Knowing No Bounds: Meet the women driving discovery at Imperial

Professor Alexandra Porter
Professor of Bio-imaging and Analysis and Postgraduate Senior Tutor

Professor Alexandra Porter's research spans four key areas: developing new nanomedicines to treat cancer, inhalable medicines to treat tuberculosis, understanding the respiratory impacts of air pollution and studying bone development. Her team are working to develop alternative medicines to address these challenges. Reflecting on her work, Professor Porter shares:

"The project I enjoy most is understanding how bone forms at the growth plate at the very earliest stages of development. It builds on my PhD research on silicon hydroxyapatite bone grafts (22 years on!)."

While her bone development research is more fundamental, it could shape future treatments for hereditary metabolic bone diseases. Her team applies advanced techniques in analytical electron microscopy and x-ray spectroscopy at the Diamond Synchrotron enabling them to solve complex problems at the intersection of materials science and medicine.

When asked about the theme of Women at Imperial Week 2025, "Know No Bounds", Professor Porter reflects on a boundary she has broken in her field:

"I figured out how to “see” 1nm thick single-walled carbon nanotubes inside human cells in a transmission electron microscope. I solved this interdisciplinary problem at a time when electron microscopists were working either in biological or physical sciences."

This discovery makes it possible to see and study tiny carbon nanotubes inside human cells, helping researchers develop new medical technologies like targeted drug delivery and advanced sensors.

Professor Porter discusses how she embraces "Knowing No Bounds" in her research. "I'm driven by solving problems that could improve our quality of life and will work until I get to the bottom of them.  Every field I work in has affected me, my family and my closest friends, so I am deeply passionate about advancing these fields."

And who inspired her to "Know No Bounds"? She credits her A-level maths teacher as a key inspiration:

"Mrs Briggs. She gave me the confidence to become a scientist and taught us to have confidence in our abilities to pursue our dreams. I wish I could meet her again one day to thank her for all she did to inspire me!"

However, research is not without its challenges, and resilience is essential. Professor Porter acknowledges the difficulty of reaching the end of a project and having to pivot in a new direction:

"One of the main challenges is when you come to the end of a piece of work and must start again or take your work in a different direction. 

This can be tough as it can be hard to see a way through. When this happens, I revisit how I was trained as a scientist. To keep reading, and challenging my thoughts until I find a new problem. I also go back into the lab myself to run experiments to make new observations.

I talk to clinicians and biologists a lot to check my understanding of their fields and reframe my hypotheses to make them clinically relevant."

Through every challenge, Professor Porter remains committed to breaking boundaries and her curiosity knows no bounds - even dinosaur bones have played a part. Reflecting on her most memorable outreach moment, she explains:

"My most enjoyable outreach activity was advising David Attenborough's BBC Wildlife on One TV show on what bone looks like at the nanoscale! They even aired a piece on a dinosaur bone using the information I provided."

Dr Reshma Rao, Lecturer in Nanomaterials and Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow

Dr Reshma Rao is on a mission to revolutionise green energy. Her research focuses on discovering electrocatalysts that are efficient, durable, selective and abundant to produce green fuels and chemicals using renewable energy.

Her team works at the cutting edge, using a range of operando characterisation techniques to study reaction processes at the nanoscale, in real-time, and at complex electrochemical interfaces.

Some of their recent projects include designing catalysts and supports for proton exchange membrane electrolysers, alkaline electrolysers, and direct seawater electrolysers. The team are also working on producing value-added products from biomass electrooxidation.

Dr Rao shares her excitement about the impact of her research: "By studying catalytic processes at the atomic scale and in real-time, we discover the fundamental bottlenecks that impede the performance of catalysts.  This enables us to design materials that overcome these limitations through chemical and structural modifications."

Dr Rao's work is already leading to the development of more stable, resilient catalysts for water electrolysis, as well as more selective catalysts for producing valuable products from biomass, paving the way for the decarbonisation of the energy and chemical industries.

One of her team's recent breakthroughs is in understanding how iridium-based catalysts interact with water in proton exchange membrane water electrolysers to produce green hydrogen. They’ve developed a molecular-level picture that explains the orientation of water molecules around the electrode and the critical bond-breaking steps that make water splitting at the catalytic interface possible.

Reflecting on a woman who inspires her to "Know No Bounds", she shares:

"Ursula Burns is an incredibly inspiring woman who embodies the idea of knowing no bounds. She broke barriers as the first Black woman to lead a Fortune 500 company when she became CEO of Xerox in 2009. Her journey from a modest upbringing in public housing in New York to one of the most influential business leaders in the world is a testament to resilience, intelligence, and determination."

Electrochemistry is inherently interdisciplinary, and while the broad skill set needed to make breakthroughs may seem daunting, Dr Rao sees it as an opportunity for collaboration. Her team works closely with academic and industrial partners, as well as national facilities, to tackle research problems with real-world impact. She explains:

"We define interesting research problems and work together to find solutions that can have a tangible impact."

Furthermore, Dr Rao believes Science and Engineering constantly remind us of the constant journey of discovery. She adds:

"Every answer leads to more questions, and even the best theories can be challenged by new discoveries. Experiments usually don’t go as expected, catalytic mechanisms remain elusive, and promising catalysts often turn out to be unstable. 

But that’s also what makes our job exciting and motivates us to think creatively to find solutions. The struggle to understand, improve, and push boundaries is what drives real progress."

Dr Aigerim Omirkhan, Materials Research Programme Manager

Dr Aigerim Omirkhan joined the Department of Materials for an industrially funded PhD to study the electrochemical-mechanical coupled corrosion of steels, where she used a combination of electrochemical and materials characterisation techniques to understand the link between corrosion and mechanical degradation.

Through this work, she discovered that corrosion and mechanical degradation also occur in various systems, including Li-ion batteries. Dr Omirkhan embraces the idea of "knowing no bounds" in her work by continuously seeking to learn new things. Materials Science is inherently interdisciplinary, and she has expanded her focus beyond 'just' corrosion science and into battery research.

She adds "I also manage a prosperity partnership with industry and Diamond Light Source, studying dynamic interphases in materials for energy transition. Working with diverse researchers exposes me to new ideas, and I want to keep learning."

Currently, Dr Omirkhan uses cutting-edge cryo microscopy which involves freezing battery cathodes at a specific electrochemical state using liquid nitrogen. She then extracts a thin sample that includes this interphase and analyses it using an Atom Probe Tomograph, which offers sensitivity for detecting light elements like hydrogen and lithium, elements often “hidden” in other techniques. This facility is particularly valuable for sensitive materials, like battery materials, as the team can use a vacuum transfer suitcase to protect the sample from oxygen exposure and melting during transfers between instruments.

Dr Omirkhan sees potential for her work to impact the future of energy storage. She comments:

"There’s no doubt that rechargeable batteries play a significant role as we transition to more sustainable energy sources. To be truly sustainable, we want batteries to serve for as long as possible without losing their ability to perform. Understanding the evolution of the cathode-electrolyte interphase can help us design better cathodes for Li-ion batteries, which currently suffer from cycle-on-cycle degradation."

Reflecting on a boundary she has broken, Dr Omirkhan highlights the "leaky pipeline" which describes how many people, especially women, leave academia as they face increasing challenges in their careers. She explains:

"This can happen to women who return from parental leave and feel less confident in their ability to succeed as scientists because of high expectations in their field and internal desire to be present for their young children.

At times when I think of leaving academia, I remember the amount of training, resources and work it took me to get where I am now. I think it is important to have representation from people with diverse backgrounds in academia. As a little girl’s mom, I would like her to be proud of what I am doing and feel inspired by my achievements."

Dr Omirkhan balances academic work and the challenges of being a parent every day. However, the support of our scientific community makes a positive impact on her work-life balance as a parent.

"The cryo materials characterisation workflow takes months to learn and often requires long hours, which can be tough with daycare schedules. I’m lucky to have the ‘cryo’ community, colleagues supporting me with starting and finishing experiments after hours. The support of my colleagues and partner has been great, and it's something I will remember and pay forward. It’s important to be open about the challenges of being a parent in academia and build support systems at work and at home to find balance."

Dr Omirkhan also draws inspiration from the women in the Department of Materials, who continue to inspire her every day.

"We have amazing role models in the Department of Materials, from our Head of Department Professor Sandrine Heutz to Vice-Provost Professor Mary Ryan, to all the brilliant PhD students I get to work with, and my fellow postdoctoral researchers who inspire me to keep going.

I draw inspiration from all my colleagues who kept going despite the hardships they faced: each person can teach us a lesson. It’s so important for girls to be able to see role models who they can identify with. To all lecturers in the department, please know that you and your work inspire us each day."