Materials fellow wins prestigious award for renewable energy research

Dr Reshma Rao has received the prestigious 2023 Clara Immerwahr award for research into renewable energy for green hydrogen.

Launched by UniCat in 2011, the award recognises young female scientists at an early stage of their careers who are working to promote equity and excellence in catalysis research.

Tackling challenges in renewable energy

Dr Rao is a Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow in the Department of Materials.

Her research explores the use of renewable energy to produce green hydrogen via water electrolysis. Dr Rao combines state-of-the-art fabrication techniques and time-resolved optical spectroscopy with X-ray and vibrational spectroscopy measurements to understand the molecular processes governing the rate of reaction at these interfaces.

At this stage of my career, the Clara Immerwahr Award offers me an unparalleled opportunity to develop new collaborations with researchers and shape my independent research trajectory. Dr Reshma Rao

She commented: "The synergy between the equipment available at Imperial College London and UniSysCat has the potential to accelerate catalyst discovery significantly.

At this stage of my career, the Clara Immerwahr Award offers an unparalleled opportunity to develop new collaborations with researchers and shape my independent research trajectory." 

Dr Rao's research aims to accelerate the use of hydrogen as a viable, clean energy source on a similar scale to today's natural gas industry - an exciting prospect for the future of renewable energy.