Dr Zoe Schnepp

Supervisor Details

Contact Details

Dr Zoe Schnepp

School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham

Scientific Background

Research Interests

The work in my group covers two main areas. The first is the study of materials derived from biomass, including porous carbons and nanostructured ceramics. My group is particularly interested in how chemical and physical features of the biomass translate into different textural properties in the resulting material. We regularly visit large-scale facilities such as Brookhaven National Laboratory and Diamond Light Source to study the mechanisms of biomass pyrolysis and materials formation. We also work closely with several institutes around the world, including the National Institute for Materials Science in Japan, Universidad de Sevilla and University of Auckland.

Our second area of research is in science education. We are interested in how outreach activities impact interest and career aspirations in school children. We are also studying how science can be made more accessible for people with vision impairment and whether accessible classrooms could encourage more pupils with VI to pursue science to a higher level. More information on our education projects can be found on our multi award-winning website ChemBAM (www.chembam.com).

Supervision Style

In three words or phrases: Student-centred, collaborative, ambitious for my students

Provision of Training

Your training will come from a range of different people, including myself and your cosupervisors, senior PhD students and postdocs and collaborators. This will include training in laboratory synthesis methods, data analysis, battery cell assembly and testing and presentation. I mentor all my students to seek extra training and research opportunities and former students of mine have conducted research visits in Japan, USA, Finland and Spain.

Progression Monitoring and Management

I typically meet my PhD students once a week and we also have regular group meetings. In weekly meetings I like to see an organised presentation with latest results, thoughts about future plans and questions. I expect my students to gradually take ownership of their project over the course of their PhD but am always happy to offer advice/input.

Communication

I work flexible hours and am happy for my group members to do the same within reason (there are limits on out-of-hours lab working). I prefer to communicate by email and in zoom/face-to-face meetings but my group has a WhatsApp chat for day to day lab issues and coordinating social activities. I encourage all of my group to maintain a good work-life balance and to ensure they spend time developing their wider skills e.g. volunteering at outreach events, being part of the PhD association committee. I am always happy to offer pastoral support but we also have dedicated postgraduate mentors in the department as an additional source of support.

Meetings

PhD Students can expect scheduled meetings with me at least once per week. These meetings will be a mixture of face-to-face and via video chat or telephone. I am usually contactable for an instant response 3 or 4 days per week.

Work Patterns

Work in my lab requires being present on site (be it in a laboratory or at a field site) during core hours of 08:00 - 18:00 (or a subset if working part time). Out of hours work in laboratories is possible but only with specified arrangements (buddy working and sign in). For other work e.g. analysing data/writing reports I am happy for students to plan their own time.

Notice Period for Feedback

I set dates with my students for providing feedback on written depending on deadlines, e.g. we will set a date for them to send me a draft of their first year report or thesis chapters for feedback.

MIBTP Project Details

Primary supervisor for:

From Biomass to Battery Graphite: Developing Sustainable Carbon Materials for Energy Storage

See the PhD Opportunities section to see if this project is currently open for applications via MIBTP.

Please Note: The main page lists projects via BBSRC Research Theme(s) quoted and then relevant Topic(s).

From Biomass to Battery Graphite: Developing Sustainable Carbon Materials for Energy Storage

Secondary Supervisor(s): Professor Phoebe Allan

University of Registration: University of Birmingham

BBSRC Research Themes:

Renewable Resources and Clean Growth (Industrial Biotechnology)

Project Outline

Graphite is a critical material for lithium-ion batteries, yet current supplies rely on mining and energy-intensive synthetic production. With demand for battery materials increasing rapidly, there is pressure to develop sustainable graphite supply chains from renewable resources. This project will investigate the conversion of biomass into biographite through a novel route: iron-powder catalysed graphitization. It will combine experimental research with life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate its potential as a sustainable alternative to conventional graphite and its contribution to future circular and bio-based economies.

Working with global biomass producers, the project will examine agricultural and forestry feedstocks from different regions and supply chains, providing a unique opportunity to assess how local resources can support the production of critical battery materials. LCA will be used to compare feedstocks and production routes, quantifying environmental impacts and identifying the most sustainable pathways for biographite production. The work will benchmark biographite against natural and synthetic graphite and explore the conditions under which biomass-derived carbon could contribute to more secure, lower-carbon supply chains for energy storage technologies.

Experimental work will investigate how biomass composition and processing conditions influence graphite formation and material properties. In parallel, the project will examine co-products generated during graphitization, including bio-oils and gases, to improve understanding of carbon flows and overall process efficiency.

Selected biographites will be evaluated as lithium-ion battery anodes using coin cell testing, enabling direct comparison with commercial graphite materials. By linking feedstock selection, material performance and environmental impacts, the project will provide a comprehensive assessment of biographite as a sustainable source of graphite for future energy storage technologies.