This symposium aims to open discussion on all areas related to high throughput electrode manufacturing, covering both experimental and theoretical aspects. The focus is on methods to accelerate materials discovery for battery electrodes, including but not limited to, robotics and automation, AI and machine learning and high throughput characterisation. Topics such as automation and high throughput techniques for battery research, utilising AI and machine learning for self-driving labs and intelligent experimental design in high throughput, will all be discussed. The symposium is open to all battery chemistries and will feature talks from a range of global institutions, proving a varied perspective on the latest in high throughput and self-driving labs.
- Self driving labs
- AI and Machine Learning
- New Battery Chemistries
- Computational Modelling Methods
- High Throughput Characterisation
- High Throughput Synthesis
- Interfaces
Dr Nadia Farag is a post-doctoral research associate at Imperial College London, working with Professors Magda Titirici and Ifan Stephens. Nadia graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2020 with an MSci in Chemistry. Under the supervision of Professors Clare Grey and Dominic Wright she completed her PhD (“Novel Catholyte and Electrolyte Optimisation for Aqueous Organic Redox Flow Batteries”) at the University of Cambridge in early 2025. Her current work, funded by the European Horizons project FULLMAP, focusses on high-throughput materials synthesis and electrochemical cell testing using the automation facility DIGIBAT.
I am an inorganic synthetic and materials chemist, with a particular focus on solution-based synthesis of materials for high-tech applications, which for the past decade allowed me to build relevant expertise in electrochemical properties. I am leading the group of DESINe (Design and synthesis of inorganic (nano)materials, mainly for energy applications) since 2009, being full professor since 2022, together with prof. dr. Marlies K. Van Bael at UHasselt’s Institute for Materials Research. At DESINe, 19 PhD students and 3 postdocs are supervised. In leading the research group, my primary objective is to cultivate a work environment that is both supportive and inspiring for all members. I attach great importance to maintaining high quality standards and strive to ensure that these are upheld in all aspects of our research.
My vision is to develop a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental principles that govern the synthesis and assembly of complex inorganic structures, in collaboration with my PhD students and postdocs. This knowledge will enable us to design and synthesize new materials with tailored properties that can be used in a wide range of applications, from energy conversion and storage to catalysis and electronics. Since the proof of the pudding is in the eating, I also heavily invest in building expertise to characterize the functional materials properties for example for batteries or electrolysis cells.
Mesfin Haile Mamme holds a full-time research professor position in Faculty of Engineering, Sustinable Materials Engineering (SUME) research group of Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Belgium.
He is the coordinator of FULL-MAP, one of the groundbreaking EU flagship research project, which brings together over 30 partners from acadamia, research institutes, and industry to redefine materials discovery paradigm.
He completed his PhD in Engineering Science at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) in July 2018, followed by a tenure as an FWO Postdoctoral Fellow from 2020 to 2023. During this period, he conducted research at Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL) at the institute of condensed matter and nanoscience. In 2022, Mesfin undertook a visiting scientist position at Pennsylvania State University, USA.
Mesfin's research endeavours are centred on confronting significant global challenges, encompassing the surge in energy demand, the depletion of fossil fuels, the exacerbation of global warming due to CO2 emissions, vulnerabilities related to critical raw materials, and the potential for unforeseen and catastrophic failures in infrastructure (such as bridges and buildings).
His primary focus is on the discovery of advanced materials and the development of a unified, multiscale computational and operando/in situ framework, empowered by artificial intelligence. This cutting-edge approach enables precise prediction, insightful interpretation, and a deeper fundamental understanding of material behavior, while facilitating the rational design of ultra-high-performance devices and technologies to address pressing global challenges. By seamlessly integrating theory, simulation, and real-time experimentation with AI-driven methodologies, this framework dramatically accelerates the discovery, optimization, and deployment of high-performance materials and electrochemical systems, significantly reducing both development time and cost.
Leonard Ng Wei Tat is an Assistant Professor at the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, a Cluster Director at the Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N), PI at TUMCreate’s Proteins4Singapore project and deputy director of the AI for Materials Initiative (AIM). He leads the NGenuity Lab, a multidisciplinary research group of approximately eleven researchers working at the intersection of artificial intelligence, automation, and advanced materials. His research focuses on self-driving laboratories for accelerated materials discovery, AI-driven optimisation of photovoltaic devices (perovskite and organic solar cells), autonomous hydrometallurgical processing of e-waste, biomaterial scaffold design for cultivated meat and protein extraction from alternative protein sources such as soybean and microalgae. Leonard obtained his PhD in Engineering from the University of Cambridge, an MSc in Materials Science from the University of Leeds, a BSc in Political Science from Singapore Management University, and an MSc in Computer Science from Georgia Institute of Technology. He is a Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry (MRSC).