Research Interests
Open to PhD applications in:
- Polymer nanocomposites
- Plastic recycling and circular economy
- 4D printing and additive manufacturing
- Energy storage and battery materials
Current Research Opportunities
- Self-Healing Artificial Muscles for Sustainable Soft Robotics
- Self-Healing Artificial Muscles for Sustainable Soft Robotics
Public outreach & key achievements
Public Outreach
Public Engagement and Media:
- Featured in "Research to Reality"
- Work on graphene highlighted in the book "A Random Walk"
- Participated in the Hexagon Experiment: Works in Progress
- Invited speaker at Queen's University Belfast Women in STEM event
International Research Community:
- Co-organised and curated the Women in Composites Leadership Forum at the 23rd International Conference on Composite Materials (ICCM23), bringing together international engineers and researchers
- Member of the organising committee for ICCM23
- Invited speaker at Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research workshop "Horizons for Graphene-Based Applications in Science and Technology"
Key Achievements
Major Research Grants:
- Principal Investigator, EPSRC New Investigator Award "Electro-Responsive 4D-Printable Polymer Nanocomposites for Artificial Muscles" (PolyARM),
- Project Co-Lead (UK), UKRI Ayrton Fund iRECYCLE-Malaysia project Research Excellence:
- Publications in high-impact international journals including Nature Materials, Carbon, Energy Advances, and Sustainable Energy & Fuels
Research students
| PhD Title | Ionic liquid additives for improved NdPr recycling from end of life magnets |
| Name | Erin McKinley |
| Years of Study | 2024 - 2028 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| PhD Title | Activation of carbonaceous electrode materials for improved performance of redox flow batteries |
| Name | Michael Gamble |
| Years of Study | 2024 - 2028 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| PhD Title | Electrically Conductive Polymer-Graphite Composites for Energy Storage Applications |
| Name | Edwin Harvey |
| Years of Study | 2022 - 2026 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
Alumni: Where are they now
| PhD Title | 3D Printed polymer graphene nanocomposites for bio-sensor applications |
| Name | Dr. Liam O’Connor |
| Years of Study | 2020 - 2024 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Current position | Lecturer at University of Hertfordshire |
| PhD Title | Factors affecting oxygen storage capacity measurement of three-way automotive catalysts |
| Name | Dr. Liam McGrane |
| Years of Study | 2021 - 2025 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Current position | Senior Engineer at CATAGEN Ltd. |