Agratas and the Faraday Institution have signed a multi-year agreement to partner on talent development for the UK battery sector.
As part of that commitment, Agratas, the Tata Group’s global battery company, has funded a pilot of three PhD studentships, with the PhD researchers embedded in Faraday Institution projects.
The partnership brings together industrial ambition and need for talent, with the Institution’s expertise in developing researcher talent for the sector.
Since its inception, the Faraday Institution has delivered a bespoke PhD training programme, which equips doctoral researchers for careers in academia, industry or policy in the battery sector.
The PhD researchers being funded by Agratas are three of a cohort of 16 that commenced the Faraday Institution PhD Enrichment Scheme in October 2024.
They join 85 PhD researchers who are currently undergoing or have completed the PhD training programme, with 100 more PhDs affiliated with Faraday Institution projects. The three, four-year studentships will include industrial internships at Agratas.
The three PhD studentships funded by Agratas are:
- Becky Larner, University of Oxford, is working with Professor Patrick Grant and Dr Guillaume Matthews on advanced manufacturing as part of the Nextrode project.
- Chris Smith, University of Cambridge, is working with Professor Dame Clare Grey and Professor Michael De Volder on battery degradation.
- Tihana Štefanić, University of Oxford, is working with Professor David Howey and Professor Charles Monroe on the Multi-scale Modelling project.
Professor Martin Freer, CEO, the Faraday Institution said:
“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, Cell Technology at Agratas, said:
“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.”
Matt Howard, Chief Strategy Officer, the Faraday Institution said:
“We look forward to deepening our relationship with Agratas, and hope that this will open the way for similar training initiatives with other UK-based industry organisations as we collectively continue to build a strong battery ecosystem.”
Becky Larner said:
“I obtained an MSci in Chemistry from Cambridge University where I researched sodium-ion batteries with the Grey group. Now I am a first year DPhil student researching electrodes for sustainable lithium-ion batteries at the University of Oxford, supervised by Professor Patrick Grant. I was attracted to this project because I find energy storage technology really interesting and want to help make it more sustainable.”
Chris Smith said:
“Battery research ties together my fascination with fundamental materials chemistry whilst aligning with my environmental consciousness. Being co-supervised by Clare Grey and Michael de Volder is truly brilliant, they are both at the top of their field and I cannot wait to produce meaningful research with them. 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.”
Tihana Štefanić said:
“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. My project is based in the Monroe and Howey research groups.”
Image of Becky Larner courtesy of The Faraday Institution/Agratas
