University College London

Abdus Ali

Abdus studied Chemical Engineering (MEng) at University College London. He graduated in June 2023, and after working for a year as an energy analyst, returned to join the Advanced Propulsion Lab and the SafeBatt team in Oct 2024. Abdus' research aims to investigate the gaseous emissions and particulate matter given off from Li-ion batteries during thermal runaway events, with a particular emphasis on Lithium Manganese Iron Phosphate (LMFP) cells.

University of Oxford

Thomas Finco

Thomas started his journey in engineering in 2015 at Queen Mary University of London. There he graduated as Mechanical Engineer in 2019. Not long after, completed his master’s degree at the University of Manchester in 2021 on Thermal Power and Fluid Engineering. From early on, Thomas had an inkling for Heat Transfer/Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics/CFD. This led him to engage in practical applications where these skills were highly relevant i.e. Formula Student. After completing his first steps in education, Thomas worked for three years in different industries as professional engineer. Some of these were working for Ford Motor Company as a Desing and Release Engineer for Electric and Hybrid Vehicles, and most recently, as  a Thermal Design Engineer for up-and-coming Zero Emissions Electric Propulsion Aerospace Company, Evolito Ltd.

Now, Thomas has joined the Safebatt team to research Battery Safety and implementation in the automotive industry. His research is centred in the safety  characterisation of prismatic cell technology along side battery pack levels for Electric Vehicles. Some of the objectives for his work will be use computer aided engineering tools like CFD, FEA to analyse new battery safety scenarios. Alongside this, develop novel experimental tools to make new findings and validate the computational studies.

University College London

Miranda Hitchens

Miranda is a PhD student at University College London working on rapid diagnostic methods for lithium-ion batteries. In the context of battery safety, Miranda is looking to apply this to early detection of thermal runaway during abuse testing, coupled with other diagnostic methods to identify signatures of component decomposition and internal reactions. Previously, Miranda completed a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering and a master’s degree in Advanced Propulsion at University College London, with a concentration in electrochemical power sources.

University of Oxford

Inez Kesuma

Inez completed both her bachelor's and master's degrees in Chemistry at the Leibniz University Hannover, which also included a 6-month exchange at the University of Cambridge’s Forse Group. During her bachelor's, Inez was primarily interested in electrochemistry and inorganic chemistry, which resulted in her specialising in Materials and Nanoscience for her master's degree. Given Inez’s passion for integrating her research with the global need to shift towards a zero-carbon future, she joined the EIL and the SafeBatt team in October 2022.

 Inez's research is centered on understanding the change of acoustic signals caused by the continuous cycling of battery cells and their tendency to degrade. Through combining ultrasonic testing with other techniques, she hopes to correlate the changes in acoustic signals with the physical, structural, and electrochemical changes within the cell. The project aims to develop an early warning system that could be integrated into battery packs to enhance the safety and reliability of the device.

University of Cambridge

Jessica O’Flaherty

Jessica’s project primarily involves the study of zinc metal batteries, which are inherently safer technologies. This is because they use significantly less toxic electrolytes and zinc does not react aggressively in air. In particular, Jessica is studying the interfacial relationship between current collector and electrolyte in zinc systems but the research can also be applied to other battery chemistries. Her studies include, but are not limited to, developing EIS protocols for dynamic systems such as zinc cells and lithium-ion batteries. On the whole this is to better understand metal plating behaviours, a crucial step towards establishing its reversibility.

University of Cambridge

James Simon

James is a final-year PhD student at the University of Cambridge investigating interphases and dendrite growth on metal anode battery systems. Using Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy, his work aims to understand the complex nature of interphase formation on zinc anodes and how the electrochemical heterogeneity of the electrode affects battery performance and safety.