News — Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division

A pipette dropping green liquid into a test tube with a leaf nearby, symbolising green chemical processes

Unlocking more sustainable futures with green chemistry

28 November 2023

A feature article about three Oxford research groups using chemistry to help reach sustainability goals. From solving global plastic pollution to improving the performance of rechargeable batteries found in electric cars, ‘green chemistry’ is a truly promising topic.

From The Conversation: How sodium-ion batteries could make electric cars cheaper

11 October 2023

Robert House, Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow in the Department of Materials, discusses how shifting from lithium to sodium-ion batteries could reduce dependence on critical minerals and yield cheaper battery packs.

Artist's impression of a battery embedded in a circuit board

Major boost for Oxford University's battery research

19 September 2023

Two MPLS projects have received a major funding boost from the Faraday Institution, the UK’s flagship institute for electrochemical energy storage research. The funding is part of a £19 million investment to support key battery research projects that have the potential to deliver significant beneficial impact for the UK.

From The Conversation: Solar panel technology is set to be turbo-charged – but first, a few big roadblocks have to be cleared

10 September 2023

Dr Matthew Wright (Department of Materials) and Bruno Vicari Stefani (CSIRO) discuss “tandem solar cells”, the new generation in solar technology, and the need for design that does not involve reliance on scarce materials such as indium.

Head and shoulders portrait photograph of Oxford DPhil student Maitha Al Shimmari, wearing black hijab

DPhil student selected for Atlantic Council's Women Leaders in Energy and Climate Fellowship

20 July 2023

Maitha Al Shimmari, a research student in Oxford's Department of Engineering Science, joins the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center's fifth cohort of leading women under the age of 35 in the fields of energy and climate research.

Artist's impression of nuclear fusion inside a tokamak

Oxford joins Imperial and York in £12 million fusion power industry partnership

24 May 2023

A multi-institutional team will explore a new method for creating fusion power it hopes could eventually be scaled to provide safe, clean, and abundant energy.

A fallen telegraph pole in open grassland

From The Conversation: How extreme weather threatens to bring down UK’s power lines and halt supply to homes

21 April 2023

Matthew Wright, DPhil student in Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics at the Department of Physics, writes about the need to ensure the UK’s energy system is prepared for and resilient to future weather extremes.

Oxford University to co-lead £8m Energy Demand Observatory and Laboratory to help UK reach net-zero

12 January 2023

The five-year programme, funded by the EPSRC and working with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), will establish a national energy data platform to help facilitate the transition to net-zero carbon emissions.

Breakeven achieved at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

13 December 2022

‘With ignition now achieved, not only has fusion energy been unlocked, but also a door has been opened to new science,’ said Professor Gregori, Department of Physics.

Fossil fuel extraction in a remote field, with equipment silhouetted against a grey sunset

Source: Calin Tatu\Shutterstock.com

We must stop fossil fuels causing global warming, before the world stops using fossil fuels - Prof Myles Allen

11 November 2022

We have to stop fossil fuels from causing global warming, before the world stops using fossil fuels, insists physicist and Professor of Geosystem Science Myles Allen, as he outlines an approach to reaching net zero by 2050.

A previous EV Summit, with electric vehicles displayed outside the Said Business School

Oxford to host Electric Vehicle Summit on growth, investment and decarbonisation

20 October 2022

The 2022 Oxford Electric Vehicle Summit will focus on growth and investment, as it returns to Oxford University’s Saïd Business School. The event is in partnership with Oxford City Council, Oxfordshire County Council, Oxford University and Oxford Brookes University and aims to deliver on decarbonised transport in the UK, and beyond.

OSCAR research team wins regional finals of 'Maker in China' SME Innovation and Entrepreneurship Contest

6 October 2022

A team of researchers from the Oxford Suzhou Centre for Advanced Research (OSCAR) in China, the University of Oxford’s only engineering and physical sciences research institute outside of the UK, has won first place in the regional finals of the ‘Maker in China’ Jiangsu SME Innovation and Entrepreneurship Contest 2022.

Decarbonising the energy system by 2050 could save trillions

15 September 2022

The new study shows that a fast transition to clean energy is cheaper than slow or no transition. It was conducted by a team at the Institute for New Economic Thinking, Oxford Martin School, led by Professor Doyne Farmer of the Mathematical Institute.

Portrait photo of Professor Henry Snaith

Physics professor wins Leigh Ann Conn Prize for Renewable Energy

11 August 2022

Professor Henry Snaith has been awarded the University of Louisville’s 2021 Leigh Ann Conn Prize for Renewable Energy. Awarded biennially, this award recognises outstanding ideas and achievements in research around the science, engineering, technology, and commercialisation of renewable energy.

Solar is the cheapest power, and a literal light-bulb moment showed us we can cut costs and emissions even further

1 August 2022

In an article first published on the Conversation, Matthew Wright (Department of Materials), together with colleagues Bruno Vicari Stefani from CSIRO and Brett Hallam from UNSW Sydney, explain how rethinking the type of silicon used in solar cells could make them much more efficient.

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