Magnesium is a very light metal, which makes it useful for cars and aircraft where saving weight cuts emissions. The problem is that magnesium wears and corrodes easily, so it usually needs a protective coating.

One way to make a coating is a process called plasma electrolytic oxidation, or PEO. The metal is placed in a liquid bath, and a high voltage is applied. Tiny sparks form on the surface and help build a hard, ceramic-like layer. The chemicals in the bath, known as the electrolyte, have a big effect on how good the coating is.

Until now, electrolytes have often been chosen by trial and error, partly because the early stages of coating growth were not well understood.

The team tested five different electrolytes. Each one mixed two chemicals from a list of four: phosphate, fluoride, silicate and aluminate. They used a range of techniques to see how the coating changed as the voltage went up, right up to the point where the sparks began.

They found that fluoride mixed with either silicate or aluminate made a stable protective layer next to the metal and a coating with few pores, which is what helps the PEO process start smoothly.

In the phosphate and fluoride bath, the two chemicals competed, so the coating was less stable and had more pores, as well as problems at the edges and corners of the samples, where the electric current is strongest.

The researchers say these results give a clearer basis for designing electrolytes, so that better coatings can be developed for magnesium alloys.

Lu, Y., Rogov, A., Aliasghari, S., Yerokhin, A. (2026). Anodic film evolution leading to initiation of PEO process on Mg in dual-inhibitor electrolytes. Electrochimica Acta, 580, 150065.

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The international collaboration brought together researchers from Australia, France, Japan, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, the UK and the USA. Each institution used its own techno-economic model to assess an identical hydrogen production facility: a 50-tonne-per-day electrolyser powered by solar PV in Sri Lanka.

Despite using the same technical inputs, the estimated levelised cost of hydrogen ranged from approximately $7/kg to $11/kg. The study found that nearly two-thirds of the variation arose from differences in assumptions about capital costs and financing rather than hydrogen technology performance itself.

These findings highlight the importance of greater transparency and consistency in hydrogen techno-economic assessments. More robust and comparable cost estimates will help policymakers, investors and industry make better-informed decisions as hydrogen markets continue to develop.

The project has also strengthened UK hydrogen costing capabilities, with insights from the work helping to improve the analytical tools used within UK-HyRES for evaluating future hydrogen production pathways.

“Before we can judge whether a new hydrogen technology is worth backing, we need to be confident that a cost estimate reflects the technology rather than the modeller. Comparing our model with those of six other national research institutes showed exactly where assumptions diverge and has made the UK-HyRES costing tools more robust.”

Professor Paul Dodds, UCL and UK-HyRES

Badgett et al. (2026), How comparable are hydrogen cost estimates?, Energy for Sustainable Development.

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The conference is part of the alliance between the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), which supports the adoption of hydrogen as a clean energy carrier for industry and transport. It was designed to bring together practitioners, researchers, regulators and policy makers to look at how hydrogen is moving from ambition to deployment.

Themes for the conference included hydrogen production and scale-up, applications, distribution and storage, and policy, markets and investment. Cross-cutting topics included safety, permitting, supply chains and skills.

Professor Mays is Emeritus Professor of Chemical and Materials Engineering at the University of Bath. He remains involved in research on sustainable hydrogen energy and is also founding Director and Principal Investigator of the EPSRC-funded GW-SHIFT programme.

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The webinar will be led by Dr Sibimol Luke, Research Fellow in Hydrogen Technology Innovation, University College London. She will present what the recent surveyed doctoral and early career researchers feel is holding their careers back, what is working, and what would make them stay in research.

Opening the conversation

The responses were remarkably consistent across different institutions and provide a stark insight into some of the challenges that are faced.

Nearly three-quarters (73%) of early career researchers have considered leaving academia. Mainly due to job insecurity, or limited progression and salary, rather than a loss of interest in research. Around four in five PhD researchers named funding, stipends or the cost of living among their most significant challenges that are faced. For postdocs, the top concern raised was surrounding short-term contracts, particularly a concern for international researchers, where a contract ending can also put their visa at risk.

Dr Sibimol Luke, recent Chair of the UK-HyRES ECR Network says: “Researchers aren’t asking for more training. They want leadership and authorship opportunities, access to funding and a clear route to independence. Right now, there is real inequality in who progresses, and that’s why we need to talk about building fairer, institution-wide support.”

What you’ll hear

Dr Luke will walk through the headline findings from both surveys, including the extra visa, cost and mobility barriers faced by international researchers. She’ll share what researchers say works well, from supportive supervision to leadership opportunities and external networks, and set out recommendations for funders and government, universities, doctoral training programmes and PIs. The session will finish with an open Q&A.

Read the reports

Read the Early Career Researcher survey report

Read the PhD survey report

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Hearing from industry and funders

Two industry speakers described the challenges companies face in producing and delivering hydrogen. Dr Chris Kirk, Head of Fuel Cell Engineering at Intelligent Energy, explained how the company develops PEM fuel cell technology for a range of commercial uses. Dr Man Yi Ho, Research Programme Manager at SLB, presented a digital framework for making electrolysers more durable and efficient.

Federica Rizzi, Portfolio Manager at EPSRC, then set out the funding landscape and EPSRC’s priorities. She highlighted a clear trend towards research that is developed with industry and delivers value for both society and the economy.

From materials to public trust

In the afternoon, the Hub’s eight theme leads reported on progress. Their talks covered everything from the atomic scale to public opinion.

On the technical side, Professor John Irvine (St Andrews) described catalysts that could be refreshed inside an electrolyser rather than replaced, while using far less precious metal. Professor Mi Tian (Bath) showed how hydrogen confined in nanoscale pores can be stored densely at much warmer temperatures than liquid hydrogen. Modelling suggests a 3D-printed tank insert could hold around three times as much hydrogen as a conventional compressed tank. Professor Qiong Cai (Surrey) presented catalysts that remove harmful nitrogen oxides produced when hydrogen and ammonia are burned. Professor Shanwen Tao (Warwick) showed a room-temperature fuel cell that generates electricity while turning waste streams into useful products such as ammonia.

The cross-cutting themes asked whether these technologies would work in the real world:

• Economics: Paul Dodds unpicked why estimates of the cost of green hydrogen vary so widely.
• Environmental: Rachael Rothman’s team is developing guidelines so that hydrogen carbon footprints are transparent and comparable.
• Social acceptance: Dr Chris Jones (Portsmouth) found that eight in ten people in a regional survey supported underground hydrogen storage in principle, and that academics were the most trusted voices. He also cautioned that hype erodes trust.
• Safety: [Professor Joan Cordiner] described a toolkit that passes on decades of industrial experience in handling hydrogen safely to newcomers.

Professor Chris Brace, Director and Principal Investigator, UK-HyRES commented: “Day one showed how far the Hub has come. Hearing from Intelligent Energy, SLB and EPSRC alongside our theme leads was a valuable reminder that the challenges we’re working on are the ones industry and policymakers are facing right now. What stood out, was how well the technical and cross-cutting themes connect. Progress in materials and devices only matters if it’s affordable, sustainable, safe and trusted by the public, and that joined-up thinking is exactly what the Hub was set up to deliver.”

Projects in progress

Day two focused on the research the Hub funds directly. Six Flexible Fund (Call 1) teams gave updates on their projects:

• Dawei Wu: a low-emission burner fuelled with pure ammonia
• Terence Liu: low-energy ammonia synthesis
• Alex Walton: electrolyser catalysts that avoid iridium, one of the rarest metals on Earth
• Aidong Yang: using ammonia to make low-carbon iron for green steel
• Zeliha Ertekin: producing hydrogen from seawater
• David Book: hair-thin optical fibre sensors that detect hydrogen leaks in about a second

Twelve early-career researchers followed with three-minute flash talks on their UK-HyRES Fellowships and SPRINT projects. Topics ranged from George Neville’s glowing coatings for monitoring liquid hydrogen tanks, to Jordan Davies’s work on bringing ammonia into existing industrial boilers, to Shiqi Huang’s purification membranes made in seconds at room temperature. Connor Sherwin, Linlin Yang, Luke Woodliffe, Rajan Jagpal, Sepideh Aliasghari, Shu Wang and Yang Li also presented.

Looking ahead

The Hub launched its fourth Flexible Fund call at the meeting.

Finally, delegates participated in a workshop on the future of the Hub, including:

• strengthening its policy engagement and international reputation
• helping accelerate deployment
• developing skills that meet industry’s needs and support early- and mid-career researchers
• deepening its work with industry.

Karen Brooks, Deputy Director, UK-HyRES summed-up with: “The energy in the room during the flash talks was fantastic. It was a real showcase of the talent we’re developing across our early-career community. Launching Flexible Fund Call 4 and spending the afternoon thinking about the Hub’s future gave us a clear sense of direction. Above all, the two days reinforced how important it is that we explain what our research means for people’s everyday lives, and how it will support society and the economy. That’s a conversation we want everyone in the Hub to be part of.”

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Formed in 1956, The British Flame Research Committee is a professional association that bridges the gap between industry and academia by recognising and understanding R&D progress and the demands on industrial combustion to become more efficient and safe with minimum environmental impact. The organisation spans themes such as power generation, metals, petrochemicals, cement, equipment suppliers and fuel services.

Professor Jones presented on the topic of ‘Social Acceptance of Hydrogen in the UK’, challenging assumptions, exploring how views are shaped, and supporting better decisions surrounding hydrogen technology.

Hydrogen technologies will affect communities, consumers, and businesses in different ways; listening to the people affected by hydrogen choices and awareness of public views of hydrogen across the UK is vital for understanding where, how and for whom hydrogen technologies make sense.

The presentation was well-received and will lead to further conversations about collaborative research and innovation opportunities going forward.

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Tell us a bit about your research and background?

I’m a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Hydrogen Energy at the University of Sheffield, working within the UK-HyRES hub, where I lead research on hydrogen safety across the value chain from production through to end use. My research background sits at the intersection of thermochemical hydrogen production, process systems modelling, and safety. During my earlier work at IIT Bombay, I designed and validated an oxysteam gasification reactor to produce bio-hydrogen and power from dry agricultural residues, supported by Aspen Plus process models for hydrogen enrichment. At Sheffield I’ve extended that systems-level approach to safety-by-design risk assessment for deploying hydrogen in high-temperature industrial processes such as glass and steel. I also work on techno-economic and life cycle assessment, so I tend to look at hydrogen pathways through both an engineering and a whole-system economic and environmental lens.

Why have decided to focus on the area of green hydrogen – what excites you about it?

What drew me in is that hydrogen sits right at the heart of the hardest part of the sectors we don’t yet know how to clean up with electrification alone, like heavy industry, high-temperature heat and long-distance transport. Coming from a background in converting agricultural residues into useful energy, I’ve always been motivated by turning something under-used or scraped into something valuable, and green hydrogen is that idea at national scale. What genuinely excites me is how interdisciplinary it is, as no single discipline solves it. You need chemistry, engineering, economics, safety, and policy all pulling together, and I find that kind of problem far more rewarding than working in a narrow domain. It’s also a field where the decisions being made now will define the energy system for decades.

Why were you motivated to become the ECR chair?

Early-career researchers are the people who will actually deliver the hydrogen transition over the coming decades, yet we often navigate the hardest, most uncertain stage of our careers with limited support and voice. Having moved between institutions and countries myself, I know how much difference a strong, welcoming network makes or how isolating it can be without one. I wanted to help build that for others. Being chosen for this role by my peers and the hub is a real privilege, and it’s a chance to build on the strong foundations laid by the previous chairs while making sure the ECR community is genuinely represented in how the hub develops. I care about the people coming up behind me, and this felt like a concrete way to do something about it

What are the key challenges face by ECRs in the hydrogen field at the moment?

Job security is the biggest one. Most of us move from one short fixed-term contract to the next, which makes it hard to plan a life, besides a research career. Beyond that, hydrogen is a fast-moving, highly interdisciplinary field, so ECRs are often expected to span engineering, economics, safety and policy without always having the training or time to do so. There’s also a real disconnect for many between academia and industry, when so much of the sector’s future is industrial. For those outside the core-funded institutions, access to funding, travel support and networks is uneven.

What are you hoping to achieve in your role as ECR chair?

My overarching aim is to leave the network stronger and more connected than I found it. Concretely, that means: making the network work just as well for our associate, affiliated and international members as it does for core members, so nobody is a second-tier participant. Turning our collective ECR voice into real influence by taking what researchers actually tell us about the barriers they face and feeding that into the hub, and where possible to funders, so it shapes decisions rather than sitting in a report. Creating opportunities that outlast any single event: durable collaborations, mentoring, and stronger links into industry. I’d measure success not by how many meetings we held, but by whether people’s careers and connections were genuinely better for being part of it.

Do you have some new initiatives in mind?

A few. I’d like to turn our national ECR survey into a concrete set of recommendations we can put to the hub and to funders, rather than just a summary of findings. I’m keen to design activities that don’t depend on travel budgets such as structured virtual collaboration, co-authorship matchmaking, shared resources. That our non-funded and international members can be genuinely active. I’d also like to build stronger, repeatable bridges to industry beyond one-off visits, and to connect our ECRs with those in the sister hydrogen hubs so everyone’s network widens. And I want to leave behind proper continuity so the network doesn’t reset each time the chair changes.

Can you share one piece of key advice or learning that has come out of your career so far that you would like to share with upcoming researchers?

Focus on the problem you’re solving, not just the papers you’re producing. It’s easy to measure a career in publication counts, but the work that has meant the most to me is the work connected to a real-world need. Keep asking who actually benefits if you get this right. That question will guide you to better problems, and it’ll keep you motivated on the hard days when the metrics alone won’t. And on those hard days, know that feeling like you don’t quite belong is far more common than anyone admits. Most researchers I respect have felt like an imposter at some point, usually right before they grew into something new. That feeling isn’t evidence you’re not good enough; more often it’s a sign you’re doing something that matters and stretching beyond what’s familiar. Don’t let it make you shrink or stay quiet. Talk to your peers, and you’ll quickly find you’re in very good company.

Find out more about the ECR Network: https://ukhyres.ac.uk/early-career-researchers/

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Tell us a bit about your research and background?

I received my PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, under the supervision of Prof. Patrik Schmuki. My PhD research focused on PEMFC (proton exchange membrane fuel cell) systems, in collaboration with Toyota Motor Europe. I worked on developing nanostructured thin film electrode materials and assembling membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) for PEMFC applications. After completing my PhD, I joined Prof. John Irvine’s group at the University of St Andrews.

My current research focuses on perovskite oxide exsolution materials, deposition techniques, nanostructured electrodes, and water electrolysis systems. If we look at current hydrogen technologies, precious metals still play an important role in both hydrogen production and utilisation technologies. In my research, I follow two main approaches to develop electrocatalyst material. The first is to minimise the amount of noble metals required by improving their dispersion and utilisation on perovskite oxide support materials. The second is to replace noble metals with earth-abundant, low-cost, and catalytically active non-precious metals.

The primary advantage of exsolution materials is their ability to yield uniformly distributed, ultra-fine nanoparticles (1–3 nm) with tailored sizes and densities. Strong anchoring to the oxide substrate provides robust catalyst–support interactions, which suppress migration or agglomeration during electrocatalyst usage/operation.

Why have decided to focus on the area of green hydrogen – what excites you about it?

We have a responsibility to use our knowledge and scientific understanding to help build a better world. If we continue with the way we live today, future generations may face increasing challenges related to air, food, and water quality, as well as access to essential resources.

I believe even a small contribution can make a big difference. This is one of the reasons I am interested in green hydrogen. Green hydrogen has the potential to contribute to a cleaner and more sustainable energy system, although there are still significant challenges in terms of cost, safety, infrastructure, and large-scale deployment. However, I believe we will see the full benefits of hydrogen more clearly in the long term, as these system-level challenges are gradually addressed.

Why were you motivated to become the ECR co-chair?

When the UK-HyRES project first started, there were only a few ECRs. Raj and Sibimol have done a great job in developing the ECR community, and we now have over a hundred members. As an ECR Co-Chair, I view my role as both an opportunity and a responsibility to support our community and contribute to its continued development.

Second, from a personal development perspective, I consider leadership as an important skill to develop. This role would give me the opportunity to gain more leadership experience, connect with more people across the Hub, and broaden my professional network.

What are the key challenges face by ECRs in the hydrogen field at the moment?

There are two key challenges (in general) for ECRs now. The first is career stability. There are many highly skilled and talented researchers, but the number of permanent academic positions is limited, as a result some often face uncertainty and may eventually pursue opportunities in industry or other sectors.

The second is funding. Securing fellowships and research grants is a crucial part of developing an independent academic career, but competition is extremely high, with success rates sometimes below 5–10%. This makes it particularly difficult for ECRs to establish their own research programmes and build a long-term academic career in the field.

What are you hoping to achieve in your role?

My aim as an ECR Co-Chair is to build a supportive, friendly, and inclusive platform where ECRs can collaborate, develop their careers, and have their voices heard within the Hub. Also, I intend to grow the ECR community and expand our network by reaching out to researchers and academics in the hydrogen field, both in the UK and internationally.

Do you have some new initiatives in mind?

I am exploring the possibility of ECR open discussion & ideas sessions to establish informal discussion sessions that provide a supportive space for ECRs to share challenges, exchange ideas and experiences, and discuss topics relevant to their research and career development.

Can you share one piece of key advice or learning that has come out of your career so far that you would like to share with upcoming researchers?

I believe in the importance of resilience. Keep pursuing what you believe in, even when you cannot see the way forward. Sometimes, things do not work out as expected, but persistence can lead to something different or even better.

Find out more about the ECR Network: https://ukhyres.ac.uk/early-career-researchers/

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The roundtable brought together stakeholders from government, industry, and academia to explore opportunities for collaboration across the hydrogen value chain. Discussions highlighted the significant progress being made in India’s green hydrogen sector and the strong potential for UK-India collaboration.

The UK’s experience in hydrogen innovation, research, policy development, market-support mechanisms such as the Hydrogen Allocation Round (HAR) and Contracts for Difference (CfD), and emerging hydrogen clusters were discussed alongside India’s scale, manufacturing capabilities, and ambitious deployment plans. 

Commenting on the event, Dr Sibimol said: “The roundtable provided an excellent opportunity to learn more about India’s rapidly evolving green hydrogen landscape and to explore areas where UK and Indian organisations can collaborate. Sharing experiences and lessons from projects on the ground will be essential for identifying practical pathways to scale hydrogen technologies and strengthen international partnerships.”

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From securing funding and commercialising research to managing workloads, building your professional profile and navigating the growing role of AI, the series has provided practical insights, expert advice and opportunities to connect with fellow researchers. 

In total, the series attracted over 230 attendees across 5 webinars, demonstrating strong demand for professional development opportunities tailored to the needs of ECRs. 

Topics We’ve Covered 

Commercialising Your Research – Dr Ben Voysey, Royal Society of Chemistry 

This session explored how researchers can maximise the impact of their work beyond academia. Topics included intellectual property, industry collaboration, spinouts and innovation pathways, helping participants better understand how research can be translated into real-world solutions. 

Writing a Good Project Proposal – Professor Chris Bowen, University of Bath 

One of our most popular sessions, Professor Bowen shared practical advice on developing competitive funding proposals, communicating impact effectively and avoiding common application pitfalls. 

Engineering Your Career: Sustainable Time Management for ECRs – Professor Rachael Rothman, UK-HyRES Co-Director 

This highly engaging webinar focused on managing competing demands, avoiding burnout and building sustainable working practices for long-term career success. It generated one of the strongest attendance rates across the series, highlighting the importance of career sustainability for today’s researchers. 

Promoting Yourself and Your Research & ECR Poster Competition Training – Karen Brooks, Deputy Director of GW-SHIFT & UK-HyRES 

Combining research communication, networking and poster and pitch competition training, this session provided practical guidance on raising professional visibility, engaging with industry and communicating research with confidence. 

AI for Research with Academic Integrity – Dr Yuerong Zhang, UCL 

Our most popular webinar to date, this session introduced researchers to a range of AI tools that can support literature reviews, writing, evidence synthesis and research workflows, while emphasising the importance of responsible and ethical AI use. 

A Growing Interest in AI 

One of the most surprising insights from the series was the level of interest in our AI webinar. 

Just 2 weeks before the event, only 24 people had registered. Following a targeted promotional campaign, registrations grew to 160 participants, making it the most popular webinar in the series and prompting us to increase the event capacity. 

The response highlights a growing appetite among researchers to better understand how AI can support their work while maintaining academic integrity and rigour. 

Missed a Webinar? 

Don’t worry, many of our webinar recordings are available to watch on demand. Whether you’re looking for proposal writing tips, advice on commercialising research or guidance on using AI responsibly, there’s plenty of practical content available to explore.

Access our webinar recordings here 

 Join the UK-HyRES ECR Network 

Want to be the first to hear about upcoming webinars, development opportunities and networking events? 

By joining the UK-HyRES ECR Network, you’ll receive information on future webinars directly and be able to stay connected with researchers across the community. 

Join the UK-HyRES ECR Network here: ECR Network Application Form – Fill in form 
 

Help Shape Future Webinars 

We’re always looking for ways to ensure our webinars are relevant, practical and valuable for our ECR community. 

What topics would you like us to cover next? 

Whether it’s: 

• Career progression and academic pathways 
• Fellowship and grant applications 
• Industry engagement and collaboration 
• Leadership and management skills 
• Research impact and public engagement 
• AI and digital tools for researchers 
• Work-life balance and wellbeing 

…or something else entirely, we’d love to hear from you. Submit your ideas here

Suggest a future webinar topic

Thank you to all our speakers and attendees who have contributed to the success of the series so far. We look forward to continuing to support the development of ECRs across the UK-HyRES community and welcoming even more researchers to future sessions. 

We’ll be kicking off the Autumn series of ECR webinars in September with: Why Does Your Research Matter? An Introduction to Research Impact for ECRs on 23 September, 13:00 – 14:00, online. 

Find out more and register here 

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