Department of Materials announces 2023 postgraduate prize winners

Dr Bogdan Dovgyy, winner of the Constance Fligg Tipper Centenary Memorial Prize with Professor Sandrine Heutz and Dr Minh Son Pham

The 2023 postgraduate research prizes have been announced in the Department of Materials.

Dr Kaja Ritzau-Reid: McLean Medal

Kaja Ritzau-Reid has been awarded the McLean Medal. This is awarded to a postgraduate with the best accepted or published journal paper.

Dr Shitong Zhou: Tony Evans Memorial Prize

Shitong Zhou has been 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.

Dr Zhou said: "I am deeply honoured and delighted to receive the Tony Evans Memorial Award. I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to my supervisors, Profs. Eduardo Saiz and Luc Vandeperre, for nominating me for this unexpected prize and providing invaluable support throughout my PhD journey during the pandemic.

Working with them at the Center of Advanced Structural Ceramics at Imperial has been a stroke of luck, given the outstanding research environment and a group of talented and enthusiastic colleagues. Without their support and that of my family and friends, my PhD would have been much more challenging. Additionally, I would like to acknowledge the Chinese Scholarship Council for their financial support during my PhD."

Dr Zhou’s thesis is titled: Direct Ink Writing of Ceramic Composites.

Dr Hao Zhang: Matthey Prize

Hao Zhang has been 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.

Dr Zhang said: " I am very honoured to be rewarded the Matthey Prize. It was very challenging to complete my PhD degree in 3 years during the pandemic. I would like to express my greatest gratitude to my supervisors Prof. Jason Riley and Prof. Fang Xie for their excellent guidance and invaluable support during my studies.

I am grateful for the talented and enthusiastic group of colleagues I have met at Imperial College; working with you has not only improved my abilities but also given me more confidence to face the challenges ahead. I would also like to thank my family and friends for their unconditional support and encouragement. The days at Imperial College were wonderful experiences that I will never forget.

Dr Zhang's thesis is titled: Structural Design and Electronic Modification of 3D Transition Metal Compounds and Their Applications in Electrocatalysis.

Dr Wern Ng: Matthey Prize

Wern Ng has been 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.

Dr Ng said "For a PhD, there will be many things which will go wrong and will break down, but these often may just come from one key problem that is holding you back, and almost all of the hard work is finding out what that problem is. Once you find it, you can fix it.”

Dr Ng's thesis is titled: At the Extremes of Spin Dynamics: Organic Co-crystals and NV⁻ Diamond as Materials for Masers and Microwave Mode Cooling.

Dr Nicholas Williams: The TYC@Imperial prize

Nicholas Williams has been awarded the TYC@Imperial prize. This is an annual award to a student who has demonstrated the most important and innovative contribution to research in the Theory and Simulation of Materials.

Dr Williams said: "I am extremely grateful to have been awarded the TYC@Imperial prize. I have found my doctoral research incredibly rewarding and for that I must thank my supervisor Prof. Stephen Skinner for his relaxed supervision, scientific insight, and unwavering support. To the Electroceramics group, thank you for keeping me engaged with all your fantastic research problems. I need to especially thank Dr. Ieuan Seymour, for whom I will be forever grateful for the time he spent teaching me DFT."

Dr Williams thesis is titled: Theory of the electrostatic surface potential and charge transfer at SOFC electrodes

Dr Agathe Heyraud: The Larry Hench Biomaterials Prize

Agathe Heyraud has been awarded the Larry Hench Biomaterials Prize for excellence in a PhD in a Biomaterials related subject.

Dr Heyraud said: "I am very grateful to have been awarded the Larry Hench Biomaterial prize. I would like to thank my supervisor Prof Julian Jones for enabling me to work in such an amazing field and his continuous support during my project, and Dr Francesca Tallia for her guidance throughout. This would not have been possible without the support of everyone in the Biomaterials and CASC group. It has been a great opportunity to work with and learn from everyone in the Materials Department, as well as all the scientific collaborators I had the chance to work with."

Dr Heyraud's thesis is titled: Additive manufacturing of sol-gel hybrid implants for osteochondral regeneration.

Dr George Wilson: John Kilner Prize for Energy Materials 

George Wilson has been 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.

Dr Wilson said "It is a huge honour to be awarded with this prize. My time at Imperial over the past nine years was an unforgettable experience and true privilege. 

I would like to thank my supervisors Dr Ainara Aguadero, Dr Andrea Cavallaro and Professor Stephen Skinner for their guidance over the whole project, and to the EPSRC Fuel Cells CDT for funding. Also thanks to the whole electroceramics group and in particular Dr Ieuan Seymour for having the patience to teach the computational modelling concepts to a novice over the lockdown period. I am grateful to the all the research facility managers who without their wisdom the work in this PhD, and many other projects, would not have been possible. Finally, I would like to thank my family, friends and colleagues who have supported me throughout my PhD and this award is a testament to them."

Dr Wilson's thesis is titled: Development of perovskite-like structures for hydrogen production via two-step thermochemical water splitting.

Dr Max Emmanuel: Prize in Advanced Materials Characterisation Techniques

Max Emmanuel has been 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.

Dr Emmanuel said: " I am honoured to receive this prestigious award from the Materials department. I express my sincere gratitude to my supervisors, Prof. Finn Giuliani, Dr. Ben Britton, and Dr. Katharina Marquardt as well as my mentors Dr. Giorgio Sernicola and Dr. Oriol Gavalda Diaz for their invaluable guidance during my PhD studies.

The assistance of the EM Suite staff, including Dr. Mahmoud Ardakani, Dr. Ecaterina Ware, Dr. Catriona McGilvery, and Dr. James Douglas, was essential to the success of my research. I am thankful for the productive conversations and support from my colleagues in the CASC research group. Lastly, I am deeply grateful to my loving mother and brother for their unwavering support."

Dr Emmanuel's thesis is titled: Study of grain boundary character in WC-Co.

Dr Bogdan Dovgyy: Constance Fligg Tipper Centenary Memorial Prize

Dr Bogdan Dovgyy has been awarded the Constance Fligg Tipper Centenary Memorial Prize showing the most industry and independence in research, with outstanding contributions to Materials Science and Engineering.

María Villuendas Maza: William Penney Prize (Best Project on MSc Advanced Materials Science and Engineering)

María Villuendas Maza has been awarded the William Penney Prize for Best Project on MSc Advanced Materials Science and Engineering. This is an annual award to a student producing the best project on the MSc Advanced Materials Science and Engineering course.

Weiyi Zhang: William Penney Prize (Second Best Project on MSc Advanced Materials Science and Engineering)

Weiyi Zhang has been awarded the William Penney Prize for Second Best Project on MSc Advanced Materials Science and Engineering. This is an annual award to a student producing the second-best project on the MSc Advanced Materials Science and Engineering course.