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PhD Futures - Lithium: Refining, Recycling, Remembering
13 May 2026, 4:00 pm–6:00 pm
PhD Futures is a new speaker series showcasing UCL’s emerging research talent, connecting cutting-edge academia with industry.
This event is free.
Event Information
Open to
- All
Availability
- Yes
Cost
- Free
Organiser
-
Simon Magness
Location
-
Management Education Suite - Level 6Marshgate Building7 Sidings PlactLondonE202AEUnited Kingdom
This session explores the critical role of lithium in the transition to a low-carbon future—spanning extraction, use, and reuse. From the environmental and social implications of mining and its history, to the challenges of battery lifecycles and the opportunities within recycling, this event brings together research and industry perspectives on one of today’s most pressing materials.
The event features a small group of UCL PhD researchers each delivering a dynamic 10-minute pitch on their research and its potential impact. This is followed by a response from an invited industry professional, who will reflect on how the research translates into practice and highlight relevant sector challenges, innovations, and career pathways.
A live audience Q&A and informal networking session will follow, creating space for discussion, connection, and collaboration.
To spark ongoing engagement, the speakers will pose a challenge or opportunity to the room, inviting attendees to take part in a future interdisciplinary roundtable aimed at developing solutions and new partnerships.
Who should attend?
- Industry professionals and practitioners interested in innovation and research translation
- Academics and researchers across disciplines
- Policymakers and public sector stakeholders
- Entrepreneurs and start-ups working in sustainability, energy, or materials
- Students interested in research careers and real-world impact
Why attend?
- Discover cutting-edge PhD research with real-world relevance
- Gain insight into the future of lithium, its relationship with the land and emerging recycling processes
- Hear directly from industry on applications, challenges, and opportunities
- Build connections across academia, industry, and policy
- Contribute to shaping future collaborative projects
Agenda
- 16:00 – Arrival and welcome
- 16:10 – PhD research pitches
- 16:40– Industry response
- 16:55 – Audience Q&A
- 17:10 – Networking and discussion
- 18:00 – Close
Accessibility & Additional Information
Please contact the organisers if you have any specific access requirements. Further details, including speaker announcements, will be shared ahead of the event.
About the Speakers
William Chen
William is a materials scientist focused on the sustainable recycling of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) using hydrometallurgical methods. His research targets the recovery of valuable metals from spent nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) cathode materials supplied by industrial partners.
His current work investigates the effect of calcination pretreatment conditions, specifically temperature and heating rate, on the physicochemical properties of spent NMC cathode layers. By analysing compositional and phase changes during thermal treatment, he identifies the removal and decomposition of inactive components (e.g., binders and residual electrolytes) and determines conditions that enable near-complete leaching efficiency.
He is further developing low-impact acid leaching processes that operate at room temperature with minimal acid concentration, aiming to achieve ~100% dissolution of transition metals while maintaining sustainability.
The final stage of his research focuses on the efficient extraction and separation of nickel, manganese, and cobalt from the leachate, contributing to the development of an integrated and environmentally responsible LIB recycling process.
Elizabeth Norwood
Elizabeth is an interdisciplinary doctoral researcher in Arts and Sciences at UCL. Her work sits between environmental humanities, creative practice, and community engagement, with a background in environmental education and the arts. Her research focuses on Cornish biocultural heritage, exploring how mining histories, folklore, and place-based practices shape relationships between communities and landscape. In the context of the growing lithium industry, her work considers how cultural knowledge and creative practice can support more sustainable, community-rooted approaches to living with changing environments.
Yanzhuo Li
Yanzhou is a PhD student at UCL Institute of Material Discovery. His research focuses on sustainable recycling of critical metals from spent lithium-ion batteries, specifically those sourced from discarded e-vapes in the UK. Currently, he is pursuing two main directions. The first is the self-loop method of critical raw materials' recycling, with a particular focus on the repeated utilization of citric acid during acid leaching to minimize chemical waste and improve process sustainability. The second involves recovering cobalt from these batteries and converting it into high-performance cobalt-based catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER).