STEM Outreach / Public Engagement Team Award Winner: UCell

Congratulations to UCell for winning the 2025 Team Faraday Institution Community Award for Public Engagement and STEM Outreach.

Picture: Award winners at the Faraday Institution Conference 2025. From left to right: Arthur Fordham, Brandon Frost, Sion Lewis, Isabel Antony, William Hayes, Prof Martin Freer (Faraday Institution CEO), Kofi Coke, Callum Chisnall and Hannah Lynn.

The UCell team has demonstrated unwavering commitment and remarkable creativity in engaging the public on the topics of sustainability, battery science and renewable energy. Their achievements were recognised by nominations from no fewer than six members of the Faraday Institution community.

Group picture from the team at Green Man Festival 2024: Lauren Bennett, Brandon Frost, Isabel Antony, Joshua Cruddos, Iain Malone, Arthur Fordham, Thomas Gill, Matthew Tudball, Shangwei Zhou, Kofi Coke

Currently led by Isabel Antony, a PhD researcher affiliated to the Faraday Institution Degradation project, UCell’s success is a testament to the dedication of a diverse group of early career researchers. These volunteers are passionate about science communication and believe strongly in the value of sharing their research with wider society. The group continually onboards and mentors new volunteers and rotates leadership positions to ensure the longevity of the group.

School lesson at the Zabergäu-Gymnasium Brackenheim (Germany), where Isabel Antony is explaining the theory of how batteries work.

Associate Professor Rhodri Jervis, UCL, comments:

Having supported the team as academic lead for UCell, I have witnessed first-hand their incredibly engaging ability to convey difficult electrochemical concepts to a range of audiences, not least young children who visibly light up when they realise the power of electrochemistry through making a battery or generating hydrogen.

“UCell is not just an outreach group—it is a training ground for the next generation of researchers. It instils confidence, clarity, and the importance of public-facing science. I am proud to work alongside them.”

A key strength of UCell’s outreach lies in their ability to make complex concepts tangible and relatable, and the way they tailor their approach to different audiences. They consistently deliver high-quality outreach to thousands – an estimated 14,000 people during the year to June 2025, mainly through their involvement at festivals including Cheltenham Science Festival, Glastonbury, The Festival of Engineering and the Green Man Festival.

Outreach at the Cheltenham Science Festival 2024. On the left, Charles Kirchner-Burles is building potato batteries with the students, on the right, Kofi Coke is overseeing the use of the glove box where participants were able to build model coin cells.

UCell creates interactive experiences that allow participants to actively explore scientific principles. Through hands-on activities, the team brings cutting-edge research to life for audiences of all ages. Many events involve powering aspects of festivals – such as performance stages and charging mobile phones with green energy -using an in-house built hybrid fuel cell / battery device, the maintenance and operation of which requires significant technical knowledge.

Iain Malone explaining how hydrogen can be used as a more sustainable fuel for cars.

This engaging method led to their invitation to present on the “Solar Stage” at the Green Man Festival in 2024, a significant acknowledgment of their unique approach. This is combined with innovative hands-on activities such as making potato batteries, generating hydrogen from splitting water and operating a glove box to demonstrate the principles behind the device powering the event at a larger scale.

UCell at their first science talk at a festival on the Solar Stage at the Green Man Festival 2024. Playing a game with a group of children teaching how lithium-ion batteries work.

They also work tirelessly to ensure they are engaging traditionally under-represented people in science through their work with schools and youth groups. The feedback consistently indicates that their activities leave a lasting impression, with parents and teachers reporting continued enthusiasm for battery technologies among children for weeks after the contact.

Matthew Tudball engaging with 2 families at the Green Man Festival 2024, building potato batteries. In the background, one can see our fuel cell/battery hybrid powering the Omni tent in the background, where they are currently delivering a science talk.

Quote from an event organiser:

UCell was absolutely brilliant. A proper team effort. They were confident speakers and came across as if they did this kind of thing on a daily basis. I was thoroughly impressed and would definitely have them back again.”

Quotes from children:

I just learnt something AND had fun”

“I never knew you could do so much with potatoes.”

And from a parent:

Our child came here during the week with his class and wouldn’t stop talking about your potato batteries, so here we are again.”

Congratulations to the whole UCell team on their achievements: Isabel Antony, Lauren Bennett, Myles Kofi Coke, Matthew Tudball, Josh Cruddos, Arthur Fordham, Thomas Gill, Charles Kirchner-Burles, Alice Llewellyn, Hannah Lynn, Callum Chisnall, Brandon Frost, Shunli He, Iain Malone, Shangwei Zhou, Andrea Friso, William Hayes, Sion Lewis, Rakin Gilani.

From left to right: Isabel Antony, Lauren Bennett, Myles Kofi Coke, Matthew Tudball, Josh Cruddos, Arthur Fordham, Thomas Gill, Charles Kirchner-Burles, Alice Llewellyn, Hannah Lynn, Callum Chisnall, Brandon Frost, Shunli He, Iain Malone, Shangwei Zhou, Andrea Friso, William Hayes, Sion Lewis, Rakin Gilani with academic lead Rhodri Jervis.

Posted on September 18, 2025