Dr Hugh Geaney- PI
Hugh finished a degree in Industrial Chemistry in 2008 and a PhD in Chemistry in 2012 (both from UL). He subsequently moved to UCC as a postdoctoral researcher on the EU FP7 project STABLE, working on Li-O2 batteries. Following that, he was a senior postdoctoral researcher in UCC, investigating porous materials for Li-ion battery applications. In 2016 he returned to UL as a postdoctoral researcher on an Enterprise Ireland commercialization project. In 2019, he received a SIRG (starting investigator research grant) and became an independent, Principal Investigator. Since 2020, Hugh has been a lecturer in Chemistry in the Department of Chemical Sciences. His research is focused on Li-ion and beyond Li-ion battery materials. He is particularly interested in developing sustainable materials for future batteries and delivering insight into failure mechanisms of battery materials. His teaching includes inorganic, analytical and physical chemistry.
Syed Abdul Ahad- Postdoctoral Researcher
Syed obtained his Bachelors in Materials Engineering from Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute (GIKI -Pakistan) in 2013 followed by a Master’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST – South Korea) in 2016. Following that, he worked as a researcher in Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST – South Korea) investigating high-performance Li-Sulfur batteries both in half and full cell configurations. In 2019, he joined UL as a PhD student in the Department of Chemical Science. His current research includes development of Si and Ge based nanomaterials for Li-ion, Na-ion and metal anode batteries. Since completing his PhD in March 2023, Syed has been working as a postdoctoral researcher within the group.
Kelly Murphy-PhD Student
Kelly received her BSc. in Pharmaceutical and Industrial Chemistry from the University of Limerick (2021), in which she was awarded a first-class honours. Kelly worked with Dr. Hugh Geaney and his group during her final year project and will now continue this work as a PhD student in the Bernal Institute, University of Limerick. Her research is focused on developing earth abundant anode materials for Na-ion and Li-ion batteries and is funded by an individual Irish Research Council Scholarship.
Rebecca Forde-PhD Student (Co-supervisor with Kevin M. Ryan)
Rebecca Forde is a PhD researcher in the Bernal Institute, University of Limerick. She is primarily researching metal-sulfur batteries, such as aluminium-sulfur and lithium-sulfur batteries. Her work focuses on electrode synthesis, half and full cell galvanostatic testing and material characterization. She is funded by the AMBER Center in Trinity College Dublin
Abinaya Sankaran-PhD Student (Co-supervisor with Kevin M. Ryan)
Abinaya completed a master’s in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology from the University of Madras, India. She is currently pursuing her doctoral research on the EU H2020 Si-DRIVE Project. Her research focus is on developing one-dimensional nanostructures and studying their electrochemical activity for Li-ion battery applications.
Maryam Tahertalari-PhD Student (Co-supervisor- Prof Damien Thompson)
Maryam received her M.Sc. Degree in Thin Film Physics from Materials and Energy Research Center in Iran, having focus on developing cathode materials for Li-ion Batteries. She is currently a Ph.D. student in Chemistry at the Bernal Institute in the University of Limerick. Her research is focused on developing Lithium Metal Anodes using both experimental and theoretical approaches.
Alumni
