Researcher Spotlights

Heather is a research fellow at Imperial College London designing carbon supports for sulfur electrodes as part of the LiSTAR project. She tells us about the challenges of learning electrochemistry from scratch, and the importance of diversity in battery research.

Qiong is a reader in chemical and process engineering at the University of Surrey using multiscale modelling to develop new battery materials as part of the LiSTAR project. She tells us about the struggles of juggling children and an academic life, the importance of connecting with people as an academic, and how making a battery is surprisingly like cooking...

Paul is an industry fellow at the University of St Andrews developing negative electrode materials to improve the capacity and lifespan of lithium-ion batteries and collaborating with AMTE Power to strengthen the pathway from laboratory to cell production. He tells us about the importance of developing new battery materials, and the pleasure he gets from training researchers.

Alastair is an industry fellow and lecturer at the University of Bristol improving model parameterisation for thermal management systems in lithium-ion batteries. He tells us about his struggles with imposter syndrome and collaborating with researchers from different areas of expertise.

Georgina is a researcher at the University of Oxford. She tells us how she is using flexible, conductive, stable polymers to maintain contact at interfaces in solid-state batteries as part of the Faraday Institution SOLBAT project.

David is a professor at the University of Oxford investigating how systems engineering can improve battery performance. He tells us about his work in spin-out company Brill Power, his collaboration with energy company Bboxx, and explains how frogs were key players in the invention of the battery.

Dominic is a research associate at the University of Oxford investigating modes of failure in solid-state batteries as part of the SOLBAT project. He tells us about finishing his PhD during the pandemic, and the challenges of working at synchrotrons with limited time.

Katja is a PhD researcher at the University of Sheffield developing new battery materials as part of the Faraday Institution’s FutureCat project. She tells us about her work, the importance of facing your fears, and her journey moving from Germany to the UK for a PhD during a pandemic.

Chunhong is a research associate at the University of Leicester developing a novel delamination technique to return high-purity materials to new battery manufacture as part of the Faraday Institution’s ReLiB project. He tells us about leading a highly collaborative team during the pandemic, and the importance of battery recycling.

Alice is a research associate at University College London applying operando pair distribution function computer tomography (PDF-CT) to study materials in next-generation batteries as part of a Faraday Institution seed project. She tells us about battery outreach, the excitement of using synchrotron facilities, and the surprising ways we can obtain battery materials.

Dorota is a research associate at the Diamond Light Source investigating novel cathode materials as part of the CATMAT project using synchrotron X-ray based characterisation techniques. She tells us about going into lockdown one week after starting her postdoc, and conducting an experiment in France remotely from England.

Alice is a PhD researcher at the University of Cambridge developing an innovative optical microscopy technique to see inside batteries as part of the Faraday Institution's battery degradation and characterisation project. She tells us about the challenges of linking battery science and optical microscopy, and the importance of asking questions.

Wojciech is a research fellow at Newcastle University who is working to identify and mitigate safety and environmental risks of lithium-ion batteries. He tells us about his work with firefighters and manufacturers and how he inspires Faraday Institution PhD researchers.

Mona is an assistant professor at the University of Warwick using Artificial Intelligence and machine learning algorithms to optimise lithium-ion battery manufacturing processes as part of the Nextrode project. She tells us about the challenges of changing established industrial methods and the importance of collaboration in battery science.

Alireza is a senior robotic scientist at the University of Birmingham using advanced robotics and AI to automate the process of disassembly and assessment of end-of-life and damaged lithium-ion batteries as part of the ReLiB project. He tells us about his work bridging the gap between academia and industry, the barriers to fully automated battery disassembly, and why electric vehicles aren't completely silent.

Didi is a research associate at the University of Cambridge using NMR spectroscopy to investigate parasitic reactions at the positive electrode. She tells us about her love for NMR spectroscopy, how the Faraday Institution facilitated her collaboration with Dr Nuria Garcia-Araez, and how the reality of research can differ from people's expectations.

Manel is a research associate at the University of Liverpool developing novel cathode materials to improve battery performance as part of the CATMAT project. She tells us about getting up to speed with battery research, and reflects on lessons learned during her PhD in Tunisia and France.

Yige is a research associate at the University of Oxford investigating surface analysis techniques for lithium-ion batteries as part of the Nextrode project. She tells us about her involvement in the Faraday Institution's EMPOWER women programme and the importance of trying new things.