Muhammad Ans

Warwick University - ReLib
Cohort 4

Muhammad completed a dual engineering degree in metallurgy and materials discipline. He got research training on anode synthesis used in Li-ion batteries from Istanbul University. Muhammad’s current research topic is the development of cobalt-free Li-ion battery cathodes for next-generation electric vehicle applications.

Callum Chisnall

University College London - CATMAT
Cohort 6

Callum holds a master’s degree in chemistry from the University of Bristol and is undertaking a PhD focused on ultra-high-power cathodes with increased energy density. His research is under the supervision of Professor Jawwad Darr as part of the CATMAT project. He has maintained a continued interest in electroactive materials, following his master’s project, which involved studying organic conducting polymers for the next generation of wearable electronics.

It was during his time as a battery scientist at the Bristol-based tech start-up Anaphite, that Callum’s real focus on battery technology began. Callum was immediately drawn by this sector due to its scope, ranging from not only the global battery landscape but also the fundamental chemistries underpinning high-performing cathode materials. Moving forward Callum hopes to gain a strong grasp of these extremes, as well as everything in between, and use this as fuel to push the UK to its Net Zero targets using industrially relevant technologies.

Lou Cooper

University of Birmingham - ReLiB
Cohort 5

Lou’s background is Materials Science, graduating with a BEng and MRes from the University of Birmingham. Lou is undertaking a PhD focusing on the recovery and recycling of PVDF binder from electric vehicle lithium-ion batteries, under the supervision of Professor Paul Anderson. Prior to starting their PhD, Lou worked as a research master’s student in the Kendrick group at Birmingham, where they focused on direct loop recycling of lithium-ion batteries. It was here that they decided that they wanted to pursue a PhD in the battery sector. Lou hopes to work in sustainability and critical materials in the future.

Gargi Gigi

University College London - Nextrode
Cohort 5

Gargi is a PhD researcher in the chemical engineering department at the University College London. She previously completed her BEng in chemical engineering from the University of Nottingham. After a two and half years of consulting work, she returned to academia to complete her MSc in chemical process engineering from the University College London, where she conducted research in zinc-air batteries. With an ambition to develop sustainable energy solutions, Gargi is currently working on the Nextrode project, focused on the calendaring process under the supervision of Professor Paul Shearing.

Ramin Jannat

Imperial College London - SAFEBATT
Cohort 4

Ramin obtained her MEng degree in Chemical Engineering from University College London in 2021 and is currently completing her PhD at Imperial College London. Ramin’s research focuses on studying dendrite nucleation and evolution in lithium-ion batteries and is part of the SafeBatt project. She has interests in nanoscale systems and correlative microscopic techniques which she hopes to leverage to help combat climate change and contribute towards global efforts to create a more sustainable world.

Adam Lewis-Douglas

Oxford University - MSM
Cohort 3

Adam is developing an experimental solution to characterise lithium-ion batteries using nonlinear impedance spectroscopy, including software for automation and analysis.

Veroknika Majherova

University of Warwick - Degradation
Cohort 5

Veronika studied chemistry at the University of Manchester and then joined WMG, University of Warwick as a Graduate Trainee Engineer, where she has gained experience in cell testing and fabrication in the Electrochemical Materials and Battery Scale Up facilities. Veronika is undertaking a PhD at the University of Warwick under the supervision of Professor Louis Piper, developing instrumented cells for degradation research. She decided for pursue the PhD to further understand the operation and degradation of batteries, as her career interest lies in the fundamental development of battery technology which can help mitigate the effects of climate change.

Jessica McConnell

University of Cambridge - Degradation
Cohort 6

Jessica has a Master’s in chemical physics (MChemPhys) from the University of Edinburgh and is undertaking a PhD in electrolyte degradation in anode-free and traditional lithium-ion batteries, supervised by Professor Dame Clare Grey, as part of the Degradation project. Having always had a passion for science, she found a particular interest in battery studies during her industrial placement year and following employment at the Centre for Process Innovation Ltd (CPI). Here she worked on a variety of projects but found her attention always moving back to batteries. Jessica intends to build a career that combines her love for science with the desire to make a positive impact on society, particularly with climate change in mind, whether this be in academia or industry. She also enjoys sharing her passion for STEM outreach activities, either through an academic institution or the STEM Ambassadors platform.

Nicole Melzack

University of Southampton - N/A
Cohort 3

Nicole is a Postgraduate researcher at The University of Southampton, focussing their work on the development of aluminium ion batteries. Nicole’s work centres around the environmental impacts of battery production and use as a metric for their design development, which involves employing life cycle analyses, lab-based testing and the use of large facilities such as Diamond Light Source for diffraction studies.

Aya Rageh

University of Bristol - Degradation
Cohort 6

Aya graduated from the University of Bristol with a MEng in mechanical engineering and undertaking a PhD at the same university, focusing on the state of health of lithium-ion batteries under different conditions as well as the life cycle assessment for lithium-ion batteries at their end-of-life stage. She was motivated to continue a career in the battery sector after undertaking a Faraday Undergraduate Summer Experience (FUSE) internship in 2022 focused on extracting a lithium-ion cell’s open circuit voltage and calculating its entropy coefficient. Fuelled by a fervent commitment to sustainability and the diminution of global reliance on fossil fuels, Aya harbours aspirations of establishing a career within the energy sector.

Georgia Rowe

University of Birmingham - LiSTAR
Cohort 3

Georgia is a PhD researcher working on the improvement of lithium-sulfur batteries. Her project investigates how porous materials can prevent the degradation of lithium-sulfur batteries. She synthesises materials called metal-organic materials (MOFs) with different pore sizes and functional groups and employs them as a separator/interlayer to determine the best candidate for improving the cells. It is her goal to have a career that helps to improve our impact on the environment; developing safer, greener, longer-lasting batteries is an excellent way to achieve this. Therefore, after her PhD, she plans to continue researching next-generation battery technologies in an industrial setting. Georgia also aims to advocate for positive change, which is why she is a member of the Research Student Liaison Committee at her university, representing postgraduate demonstrators, and a member of the Faraday Institution Student Committee, representing her cohort.

Sam Southern

Imperial College London - LiSTAR
Cohort 4

Sam is a PhD researcher based across Imperial College London and UCL working on electrospinning carbon fibres for high performance structural Li-S batteries. She obtained her Materials Science MEng at the University of Oxford in 2018.