Meet the team:
Dr. Peter Nockemann (PI):
Dr. Peter Nockemann is a senior lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast and is a leading expert in ionic liquids and electrolytes with over 16 years of experience in research. He has internationally renowned expertise in inorganic materials and has currently >119 peer reviewed papers and 4 patents. The focus of his research group is based around ionic liquids and their application for the synthesis of new functional materials, ranging from efficient separations and extraction of critical metals, as electrolytes for energy storage and in green sustainable processes and their application in industrial processes. With the QUILL research centre, he received in 2013 3 IChemE awards for the first generation of ionic liquid systems applied to gas scrubbing of mercury from natural gas; in 2014 the Don Nicklin medal and the RSC Teamwork award, and he has been awarded a Mercator Fellowship award by the German DFG in 2015.
Role: Electrolyte innovation, research & development
Prof. Martin Atkins (Co-I):
Prof. Atkins is Chair of Chemical Innovation and Sustainable Technologies and Commercialisation Mentor at the Queen’s University Belfast as well as CEO of Green Lizard Technologies a QUB Spin-Out Company. He has had significant industrial experience working in companies such as BP, as a Programme Manager for the International Alliance programme as well as Senior Advisor at BP Chemicals from 2002 to 2004. From there Professor Atkins moved with BP to China where he took up the post of Programme Manager of Clean Energy Technologies in Dalian. In 2007, Professor Atkins was appointed Chief Scientist for BP China with his main roles involving the development and management of the innovation portfolio for BP and DICP activities in Clean Energy Technologies. In 2009, he moved to PETRONAS as their Chief Technologist were his main roles included the implementation of fast-track development methodologies for technology development alongside the development of a bespoke stage-gate process for technology development projects leading to effective planning and communication with business and research partners.
Role: Electrolyte scale-up and evaluation of commercialisation potential
Dr. Tim Littler (Co-I):
Dr. Tim Littler is an expert for energy system optimisation and integration. A complete audit of the on-site generation and load profile on-stie will be undertaken to determine the optimum running of generation and scheduling of load whilst using the available storage resources and available energy tariffs. The Flow Energy System will be monitored to determine efficiency and potential degradation in operation.
Role: Modelling and net integration
Dr. Laleh Bahdori obtained her PhD in 2015 in Chemical Engineering at the University of Malaya, Malaysia. Her research was focussed on the evaluation of deep eutectic solvents as an electrolyte for charge/discharge test using different redox couples. Laleh continued her research as a postdoctoral research fellow at the same group under the supervision of Prof. Mohd Ali Hashim for a High Impact Research funded project on “Undivided Redox Flow Battery Reactor Employing Porous Flow Through Electrodes and Deep Eutectic Solvents” until 2016, and worked then until 2017 on application of deep eutectic solvents for renewable batteries using Mn/Li salts before joining Queen’s University Belfast.
Dr. Nicoloy Gurusinghe received his BSc (Eng) degree from University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, in 2011 and his PhD from the University of Waikato, New Zealand, in 2016. His research was focussed on the analysis and design of power converters for hybridizing energy storage media and he has significant experience in modelling energy storage devices for high-power applications. Before joining Queen’s University Belfast, he worked at North-West University, South Africa, as a postdoctoral research fellow, researching hybridizing fuel cells with batteries and supercapacitors.
Dr. Sophie Tyrrell (Project Manager) received her MSCi in Chemistry in 2011 before undertaking her PhD at Queens University Belfast, synthesising electrolytes using ionic liquids for utilisation in solar cells. Since graduating with her doctorate 2015, she spent some time doing post-doctoral research before moving to project management and business development with QUB spin-out company, Green Lizard Technologies Ltd (GLT). During the 3 years Sophie spent with GLT, she demonstrated her ability in successfully applying for and receiving various grants and government funding and was subsequently awarded the Vice Chancellors Post-doctoral Research Award in 2017 for the pivotal role she played in gaining significant funds to enhance the research currently being undertaken in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at QUB.
Students (past and present):
Robert Boyd (2016-present)
Helena Clements (2017-2018)
