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New investment in PhD talent for UK battery sector 

Multi-year agreement between Agratas and Faraday Institution includes funding for pilot of three PhD studentships. 

In response to the pressing demand for high-end skills in the UK battery sector, two leading organisations have teamed up to develop the talent of researchers. 

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Agratas will now fund three four-year PhD students from a cohort of 16 that began the Faraday Institution’s PhD enrichment scheme last October. As well as funding, the three students will also benefit from industrial internships at Agratas.  

Of the beneficiaries, Becky Larner from the University of Oxford is researching advanced manufacturing as part of the Nextrode project, and is working with Professor Patrick Grant and Dr Guillaume Matthews. She says: ‘I was attracted to this project because I find energy storage technology really interesting and want to help make it more sustainable.’ 

Tihana Štefanić, also at Oxford, is working on the multiscale modelling project with Professor David Howey and Professor Charles Monroe. Tihana comments: ‘Being part of the Faraday Institution’s training programme has made the first few weeks an overwhelmingly positive experience. I am looking forward to developing safer battery technology in my DPhil and hope to continue working on sustainable energy solutions in my future career.’ 

The third recipient, Chris Smith at the University of Cambridge, is researching battery degradation alongside Professor Dame Clare Grey and Professor Michael De Volder. Chris says: ‘Battery research ties together my fascination with fundamental materials chemistry whilst aligning with my environmental consciousness. I am delighted to be collaborating with Agratas as this facilitates academia and industry working together striving for a better future, whilst simultaneously giving my research real-world impact.’ 

The Faraday Institution is the UK’s independent institute for electrochemical energy storage research, skills development, market analysis and early-stage commercialisation. Its bespoke PhD training programme equips doctoral researchers with deep subject area expertise, myriad soft skills and broad knowledge of the industry ecosystem in which they will work. 

The 16 students on the institution’s enrichment scheme are in addition to 85 PhD researchers on or who have completed its PhD training programme and a further hundred PhDs affiliated with Faraday Institution projects. 

Agratas, which is part of the Tata Group, designs, develops and manufactures high-quality, high-performance, sustainable battery solutions for a range of applications.  

Professor Martin Freer, CEO of the Faraday Institution, says: ‘The next generation of battery technologies will be developed by the next generation of battery researchers. This partnership’s commitment to talent development comes at a key time for the UK battery sector as we look to build on the nation’s distinct advantage in battery R&D as it competes in the global race to attract investment in battery manufacturing and innovation.’ 

Dr Valentina Gentili, Vice President of Global Research and Development in Cell Technology at Agratas, adds: ‘Agratas’s purpose is to pioneer power for future generations by fostering talent and driving innovation in next-generation battery technologies. We are so excited to be part of the vibrant UK ecosystem, collaborating with our partners the Faraday Institution and world leading academics, to shape a sustainable electric future for the UK.’ 

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Simon Guerrier
Writer and journalist for Infotec, Social Care Today and Air Quality News
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