News

Researchers have made a tiny camera, held together with ‘molecular glue’ that allows them to observe chemical reactions in real time.The device, made by a team from the University of Cambridge, combines tiny semiconductor nanocrystals called quantum dots and gold nanoparticles using molecular glue called cucurbituril (CB). When added to water with …

Four University of Cambridge researchers – Professors Shankar Balasubramanian, David Klenerman, Suchitra Sebastian and Jack Thorne – have been recognised by the Breakthrough Prize Foundation for their outstanding scientific achievements.Prof Suchitra Sebastian (Cavendish Laboratory) and Prof Jack Thorne (Dept of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical St…

Against a global backdrop of rising energy demands and finite resources, Rihab Khalid set out to understand how buildings can become more energy efficient. As a result, she now advocates for building and energy policies that consider cultural differences and address the needs of women.When I was first introduced to energy-efficient architecture I f…

University announces launch of Aviation Impact Accelerator (AIA) – a team of experts in aerospace, economics, policy, and climate science, who are building an interactive simulator to help achieve net zero flight.The simulator will capture the whole aviation sector, from the sources of renewable electricity and raw materials to the production and t…

A new paper by leading UK scientists sets out key solutions and policy actions that should be implemented now, as well as priority research areas for the next decade, if the UK is to reach its net zero target by 2050.Achieving this target will require a mix of technological, societal and nature-based solutions working together to enable systemic ch…

The Centre for Sustainable Road Freight – a collaboration between the University of Cambridge, Heriot-Watt and Westminster Universities and a consortium of industry partners – is part of a team that has been awarded government funding to design a large-scale electric road freight system demonstrator.The feasibility study is part of £20 million fund…

Energy Transitions IRC has awarded small grants to six collaborative, multi-disciplinary projects each of value up to £2k, involving researchers working in different disciplines, on the theme of energy transitions. Financial support has been gratefully provided by the Isaac Newton Trust and Energy Policy Research Group (EPRG).The projects supported…

Researchers have developed a simple lab-based technique that allows them to look inside lithium-ion batteries and follow lithium ions moving in real time as the batteries charge and discharge, something which has not been possible until now.Using the low-cost technique, the University of Cambridge researchers identified the speed-limiting processes…

The Körber European Science Prize 2021, worth one million euros, is to be awarded to University of Cambridge chemist Professor Clare Grey, one of the UK’s leading battery researchers.Professor Clare Grey,Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, has been recognised by the Körber European Science for her work in battery storage. The Körber Foundation ha…

The achievements and contributions of individuals from the University of Cambridge and its Colleges have been recognised in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours list.Dr Shaun Fitzgerald, Director at the Centre for Climate Repair at Cambridge, and Fellow of Girton College, has received an OBE for services to the COVID-19 Response.Sir John Aston, Har…

Researchers have created a plant-based, sustainable, scalable material that could replace single-use plastics in many consumer products.The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, created a polymer film by mimicking the properties of spider silk, one of the strongest materials in nature. The new material is as strong as many common plastics …

Professor John Miles from the Department of Engineering has been guiding a project looking at out-of-hours travel from city centres and employment sitesThe University’s expertise in sustainable transport technology is advising on a West Cambridge Site trial of a fully electric Autonomous Vehicle.Suitably sci-fi in appearance - prompting double take…

Twelve University of Cambridge researchers have won advanced grants from the European Research Council (ERC), Europe’s premier research funding body. Cambridge has the most grant winners of any UK institution, and the second-most winners overall. Their work is set to provide new insights into many subjects, such as how to deal with vast scales of d…

Cambridge engineers will develop next-generation lithium-ion batteries with improved performance as part of a collaborative project to scale up production ahead of a predicted electric vehicle boom. The electric revolution is already well underway in the car industry, with the UK Government announcing plans to ban the sale of new diesel and petrol …

The Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2019 was awarded to John Goodenough, Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino "for the development of lithium-ion batteries." These rechargeable batteries are in our phones, and in our laptops. And they will be the batteries powering electric vehicles which we are being urged to use in place of ones fuelled by gasoline…