Finding sustainable solutions to environmental problems

How have you been able to use what you learned in your undergraduate degree to help you in your career so far?

My undergraduate degree was in Metallurgical Engineering followed by my masters in Nanomaterials Engineering. My undergraduate final year research project in thin film cadmium stannate for solar cell applications at National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), Pune India developed my interests towards pursuing higher education in nanomaterials.

My masters project at Nanolab Sheffield focused on Silicon based electrodes for Lithium ion battery applications where I learned various Li ion cell chemistries, electrode fabrication, cell assembling and microstructural analysis of electrodes. My key learnings from both the UG and Masters projects guided me towards my research career so far.

What did you do when you finished your undergraduate degree? Did your experience in industry help to prepare you for your PhD study?

After finishing my Masters from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in Sheffield, I went back to India to gain some field research experience. During 2014-18, I was privileged to work in renowned national level research laboratories including, CSIR lab in Bhubaneswar and Government Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology(CMET), Pune, academic institutions like Indian Institute of Technology(IIT) Bombay and IIT Mandi.

Based on my research, I published a review article in Elsevier’s Carbon. I was also invited for a research internship at University of Bristol in molecular dynamics simulations. Exposure to diverse research areas during work experience helped me to figure out my PhD research topic which is at the interface of theoretical and experimental work.

What are your future plans?

I am keen to find sustainable solutions to environmental problems through my research.

What do you enjoy most about being in Sheffield?

Sheffield is a historical city. I believe one can never get bored in a city which has museums. I like Sheffield weather, walking through the gardens and spending time in the museums. I feel Sheffield is an epitome of diversity, inclusion and equity altogether.

In the university campus, I remember the best times at The Turner Museum of Glass and Information Commons preparing for project meetings and assignments.

What advice do you have to current students at the University of Sheffield?

Try to work hard while you are at The University of Sheffield that will function as a flight to your glorious future.

Useful links:

• Project description: http://grantham.sheffield.ac.uk/scholars/designing-cost-effective-materials-for-photocatalytic-water-treatment/
• Sci-comm article on Grantham centre’s blog: http://grantham.sheffield.ac.uk/how-candle-soot-became-a-scientific-wonder/
• Link to review article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000862231831217X
• Women in STEM: Interview on SciComm blog: https://scicommforeveryone.com/2020/06/26/women-in-stem-manasi/