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Background
Robert was born in the UK and went to primary and secondary West Sussex. Following his A Levels in Maths, Physics and Biology, he moved to Exeter where he completed an integrated masters degree in Physics. He was always unsure whether to do his undergraduate in physics or engineering, but ended up doing a cross disciplinary masters project in advanced device engineering, where he created an on-chip device to measure the thermoelectric power of 2D materials. Thoroughly enjoying his masters project, this led him to pursue something more engineering based. With a passion for the automotive industry and technology, hybridising fuel cells and batteries for automotive applications was the perfect fit. Robert joined the EIL in September 2018 to start his PhD as part of the CDT in Fuel Cells and Their Fuels under the supervision of Prof. Dan Brett and Prof. Paul Shearing.
Research Summary
Fuel cells and Li-ion batteries have significant benefits over internal combustion engines when working on their own; however, when a fuel cell is hybridised with a battery the benefits are amplified substantially. There are substantial technical challenges with combining these technologies in terms of electrical and thermal integration. This project will examine these issues from a combined experimental and modelling perspective.
Project title: Development of Hybrid Fuel Cell / Li-ion Systems
His main research interests lie in:
- Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells
- Hybrid fuel cell vehicle system design
- Hybrid fuel cell modelling
- Fuel cell performance in a varied range of conditions
- Li-ion batteries and systems
Conferences
H2FC SUPERGEN 2019 Conference: A vision for hydrogen and fuel cells in the UK, 30 Jan – 01 Feb 2019, University of Warwick
STFC Early Researchers Conference 2019, 18 – 19 Mar, 1029, The Cosener’s House