Saloni Pun
Project: Digitally-led discovery of solid electrolyte materials for net zero applications
Supervisors: Matt Rosseinsky, Matthew Dyer, Luke Daniels, Chris Collins
What inspired you to pursue this project and join the DAMC CDT?
I completed my MChem at the University of Oxford, where I carried out my master’s project in the Vincent group. This was my first experience of research, and I thoroughly enjoyed how different it was from undergraduate studies: focusing in depth on a particular field, designing and completing experiments to learn something new, and being part of a collaborative research group. Wanting to connect research with real-world challenges, I then worked as an industrial research scientist at Johnson Matthey.
In industry, I had the opportunity to interact and collaborate with many talented scientists. Through this, I was exposed to the use of computational tools as an alternative way to approach problems and derive insights. I therefore developed an interest in building skills that would enable me to shift from being a purely experimental scientist to what I consider a hybrid scientist, one who can capitalise on digital tools while maintaining a focus on the experimental evaluation of results.
The technical training offered by the CDT, its encouragement of interdisciplinary skill development, being amongst a cohort of people from diverse backgrounds, and the prospect of contributing to an exciting project were all in perfect alignment with what I was looking for.
What inspired you to pursue this project and join the DAMC CDT?
My research focuses on new materials discovery for net-zero applications, specifically solid-state electrolytes for lithium and magnesium ion batteries. Solid-state electrolytes are a promising technology and form part of the broader set of opportunities that battery innovation provides in areas such as energy system transformation, widespread electrification, and the rapid uptake of renewables. Progress in these areas is essential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which is critical to meeting climate goals. Within my project, I apply a combined computational–experimental approach. Digital tools are used to identify candidate element combinations and compositions, which are then filtered and selected for experimental exploration and evaluation.
What is your research project about, and what impact do you hope it will have?
Being surrounded by an incredibly supportive and talented group of people who I can learn so much from, bounce ideas off, and work with to tackle the research problem has been the most rewarding part so far. With everyone’s diverse backgrounds and skill sets in the CDT, it’s very valuable to see how there may be other ways to approach a question or problem beyond your own single perspective.