Project researchers - next destinations
Dr Sam Booth, our FutureCat project leader from the project start in 2019 – December 2022. Sam has now moved to Integrated Graphene in Stirling and you can connect with him via LinkedIn.
Dr Harry Geddes was a Post Doctoral researcher with FutureCat, working with Prof Andrew Goodwin from 2019 -2021. Harry joined Nature Communications in January 2022 as an Associate Editor and you can connect with him there or on LinkedIn.
Dr Kirstie McCombie was a PDRA in the department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Sheffield. FutureCat research focused on the synthesis and development of possible cathode materials for lithium ion batteries based on complex metal oxides, including disordered rock salt structures and spinels. In January 2023 Kirstie moved to Warwick Manufacturing Group as a Research Fellow. You can connect with Kirstie via WMG or LinkedIn.
Dr Bin Wang obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Manchester. He joined the Tapia-Ruiz’s group as Research Associate at Lancaster University in August 2021 with his research focus on the SECM characterization of the solid-state interface of the cathode. In May 2022 Bin joined the China University of Petroleum as a Lecturer.
Dr Naresh Gollapally was is a PDRA in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Sheffield. He previously worked on the Faraday Institution Degradation project (Oct 2018 -Feb 2021) for synthesis of faceted single-crystal NMC cathodes. His work at FutureCat involved the size and morphology control of high nickel content single-crystal cathode materials for Li-ion batteries. In February 2023 Naresh joined Faridion and you can connect with him via LinkedIn.
Dr Abby Haworth was a senior research associate at Lancaster University working within the group of Dr Griffin from October 2020 to March 2023. Her research focused on using solid-state NMR spectroscopy to provide additional insight into the local structure of cathode materials and protective coatings. In April 2023, she joined the University of Liverpool as a Lecturer in the School of Engineering. You can contact her here.
Dr Laura Wheatcroft was a post doctoral researcher in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Sheffield. Her background is in advanced electron microscopy characterisation methods for lithium-ion battery materials. Her FutureCat research focus was on the characterisation and development of new electrode microstructures for future cathode materials. In May 2023 Laura joined Nyobolt as a Scientist, and you can contact her via LinkedIn.
Dr Joe Stallard was a FutureCat PDRA in the Micromechanics Centre at Cambridge University Engineering Department. He specialised in materials characterisation and linking the macroscopic behaviour of materials to their microstructure. He obtained his PhD degree from Cambridge under the supervision of Professor Norman Fleck FRS, studying the mechanics and processing of direct-spun carbon nanotube mats. In April 2023 Joe left FutureCat and joined Adam Boies research group at Cambridge University on an IUK project to incorporate carbon nanotubes as a conductive additive in LIBs and find new ways of dispersing/processing nanotube materials. He can be contacted via LinkedIn.
Dr Bonan Zhu was a PDRA in the Department of Chemistry at University College London. His background is in first-principles calculations and structure predictions of oxide materials and interfaces. FutureCat research focused on the computational modelling and discovery of future cathode materials. Bonan left FutureCat in July 2023 and is now an Associate Professor at the Beijing Institute of Technology, School of Aerospace Engineering. Bonan can be contacted via LinkedIn
Dr Ziheng Lu, was a Post Doctoral researcher with Cambridge University FutureCat team, working with Prof Chris Pickard. His research focuses on computational and experimental design of new materials. Ziheng moved to Microsoft Research in February 2022 as a Senior Researcher and you can connect with him here at Microsoft Research.
Dr Viktoria Falkowski was a FutureCat PDRA in the Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory at Oxford University. She specialised in the synthesis of new layered materials and their characterisation. In January 2023 Viktoria moved to the laser material processing group at the Karlruher Institut für Technologie (KIT) in Germany. Please connect with Viktoria via LinkedIn.
Dr Glen Murray was an industrial research fellow in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Sheffield working in conjunction with TFP Hydrogen Products. Glen now works for Jaguar Land Rover as Lead Battery Materials Scientist. You can connect with Glen via Jaguar Land Rover or via LinkedIn.
Dr Xiao Hua was a FutureCat Postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Sheffield.
Dr Abarasi Hart was a FutureCat Postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Sheffield. His work for FutureCat involved controlling and optimizing structure, morphology and composition of cathode nanoparticles for Li-ion batteries. In March 2023 Abarasi moved to a position at Aston University, and you can connect with him via LinkedIn
Adam Lovett was a PhD researcher with FutureCat, under the supervision of Prof Judith Driscoll. His area of interest is the fabrication of vertically aligned nanocomposite thin films to probe lithium diffusion through the electrode/electrolyte interface, and exploring their potential applications within the solid-state thin film battery industry. Since submitting his PhD in December 2022, Adam has gone onto a Post doctoral Researcher in the Chemical Engineering department at University College London (UCL), and you can connect with him via LinkedIn.
Dr Seungkyu Park was a Associate researcher in the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge. His research is in the development of advanced energy materials for lithium ion batteries (LIBs). He has a variety of experience in LIBs cell design, ranging from coin type cell to pouch cell including single layer 14 mAh and stacked 1 Ah cell. In September 2021 Seungkyu moved to Samsung, South Korea as a Staff Engineer, and you can connect with him via LinkedIn.
Dr Gabriel Pérez was a FutureCat Postdoctoral Researcher in the Crystallography Group at ISIS Neutron and Muon Facility. He specialises in neutron scattering techniques for the characterisation of energy materials. His research focuses on the design and commissioning of new devices for in-situ neutron and muon battery studies as well as the development of new data analysis methods. Dr Pérez continues his work as an Instrument Scientist at ISIS Neutron and Muon Facility, will continue to collaborate with FutureCat, and can be contacted via LinkedIn.
Dr Xabier Martinez De Irujo Labalde was s a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory at the University of Oxford. He specialised in the synthesis and characterisation of novel layered oxides with perovskite-related structure. His research focus was the search of novel lithium rich oxides as promising cathode materials. In April 2023 he moved to a research position at the University of Munster, Germany. He can be contacted via email at xmartine@uni.muenster.de.