovation and manufacturing happening in the Northeast. The students participated in four workshops, one of which focused on the Faraday Institution’s battery research. This was part of the ‘Steam to Green’ Exhibition at the Discovery Museum in Newcastle. Find out more.
Six PhD researchers together with Dominic Grantley-Smith and Elizabeth Driscoll.
2024
As one example of the impact of training STEM Ambassadors, the UCL outreach group UCell including PhD Researchers Arthur Fordham, Brendon Frost and Huw Parks have delivered outreach events at festivals including Greenman, Glastonbury, Internationals Women Day.
2023
Dr Elizabeth Driscoll, Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham, organised an outreach event “An Electric Future” on the day following the Faraday Institution Conference in 2023, which was attended by over 50 secondary school students. Concurrently Professor Peter Slater presented a continuing professional development session on electrochemistry for chemistry teachers. The event included interactive demo stalls: from the University of Birmingham Battery Bunch, Discover Materials, Curiosity Box, University of Sheffield, WMG, Green Kid Comic Series (Dr Rob McElroy), Swansea University, University of Cambridge and Diamond Light Source.
Students at the Electric Future stall.
2023
Faraday Institution researchers Megan Penrod and Darren Ould from THE University of Cambridge, developed a school outreach programme, reaching over 500 students in Cambridgeshire.
Megan Penrod and Darren Ould.
2018
Each year the Faraday Institution continues to takes a group of PhD researchers into schools during the British Science Association’s British Science Week, to inspire young people about the wonders of batteries and raise STEM career aspirations.
Faraday Institution Cohort 7 PhD researchers presenting at a public school in February 2024.
2022
The Royal Institution 13+ event, ‘For Your Inspiration: Powering our sustainable future.’ was an interactive careers event aimed at 13-17-year-olds co-curated by the Royal Institution and the Faraday Institution. It gave attendees the opportunity to learn about the need for better batteries alongside showcasing the range of skills that can contribute and career opportunities available.
Faraday Institution PhD researchers and academics presenting at the Royal Institution.
2021
In partnership with the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Faraday Institution sponsored and supported a month long Battery Zone with the I’m a Scientist team, which connects pupils with scientists who are working to make the world a more sustainable place.
I’m a Scientist is a student-led STEM enrichment activity.
2019
The Faraday Institution participated in The Big Bang Fair with a stand organised and led by PhD and early-career researchers. The fair drew crowds of 80,000 young people.
In 2021 Faraday Institution PhD Researchers were featured in a session on careers in battery research at the virtual Big Bang Fair. Watch the video.
In 2023 there was a joint exhibit between Henry Royce Institute, the ReLiB project and Birmingham Discovery Materials group was held at the Big Bang Fair outlining the challenges facing battery recycling.
In 2024, the Birmingham Discovery Materials team was part of the University of Birmingham stand at the Big Bang Fair.
Faraday Institution PhD researchers at their stand at the Big Bang Fair in 2019.
2019
PhD STEM Ambassadors trained by the Faraday Institution had a stand at the Sandhurst STEM Careers Fair.
Princess Anne at the Faraday Institution stand.
2019
Working with the Curiosity Box, the Faraday Institution co-developed the Faraday ‘Fully Charged Battery Box’ to support researchers, teachers and STEM Ambassadors in delivering high-quality sessions for Key Stage 2 students, building science capital through STEM days, clubs or series of science lessons. The resource has been used by over 13,500 students. See case study and video.
Faraday ‘Full Charged Battery Box’
2018
As part of our outreach programme, the Faraday Institution was delighted to sponsor and present at the Buckinghamshire Young Scientist of the Year Award ceremony in November, which recognised young people’s achievements in science. 58 talented year 13 pupils won awards at the event run in partnership with Science Oxford and the Buckinghamshire Learning Trust.
In 2019 The Faraday Institution sponsored and presented at the Young Scientist of the Year Awards in Buckinghamshire and in Oxfordshire as well as the Science Oxford Work Experience Awards, which was attended by 180 award winning young scientists and engineers.
Students holding their award in 2018.
Attracting undergraduates to battery research careers
The Faraday Institution hosts a series of attraction programmes to promote STEM careers and to engage those historically under-represented in battery careers:
Faraday Undergraduate Summer Experience (FUSE)
Each summer, the Faraday Institution supports up to 55 undergraduates across UK universities through the (FUSE) programme, with a total of 310+ internships to date. These 8-week, competitive internships give students access to leading scientists, unique facilities, hands-on research experience and inspires them for future careers. The interns benefit from a programme of career-shaping events to give greater insight into the field and potential opportunities, culminating in research poster presentations at our annual conference. A number of graduates from this programme have since gone on to pursue PhDs in energy-storage disciplines, internships, work in battery development for UK industry, intern at a Faraday Institution spin-out and be employed by the Faraday Institution as digital and social media coordinator. Read more about the successes of FUSE in 2024.
The FUSE 2024 winning posters.
Formula Student
An undergraduate engineering competition, organised by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) that attracts over 2,000 students annually at Silverstone. Student teams from around the world design, build, test, and race a small-scale Formula One-style racing car. For the third year, in 2025 the Faraday Institution sponsored the EV garages and presented the Best EV Powertrain Award.
Winner of the Faraday Institution Best EV Powertrain Award, Formula Student 2025: Car 92 of Oxford Brookes Racing.
Battery Day
As part of Faraday Battery Day, the Faraday Institution Student Committee organises events on National Battery Day in February each year with the aim of informing and inspiring STEM undergraduates to consider employment in the battery sector by highlighting the diversity of career opportunities available to them. In 2024, over 100 undergraduates from universities across the UK attended an online webinar with this objective. Additionally, in-person events were held at four universities that included presentations and networking for undergraduates.
Engage the media to inform the public
With the objective to inform the public about matters relating to batteries and electrification the Faraday Institution has sought to build a reputation as a source of independent, responsive information and comment across trade, and national UK media.
The organisation attracted 250 pieces of news coverage in the 2023/24 financial year, with substantial top tier coverage, representing hundreds of thousands of views, in outlets including the BBC, The Telegraph, Reuters, Bloomberg, The Times, The Guardian and The Financial Times. Substantial coverage (80+ pieces) when the UK Agratas gigafactory announced July 2023.
Faraday Institution academics in the media:
- Paul Christiansen of University of Oxford on Radio 4
- Sir Peter Bruce of University of Oxford, on Sliced Bread
- Billy Wu of Imperial College London on Brian Cox School Experiments
- Louis Piper and Melanie Loveridge of WMG, University of Warwick on BBC 2 Secret Genius of Modern Life, Electric Car and BBC 1 Electric Cars: What They Really Mean for You
- Saiful Islam and Paul Shearing of University of Oxford on Radio 4
Signatories to the Manifesto for Public Engagement
Of the universities involved in Faraday Institution research programmes, the following have signed the NCCPE manifesto:
- Cranfield University
- Imperial College London
- Lancaster University
- Newcastle University
- University College London
- University of Bath
- University of Birmingham
- University of Bristol
- University of Cambridge
- University of Edinburgh
- University of Leicester
- University of Liverpool
- University of Nottingham
- University of Oxford
- University of Portsmouth
- University of Sheffield
- University of Southampton
- University of St Andrews
- University of Strathclyde
- University of Surrey
- University of Sussex
- University of Warwick
For any questions regarding the Faraday Institution’s approach for public engagement with research please contact Dominic Grantley-Smith.
This page was updated in April 2025.