PhD Graduation Prize Winners announced in the Department of Materials

The winners of this year's postgraduate research graduation prizes have been announced in the Department of Materials.

Dr Junyi Che: Winner of the Larry Hench Biomaterials Prize

Dr Junyi Che was awarded the Larry Hench Biomaterials Prize for excellence in a PhD in a Biomaterials related subject.

Junyi said: "I would like to express all my gratitude to my PhD advisor, Professor Molly Stevens, for all her support and guidance during the last three years. I also want to thank my colleagues, we are not only colleagues but close friends - my PhD wouldn't have been so fun without you! I'm currently working in a translational research Institue and I hope I could contribute to the improvement of the translation of innovative research into clinical practice"

Junyi's thesis is titled: Immune cell-mediated drug delivery for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Dr Jindaporn Juthapakdeeprasert: Winner of the Tony Evans Memorial Prize

Dr Jindaporn Juthapakdeeprasert was awarded the Tony Evans Memorial Prize. This is an annual award to the student with the best PhD Thesis in the ceramics discipline as determined by the Director of the Structural Ceramics Centre based on the examiners' report.

Jindaporn said: "It is such an honour to have won the Tony Evans Memorial prize. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my advisor Prof. Bill E Lee for the continuous support of my PhD study and related research, for his patience, motivation, and immense knowledge. His guidance helped me in all the time of research and writing my thesis. I could not have imagined having a better advisor and mentor for my PhD study. I would like to also pay special regards to my sponsor (SCG cement -building materials), my research group (CASC) and my friends and family for their inspiration and encouragement which supported me throughout my 4 years at Imperial"

Jindaporn's thesis is titled: High emissivity coating containing ceria on basic refractory brick for cement rotary kiln.

Dr Nayoung Kim: Winner of Matthey Prize

Dr Nayoung Kim was awarded the Matthey Prize. This is an annual award to an Associate of the Royal School of Mines for research completed in the Department of Materials.

Nayoung said: "I feel so honoured to have won the prestigious Matthey Prize. Above all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my advisor, Professor Molly Stevens, for her guidance, support, and inspiration. I am also grateful to everyone in the Stevens Group. It has been a truly amazing opportunity to pursue my PhD in such a dynamic, supportive, and interdisciplinary group, which has been an endless source of my motivation and inspiration. Lastly, I would like to thank all my friends and family for their invaluable support and encouragement along my PhD journey." 

Nayoung's thesis is titled: Advanced Nanomaterial-Empowered Optical Molecular Biosensing Platforms: Towards Detection of Biomolecular Profiles in Complex Biological Matrices

Dr Jonathan Ngiam: Winner of the Prize in Advanced Materials Characterisation Techniques

Dr Jonathan Ngiam was awarded the Prize in Advanced Materials Characterisation Techniques. This is awarded at the end of Postgraduate study, to a research student using advanced materials characterisation techniques leading to a higher degree.

Jonathan said: “A surprising award for surprising times for which I am incredibly honoured. I would like to thank everyone in my research group, my supervisors Prof Martyn McLachlan, Prof David Payne and Prof Natalie Stingelin for their nomination, wisdom, and constant support, as well as Sarah who has helped me in profound ways. I believe it is as much mine as it is theirs, for no man is an island. After graduation, I have been working in an EV charging start-up but 
I am looking to get back into materials research!”

Jonathan's thesis is titled: The Relationship Between Surfaces, Interfaces, and Bulk Properties in Organometallic Halide Materials.

Dr David Poussin: Winner of Matthey Prize

Dr David Poussin was awarded the Matthey Prize. This is an annual award to an Associate of the Royal School of Mines for research completed in the Department of Materials.

David said: "It is a great honour for me to have been awarded the Matthey Prize. I would like to thank my supervisor, Professor McLachlan for his support. During my four years at Imperial, my research on photonic crystals and their applications in devices has been challenging, but also extremely rewarding, both scientifically and in personal growth."

David's thesis is titled: Three-dimensional photonic crystals for optoelectronic applications.

Dr Supamas Nitnara: Winner of the Constance Fligg Tipper Centenary Memorial Prize

Dr Supamas was awarded the Constance Fligg Tipper Centenary Memorial Prize for  Award showing the most industry and independence in research, with outstanding contributions to Materials Science and Engineering.

Supamas said: “I would like to express my gratitude to my super supervisor, Prof Neil Alford FREng, who trusts in me. He fully supported and taught me that there is always a way out for all obstacles. Thereby, I love to move forward and eager to discover a new solution in all situations. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to win the prize. The prize is very encouraging and it will remind me how to overcome needed to do when I found some difficulties. It also reminds me of how great my supervisor is."

Supamas' thesis is titled: A comparison of The Glass Former 1,3,5- Tri(Naphthyl)Benzene and The Crystalline p-Terphenyl Hosts for Pentacene Masers.

Dr Chen-Yu Tsai: Winner of the John Kilner Prize for Energy Materials

Dr Chen-Yu Tsai was awarded the John Kilner Prize for Energy Materials. This prize recognises excellence in a PhD study in any subject related to materials for application in energy conversion systems.

Chen-Yu said: "I would like to thank everyone who has assisted me during the period of my PhD study, especially my supervisors Prof. Stephen Skinner and Dr. Ainara Aguadero. It is a valuable and unforgettable experience to study here. I am currently working in an R&D department in fuel cells and electrolysers industry. I hope I can apply the knowledge learnt here to help with tackling the real energy issues."

Chen-Yu's thesis is titled: Phase evolution and reactivity of Pr₂NiO_4+d and Ce_0.9Gd_0.1O_2-d solid oxide cell electrodes.

Dr Hao Wu: Winner of the McLean Medal

Dr Hao Wu was awarded the McLean Medal. This is awarded to a postgraduate with the best accepted or published journal paper.

Hao said: "I regard this prize as recognition of everyone’s efforts in the MASER group! I am extremely grateful for the inspirational supervision of Dr. Mark Oxborrow and the precious support of my colleagues and families. I also would like to thank the department for providing a stimulating atmosphere and outstanding resources."

Hao's thesis is titled: Room-Temperature Quantum Devices Based on Pentacene’s Photo-Excited Triplet State in p-Terphenyl