SCI Scholar, Angus Pedersen, presents his end of scholarship report

For over thirty years, SCI has supported and recognised the excellence of early career scientists, by aiding their studies in the form of an SCI Scholarship.

Since 1985 around 80 scholarships have been awarded which have not only given the recipients financial assistance, but have enabled them to broaden their network, and strengthen their skills and knowledge. SCI Scholars receive access to publishing and mentoring opportunities and are given a platform to present their work amongst esteemed scientists and industrialists, raising their profile within the scientific community.

Angus was awarded an SCI Scholarship in 2022. At the end of their scholarship, SCI Scholars present a report to SCI. Read what he has done in his final year as an SCI Scholar.

'My PhD at Imperial College London focussed on the design, characterisation, and testing of novel electrocatalysts, composing of cheap and sustainable single Fe metal atoms within nitrogen-doped carbon (Fe-N-C), applied to oxygen reduction in low temperature fuel cells, and other electrochemical reactions, including CO₂ reduction. Over the past year I was primarily engaged in writing my PhD thesis (which I submitted in December 2023) and submitting papers for publication. I passed my PhD viva in February 2024 (without corrections!) and then began a Postdoctoral Prize Fellowship position at Imperial, which I was awarded by the EPSRC.

'The last PhD research stay I did at Bar-Ilan University, which was partly supported by the SCI scholarship, recently resulted in a publication in a highly respected electrochemical engineering journal, where I am listed as a corresponding author. This work focussed on optimising the performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells based on understanding the effect of the ratio of proton exchange ionomer to Fe-N-C. I am also currently writing up another research manuscript from my time at Bar-Ilan University. This research and successful collaboration would not have been possible without support from the SCI scholarship. For these reasons I am very grateful, and I have enjoyed giving back by getting involved with the SCI Material Chemistry Early Career committee. With the committee, I am currently helping to organise the upcoming annual conference, based on Frontiers in Battery Materials.

'Later this summer I will be giving a talk at the prestigious Solid State Ionics conference in London and visiting collaborators in Japan (Tohoku University). As for next year, I have been awarded a Fellowship position at the German Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung, BAM), based in Berlin. So, I have used my remaining SCI scholarship to help fund German lessons!'

Angus Pedersen, Imperial College London

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• SCI College of Scholars
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