PROGRAMME

Nanostructured networks to overcome the limits of traditional materials: multiscale studies and industrialisation progress DR. TILVE, David IMDEA Materials Dr. David Tilve-Martinez received his B.S. in Materials Engineering from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry of Condensed Matter from Université de Bordeaux. His research has focused on 3D printing of multifunctional nanocomposites, where he studied the electrical percolation properties of nanocarbon materials and their electromagnetic performance in the GHz range. Currently, he is a research associate in J.J. Vilatela’s group, which is centered on the wet processing of low-dimensional nanomaterials into ordered macrostructures.

Carbon Nanotube : Novel Conductive Agent beyond Battery applications DR. BOERZSOENYI, Gabor Lg Chem Europe Gmbh After his PhD in organic chemistry from the University of Alberta (Canada), he joined BASF as a research scientist. His work there encompassed product development of coating resins (Laropal) and cross-linking agents (Luwipal). He started working on application development for carbon blacks at Orion Engineered Carbons in 2016 than for carbon nanotubes at LG Chem in 2024. In his current work, he closely works with key customers particularly in battery and coatings applications to provide solutions using LG´s highly advanced carbon nanotubes.

Interfacial Engineering of Liquid Metal: Fundamentals and Applications PROF. KOO, Hyung-jun Seoul National University Of Science & Technology Prof. Koo received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Seoul National University and his Ph.D. from NC State University. After conducting research as a postdoc at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for two years, he has been a professor at Seoul Tech since 2014. His main research interest is to study the properties of soft materials such as hydrogels, polymers, and liquid metals and develop functional devices such as sensors and energy devices based on them. In particular, he has recently been actively researching the development of chemical sensors based on conductive polymer composites and the interfacial properties and applications of Ga-based liquid metals.

High-performance polymer materials for deployable satellite applications DR. RIVERA LOPEZ, Mayra Yadira Bristol Composites Institute (BCI), University Of Bristol Dr. Mayra Rivera Lopez is a dedicated researcher specialising in advancing polymer matrices for aerospace and aeronautical composites. Her expertise spans thermal, chemical, and optical characterisation of polymeric materials, coupled with extensive experience in composite manufacturing and mechanical testing. Dr. Rivera Lopez has led significant research initiatives, including ESA/ESTEC-supported projects involving space composite materials tested aboard the International Space Station.

Development of sodium-ion battery cells: a sustainable journey from materials to cell prototypes DR. HASA, Ivana Wmg, The University Of Warwick Coventry, Cv4 67al, Uk Ivana Hasa is Assistant Professor of Electrochemical Materials in WMG at the University of Warwick. She is a chemist by background with extensive experience on electrochemical energy storage systems. Her research activities are directed toward the understanding of the processes governing the chemistry of the next generation sustainable battery technologies. Design of technically relevant materials and the understanding of their structure-property correlation and electrochemical behavior are the core of her research interest. Her work is inherently interdisciplinary, tackling challenges at the interface of chemistry, materials science, and electrochemistry. At the Energy Innovation Centre in WMG, she is also working toward the development and scale up of new battery chemistries from concept to full proven cell prototypes.

The European battery ecosystem and current developments in the European funding landscape MR. BRUNNER, Simon VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik Gmbh Simon Brunner is a Senior Consultant at VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH (short: VDI/VDE-IT), a programme agency and consultancy provider for various federal and state ministries, the European Commission as well as the financial sector and industry. On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, VDI/VDE-IT manages federal funding programmes on battery cell production, coordinates the IPCEI European Battery Innovation (EuBatIn) and provides accompanying research services in the field of battery production. Within this project, Mr Brunner has been involved in the execution of the two battery IPCEIs and the build-up of the German battery ecosystem since 2019. He is now Deputy Programme Manager for Battery Cell Production at VDI/VDE-IT. Mr Brunner also coordinates the BEPA / Batteries Europe Integrated Working Group on Cell Design and Manufacturing as Technical Support on behalf of Batteries Europe.

Project ALBATTS - Developing an European Blueprint for Collaboration on Skills and Education MR. SPáNYIK, Marek Vsb - Technical University Of Ostrava Marek Spányik is a Project Manager and Researcher at the Technical University of Ostrava, specializing in computer science and software engineering. He focuses on applying AI to Requirements Engineering, a field in which he is pursuing his PhD. Since 2020, Marek has been involved in the Skills Agenda project, working on skill development in sectors like batteries, automotive, and cybersecurity. In addition to his research and project management roles, Marek is dedicated to mentoring students and collaborating with industry experts. His work aims to bridge the gap between academic research and practical application, fostering innovation and preparing the workforce for future technological advancements.

Digital discovery and synthesis of advanced materials DR. BESENHARD, Maximilian Department Of Chemical Engineering, University College London, Torrington Place, London Wc1e 7je, Uk Maximilian is a physicist by training and holds a BSc and MSc degree in technical physics from Graz University of Technology. He switched to chemical and pharma engineering for his PhD which focussed on continuous pharma production at the Institute of Process and Particle Engineering and the Research Center Pharmaceutical Engineering (RCPE) in Graz. After several years in industry working for Siemens and the RCPE, he returned to academia joining UCL in 2016 as a postdoctoral research associate (PDRA). During his 5 years as a PDRA in the groups of Prof. Gavriilidis and Prof. Sorensen, he worked on the continuous syntheses of noble metal and magnetic nanoparticles for biomedical applications, multiphase and high temperature flow reactors to synthesise advanced functional materials, sensor technology and real time material characterisation, nature inspired ways for nanomaterial shape tuning, as well as hybrid computational approaches combining mechanistic models with machine learning strategies to develop digital twins for HPLC method development. In 2021 he joined the School of Chemical and Process Engineering at the University of Leeds as a lecturer (and still is visiting lecturer) before returning to UCL in April 2022 as a lecturer in Digital Manufacturing of Advanced Materials and programme lead for the same named MSc programme.