On the 1st and 2nd February 2016, Warwick Electrochemistry successfully hosted a conference to which academics, PhD students and postgrads from Brazil and other institutes were invited. Recently, Warwick has been developing links with universities and industries in Brazil in recognition of the growing importance of Brazil and a global research economy. As such, our guests included those from Universidade de São Paulo and Universidade Federal do Paraná, along with University of Liverpool, University of Birmingham, and Warwick Manufacturing Group.

Talks ranged from electrochemical capacitors, batteries and energy storage, to electrodeposition, metal oxides and smart materials, to electrochemical sensors and carbon electrodes. (Left to right: Mr. Tom Galloway, Prof. Susana Torresi, Dr. Laurence Hardwick, Prof. Patrick Unwin)

Of course, there was a poster session to accompany the talks, and a prize was awarded to that poster which caught the eye of our distinguished Brazilian guests - none other than our own Zoe Ayres

Overall, the event was a success and was enjoyed by all who attended.

Many congratulations go to Anatolii Cuharuc for passing his viva and completing his PhD on the 3rd February 2016. We all wish him good luck for the future from the electrochemistry team.

Mary Courtney is joining the Chemistry Department as an artist in residence for the next 10 months, funded by a grant from the Leverhulme Trust.

Her project is called "Verse Reaction", and here is an outline of what she'll be doing:

“Verse Reaction”

We will reveal the aesthetics of Chemistry - minds, machines, laboratories, imaging and data, by creating and curating Chemistry images that are beguiling or beautiful. These rarely seen images, shared by staff and students, will be combined with poetic reactions and the voices and sounds of Chemistry, to form a unique and unusual body of work of cohabiting worlds – “VERSE REACTION”.

A second element will be drawing on the nanoscale using high resolution probe microscopes - and offering opportunities to chemists to express a different side to their creativity. The Residency will culminate in an audio-visual digital exhibition on the large public screen in the heart of the campus. More widely, the archive generated will take the wonder of Chemistry to the outside, as well as bringing an alternative perspective of art into Warwick Chemistry.”

Mary will be based in Electrochemistry, and we hope that staff and students will share images, movies and data, and interact with her so that she can showcase our work with a new perspective!

The image above is from one of her first visits to our labs, entitled "Resting legs and the fish bubbles".

To find out more, you can chat to Mary (she will be here typically a couple of times a week) and check out her website:

www.marycourtneypoetry.co.uk

Many congratulations go to Barak Aaronson for passing his viva and completing his PhD on the 11th January 2016. We all wish him good luck for the future, both in his new role as a postdoctoral researcher in Prof. Frank Marken's group at the University of Bath, and beyond.

Many congratulations go to Jennifer Webb for passing her viva and completing her PhD on the 3rd December 2015. We all wish her good luck for the future, especially in her new role as an EPSRC Doctoral Prize Fellow, working with Dr. Robert Johnson and our group to do molecular dynamics modelling of nanopore systems. Well done!