Group Members

Prof. Robert G. Palgrave

I completed my Ph.D. (2007) at the Department of Chemistry, University College London on chemical vapour deposition of gold nanoparticle thin films. I then did postdoctoral work at the University of Oxford, working on molecular beam epitaxy and photoemission spectroscopy, and later at the University of Liverpool working on pulsed laser deposition.

In 2012 I was appointed Lecturer at UCL Chemistry, and was promoted to Reader (2017) and Professor (2019). My group's research is on solid state materials chemistry, with a focus on materials with applications in renewable energy generation and storage. Please browse the website for the latest research news or take a look at my Google Scholar profile.

I am Director of the EPSRC National XPS Facility, HarwellXPS, a service providing access to XPS instrumentation and training for UK scientists.

I am a member of UCL Chemistry's outreach committee, and work with a number of charities to encourage wider participation in higher education, including The Institute for Research in Schools, The Tutorfair Foundation and Generating Genius. I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Natalie McLeod

Ph.D. student

I graduated with an MSci in chemistry at UCL in 2019, completing my final research project at ENS Lyon, where I researched the use of lanthanide-based nanoparticles for use in photodynamic therapy. Presently, my PhD research is focused on the synthesis and characterisation of bismuth oxyhalides for improved photo-response, as well as exploring its electro-catalytic properties including increased selectivity for the electrochemical reduction of CO2 to C2 value added products. In my spare time I enjoy reading, Pilates and being a perpetual beginner in bachata.

Maham Karim

Ph.D. Student

Maham graduated with an MSci Chemistry from University College London in 2018, before taking up a joint experiment-theory Ph.D. studentship in thermoelectrics. For her M.Sci. project, Maham studied tin halometallates of the form A2SnX6 as highly tunable semiconductors and potential solar cell materials.

Previously she did a literature project on the different computational methods of exploring protein-ligand binding affinities. Besides chemistry, Maham enjoys kickboxing, reading and coffee!

Gogulan Kugan

Ph.D. Student

I am a PhD student working on producing nanomaterials for thermoelectric applications; this project works with the JUICED hub. I am supervised by both Prof Robert Palgrave and Professor Ivan Parkin.

I graduated Imperial College London with an integrated masters’ in Material Science and Engineering (MEng) in 2018. My final year research project was supervised by Professor Fang Xie. This project looked at comparing two types of gold nanostars for metal enhanced fluorescence which was ultimately aimed to be used in biosensing application.

After science, my passion is martial arts; I have participated in Goju-Ryu Karate for 7 years and then Muay Thai kickboxing for 3 years. I also enjoy playing basketball during the weekends!

Prajna Bhatt

Ph.D. Student

Prajna graduated with a MSci in Natural Sciences student from University College London, specialising in Inorganic and Materials chemistry. Her fourth year dissertation was done under Dr. Anna Regoutz, in collaboration with Dr. Andrew Cairns at Imperial College London, to develop a sol-gel synthesis methods and characterise thin film frameworks of metallic cyanamides. She is now a PhD student in the group, focusing on synthesis and characterisation of lead free halide perovskite crystals, supervised by Prof Palgrave and Dr. Regoutz. Apart from chemistry, she also enjoys hiking and visiting museums! 

Charles Chen

Ph.D. Student

Charles received his BSc in Chemistry from the Technical University of Berlin. He then completed a MSc in Materials for Energy and Environment on synthesising visible light-absorbing organic molecules to improve perovskite photovoltaics (co-supervised with Prof Schroeder). He is now a Ph.D. student on the A*STAR programme. Aside from Chemistry, he enjoys playing the drums and badminton.

Firas Alruwashid

Ph.D. Student

Hello, this is Firas Alruwashid, an international PhD student from Saudi Arabia. I completed my undergraduate studies in materials science and engineering at Virginia Tech in the US in 2017, with a final year research on the phase transition of Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) from alpha to beta. Later on, I did my master’s degree at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia in 2021, where my thesis was on the synthesis and charecterization of cobalt ferrite nanoparticles, and the effect of graphene in improving their physical and electrical properties. After my master’s studies, I took a gap year to work in a governmental research organization in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Currently, my PhD research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of A2BX6 perovskites.

 

More about me, I enjoy coffee (all kinds of coffee, without any exception), watching anime, and traveling. One more thing, I love learning about different cultures and languages.

Lana Rawlings

Ph.D. Student

I’m Lana and I graduated from Durham University in 2021 with a BSc in Natural Sciences. My degree included a year abroad in Zhejiang University, China, where I studied Mandarin along with my course. I then completed an MSc in Materials for Energy and Environment at UCL in 2022, where I joined the Palgrave group in a project looking at the properties of silver bismuth iodide rudorffite compounds.  My PhD project is looking at the synthesis, exfoliation and properties of 2D materials, namely bismuth oxyiodide nanosheets made via a solid state reaction.

 

Aside from science, I like to spend my time learning languages and travelling. I love skiing and have raced slalom for both Durham and UCL, ranking top 20 nationally, and have been Vice President of the UCL club.

Former Group Members

Dr. Emily Glover

Ph.D. Student 2012-2017

Emily completed her chemistry MSci degree at UCL in 2012, and stayed to complete her PhD in the Palgrave Research Group. Her research investigated materials used for photocatalytic water splitting, focusing on determining the structural, optical and electronic characteristics of active catalysts, in order to understand the origins of their activity. While completing her PhD, Emily collaborated with researchers from the University of Oxford, Imperial College London, the University of Vienna and Yale University. Emily went on to the University of Bath, and now works for CPC Project Services.

Dr. Andrew Breeson

Ph.D. Student 2013-2017

Andrew’s research project was an investigation into controlling the crystallinity of titanium dioxide (TiO2) photocatalysts. By studying powders and epitaxial films of TiO2, his research revealed a reverse rutile-anatase phase change induced by nitrogen doping. He developed a novel method to quantify surface phases in mixed phase systems via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) valance band analysis. This method was shown to be directly proportional to the photocatalytic activity in anatase/rutile mixtures. He also developed and revealed a novel synthesis of highly photocatalytic non-crystalline TiO2 via liquid phase deposition (LPD). After his PhD, Andrew worked in Cambridge for BioStrata, and is now a science writer at the National University of Singapore. 

Dr. Diana Teixeira

Ph.D. Student 2014-2018

Diana Teixeira, originally from Caracas, Venezuela, did her undergrad studies in Nuclear Physics, following her B.Sc. she moved to Italy to do a Masters in Surface Treatments for Industrial Application, where she worked on the study of PVD and PECVD techniques for the thin film protection of solar mirrors. After completion of her master degree with honours she completed her Ph.D. at UCL working on the synthesis of vanadium(IV) oxide via hydrothermal synthesis, sol-gel, AACVD and other techniques. During her time at UCL, she was part of an exchange program with ASTAR in Singapore, working for a year and a half in the Institute of Materials research and engineering (IMRE). Diana now works for a virtual reality company, and in her spare time loves to travel and spend time in  the outdoors.

Dr. Avishek Dey

PDRA (2021-2023)

Avishek did his PhD (2018) from The Open University, UK in collaboration with NASA Ames Research Center, USA with Thesis title “Applications of Atmospheric Pressure Plasma in Surface Engineering”. His dissertation was aimed at three different applications of atmospheric pressure plasmas: printing nanomaterials, functionalization of nanomaterials and deactivation of airborne microbes. For all the contributions emphasis was given on studying the effects of plasma on surfaces. He is trained on soft X-ray spectroscopy techniques and has collaboration with leading beamlines around the world. 

Following his PhD, Avishek worked on two funded projects. 2018-2019 RAENG funded “Integrated wastewater treatment”. Here he developed solar powered electrocatalysts for industrial effluent degradation in sea water. 2019-2021 UKIERI funded project on recycling Li-ion batteries hosted jointly by UK and India. This project was to sustainably recycle battery electrodes and generate value added products.  

Avishek joined the Palgrave group in March 2021 as a research fellow on The Faraday Institute funded project “NEXGENNA”. He will be using his expertise on X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to understand Na-ion battery properties in-situ under operating conditions.  

 

Google Scholar    Website 


Dr. Satyam Ladva

Eng.D. student 2014-2019

Satyam Ladva's degree was sponsored by ThermoFisher scientific. His project is aimed at synthesising and characterising carbon nitride and carbon nitride related materials. Satyam enjoys working with a variety of characterisation techniques, especially XPS. Satyam previously completed an MSci Physics undergraduate at Imperial College London and an MSc in nanotechnology, where he worked on Nitrogen-doped Graphene for supercapacitors, under Prof. Richard Jackman, at the London Centre for Nanotechnology. Satyam now works at Quantum Design. In his spare time, Satyam learns Japanese, travels and plays the guitar and piano

Dr. Shiny Mathew

Ph.D. Student 2014-2019

Shiny Mathew moved to the UK from her hometown in India when she was 13. Her undergraduate studies in Chemistry were at UCL and later she joined the doctoral training centre, CDT-ACM, for her UCL-Imperial College joint PhD programme, co-supervised by Prof. Robert Palgrave and Dr. David Payne. Her Masters project, supervised by Prof. Richard Catlow, was in computational chemistry, investigating the role of nanoparticle co-catalysts in photocatalysis. Shiny continued her research in the field of photocatalysis for her PhD, studying the structure-function relationship in doped titania single crystal substrates. This is useful for the design of novel catalysts with optimal photoactivity for the application of water splitting. SInce completing her PhD Shiny now works for the EPSRC. Away from work, Shiny enjoy canvas painting, travelling and outdoor activities.

Dr. Delphine Malarde

Ph.D. Student 2015-2019

Delphine studied chemistry in France where she graduated from Chimie ParisTech in 2015. She has developed an in-depth knowledge and expertise in the area of thin films with the French industrial group Saint-Gobain. Delphine joined UCL in 2015 where she began her doctoral research in thermochromic thin films for energy-efficient glass applications. Her work focused on the development of vanadium oxides films using deposition process such as APCVD or AACVD. Delphine now works as a consultant. Away from work, Delphine pursues her passions in photography, cooking and whenever she can, relaxes on ski slopes across Europe.

Dr. Winnie Leung

PhD Student 2016-2020

Winnie Leung is originally from Hong Kong and moved to England when she was 17. She graduated with a first in MSci Chemistry and decided to stay on for her PhD project, jointly supervised by Prof. David Scanlon and Dr Robert Palgrave. Her PhD project was about transparent conducting metal oxides for renewable energy applications, which she studied using a combination of computational and experimental techniques. When she is away from the lab, she likes to go swimming and eats a lot of cakes! (Work hard and eat hard!) she also likes travelling and her dream is to travel to Mars one day! Oh and she is also a snapchat addict so watch out for Winnie if she’s around! 

Dr. Will Travis

PDRA 2015-2016

Following his PhD in carbon based porous adsorbent materials for gas sorption Will worked as a post doc with the Palgrave group investigating solid state materials with novel solar cell, battery and catalytic applications. Publication highlights include: Inorg. Chem. paper and Chem. Sci. paper. We were also fortunate enough to be highlighted by Chemistry World magazine.

Will then worked with TSSI Systems as technical manager developing solvent based reel-to-reel coating formulations and production processes within the security and authentication industries.

Will now works at Gurit as a product development chemist developing composite materials for wind turbines, high performance automotive and marine applications. If you would like to get in touch please email Will at: will.travis@gurit.com.

Lizzy Martin

EPSRC Summer Student and M.Sci. Student 2017-2018

Lizzy spent summer 2017 completing an EPSRC vacation project in the group and stayed in the group for her MSci project in 2017-18. She researched complex rutile structures, doping them with hope of producing effective Transparent Conducting Oxides (TCOs).  In 2016-17 she did a year abroad at The University of Texas at Austin where she was an undergraduate researcher in Dr Brent Iverson’s organic chemistry laboratory group working for Chris Wight. Lizzy graduated with a fist class degree, after spending a year teaching English in France, is now undertaking a Ph.D. at Cambridge. In her spare time, Lizzy plays the violin, competes on the University of London gymnastics team and produces handmade personalised sample boxes for the rest of the group. 

Dr. Anham Zafar

Visiting PhD Student 2019-2021

I am a split-site Commonwealth Ph.D. research scholar at UCL working on metal-containing ionic liquids under the supervision of Prof Robert Palgrave. The project mainly based on XPS studies of different types of Ionic liquids and their role in the synthesis of nanomaterial. I am from Pakistan and I did MPhil in Inorganic/Analytical Chemistry from Quaid -i-Azam University and pursued my Ph.D. there. Apart from Chemistry, I love reading, traveling, and exploring new places.

Jun Xian Yap

M.Sci. project student 2019-20

I undertook an MSci in Natural Sciences at UCL, with a focus in Inorganic Chemistry and Physics on the side. I was supervised for my M.Sci. project by Prof. Palgrave as well as Prof. Scanlon, and my project involved comparing experimental XPS valence band spectra to theoretical as a possible means of structural characterisation.

I come from Singapore and move between there and the UK often. In my spare time, I love cooking and gaming. I’m part of the committee for UCL’s Baking Society, and I love trying out new dishes or making up some of my own.

Javiera Azagra

M.Sc. Student 2021-2022

I am a Chemical Engineer with a minor in Material Science, currently studying an MSc in Materials for Energy and Environment, sponsored by the Chilean Agency for Research and Development (ANID).


During the last years, I worked in environmental impact studies in Chile, where I participated in both the energy and mining industries.


My project at UCL involves hybrid tin-based perovskite solar cells, which aims to find a suitable antioxidant to enable the fabrication of stable perovskite materials.


In my spare time I enjoy playing football, traveling, and visiting new places.

Dr. Yuhan Liu

M.Sc. Student 2017-18 Ph.D. Student 2019-2023

I'm a Ph.D. student working on halide perovskites for photovoltaic applications, sponsored by UCL-CSC scholarship. My project contains single crystal growth, crystal structure study, thin film deposition and corresponding performance tests. I had my bachelor degree in Materials Science and Engineering at Beihang University (BUAA) in China, then completed a M.Sc. in Advanced Materials Science at UCL studying transparent conducting oxides.

Dr. Tim Evans

PDRA 2023-24,  Eng.D. Student 2019-23

My name is Tim and I’m from the northeast of England in County Durham, where I first studied Applied Chemistry with industrial placement year (BSc) at the University of Northumbria in 2011-2015. Following this I had a brief stint working in industry based around the Leeds area before returning to university to complete an MRes degree at the University of Manchester in 2017-2018; this was in organic chemistry supervised by Professor Michael Greaney. After this I joined the Palgrave research group where I completed my EngD project from 2018-2023 working on ionic liquids for industrial purposes which was co-sponsored by Edwards Vacuum.

I worked as a post doc in the Palgrave research group on ionic liquids within the same field with a slightly different objective.

As can be seen from my brief academic history, I have slowly migrated south to sunny London where throughout my time I have been cycling, taking photos and generally exploring my surroundings!

Dr. Roxy Lee

Eng.D. Student 2019-24

Roxy graduated with an MSci Chemistry from UCL in 2018, before taking a gap year to explore the rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. In her fourth year project she developed and modified nanostructured TiO2­ electrodes and used these to fabricate and analyse their performance in solar cells. Her Eng.D. project was on in-situ electrochemical XPS and valence band spectrum analysis of energy materials. She also loves painting, dancing, and long distance running, and aims to compete in an international half-marathon before she graduates!

Dr. Lina Zhang

Ph.D. Student 2019-24

Lina studied for an M.Sc. in Materials for Energy and Environment at UCL. She is from China, and she finished her bachelor degree in Material Science and Engineering in Queen Mary University of London. She is studying new materials for hybrid perovskite solar cells. In her spare time, Lina loves watching dramas, skiing and travelling with her family and friends.