Saiful Islam

Saiful Islam is Professor of Materials Science at the University of Oxford. He grew up in London and obtained his Chemistry degree and PhD from University College London. He then worked at the Eastman Kodak Labs in New York, and the Universities of Surrey and Bath.

His current research focuses on understanding atomistic and nano-scale processes in materials for lithium- and sodium-ion batteries, solid-state batteries and perovskite solar cells. As well as directing the Faraday Institution CATMAT project on next-generation Li-ion cathode materials, he serves on the RSC Board of Trustees.

Saiful has received several awards including the 2023 IOM3 Robert Perrin Award for materials outreach, 2022 Royal Society Hughes Medal for energy research and 2020 American Chemical Society Award in Energy Chemistry.

He presented the 2016 BBC Royal Institution Christmas Lectures which included a lemon battery world record. He is a Patron of Humanists UK and when not exploring energy materials, he enjoys family breaks (as a dad of two), films and indie music. (Research website: https://bit.ly/327BgQr; Twitter @SaifulChemistry)