Principal Investigator

Dr. James A. Dawson BSc PhD MRSC

Reader in Energy Materials

Like Slash, Lemmy, Wedgwood and Mitchell before him, James grew up in Stoke-on-Trent, famous for oatcakes, pottery and darts players. He obtained his BSc Chemistry degree from Keele University in 2009 and then moved to Sheffield to undertake his PhD under the supervision of Professors John Harding and Derek Sinclair. After completing his studies, James was awarded a prestigious JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship at Kyoto University, which allowed him to achieve his ambition of living in Japan. Upon conclusion of the fellowship, James returned to the UK to take up postdoctoral positions at the University of Cambridge and then the University of Bath. James began his independent research career at Newcastle University as a NUAcT Fellow in January 2020 and was promoted to Reader in 2023. Outside of research, James enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter, travel, live music and sport.

Postdoctoral Researchers

Dr. Ying Zhou

PDRA, Design and Understanding of Solid Electrolytes for Fuel Cell Applications

(May 2023–)

Dr. Juliane Fiates

PDRA, Atomistic Simulations of Liquid Electrolytes and SEI Formation in Anode-Free Batteries

(July 2023–)

Dr. Jack Hemingway

PDRA, Mechanochemical Modelling of Battery Materials

(September 2023–)

Dr. Tianmu Yuan

PDRA, Exploring Ion Transport and Interfaces in Solid-State Batteries

(December 2024–)

Dr. Indrajit Maity

PDRA, Understanding Redox Behaviour and Interfaces in Battery Cathodes

(January 2025–)

Dr. Zhimin Chen

PDRA, Modelling Microstructure and Interfaces in Solid-State Batteries

(March 2025–)

Students

Frazer Forrester

PhD, Li-Ion Transport, Defects and Interfaces in Li3PS4 for Solid-State Batteries

(October 2020–)

Alex Bell

PhD, Understanding Electrode-Electrolyte Interfaces in Solid-State Batteries and Supercapacitors

(September 2021–)

George Rudman

PhD, Fluorine Doping of Anti-Perovskite Solid Electrolytes for Solid-State Batteries (co-supervised with Dr. Karen Johnston at Durham University)

(September 2021–)

Jemma Cox

PhD, Development of Mixed Anion Argyrodite Solid Electrolytes

(September 2022–)

Alwah Alqarni

PhD, Understanding and Optimising the Formation and Electronic Properties of Metallo-DNA (co-supervised with Dr. Ben Horrocks and Prof. Andy Houlton)

(September 2022–)

Joseph Thomas

PhD, Novel Modular and Eco-Designed PEM Electrolysers Integrated for Green Hydrogen Production (co-supervised with Dr. Lu Xing at Northumbria University)

(September 2022–)

Victoria Watson

PhD, Synthesis and Characterisation of Palmierites for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (co-supervised with Prof. Abbie McLaughlin at the University of Aberdeen)

(January 2023–)

Xudong Mao

PhD, Exploring Ion Transport in Halide-Based Solid Electrolytes

(January 2023–)

Oscar Ballantyne

PhD, Computational Design of New Fuel Cell Materials

(September 2023–)

Rebecca Wignall

PhD, Development of Solid Electrolytes by a Combined In-Operando XPS-Theoretical Approach (co-supervised with Dr. Elisabetta Arca)

(September 2023–)

Alanoud Aloufi

PhD, Ion Transport and Interfaces in Hybrid Perovskites for Optoelectronics

(September 2024–)

Abeer Abdu Hdadai

PhD, Modelling of Next-Generation Supercapacitor Materials

(September 2024–)

Lauren Gardiner

PhD, Computational Design of Argyrodite Solid Electrolyte-Electrode Interfaces

(September 2024–)

Felix Scott

PhD, Elucidating Ion Transport at the Interfaces of Hybrid Solid-State Batteries

(September 2024–)

Shaojun Hao

PhD, Understanding 3D/2D Hybrid Perovskite Heterostructures

(September 2025–)

Visiting Researchers

Dr. Andrey Poletayev

PDRA, Stanford University with Aaron Lindenberg

(February–March 2020)

Dr. Claire Meara

Head of Strategy for Government Science & Engineering Profession, Government Office for Science

(November 2021–April 2022)

Dr. Alexandros Vasileiadis

Veni Laureate and PDRA, TU Delft with Marnix Wagemaker

(January–February 2022)

Dr. Kingsley Obodo

PDRF, North-West University with Dmitri Bessarabov

(February–March 2022)

Dr. Zeyu (Jerry) Deng

PDRF, National University of Singapore with Piero Canepa

(March–April 2022)

Mohammed Gamal

BSc, Alexandria University

(November 2024–July 2025)

Siham Bourdine

PhD, University of Bouira

(December 2024)

Alumni

Dr. James Quirk

PDRA, Nano- and Microstructural Modelling of Solid Electrolytes for Solid-State Batteries

(May 2021–September 2025)

Phoebe Goodrich

FUSE Intern, Atomistic Modelling of Electrolyte Degradation in Batteries

(June–July 2025)

Dr. Jing Xuan (Michelle) Lim

PhD, Efficacy of Artificial Imprinted Antibodies in Driving Unwarranted Immune Responses (co-supervised with Dr. Shoba Amarnath and Dr. Marloes Peeters)

(February 2022–April 2025)