WMG News - Latest news from WMG

A group of academics at WMG, University of Warwick have been recognised at the prestigious 2025 Faraday Institution Link opens in a new windowLink opens in a new windowCommunity Awards.

Dr Mona Faraji NiriLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, Associate Professor of Battery Modelling won the Public Engagement / STEM Outreach Individual Award, and Professor Louis PiperLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, Dr Ashok MenonLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window and Dr Gaurav PandeyLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, were presented with the group Innovation Award.

The Awards followed the Faraday Institution Conference, which was held from 9-11 September, at the University of Warwick. The conference showcased cutting-edge research, with a strong emphasis on collaboration across academia, industry, and policy in pursuit of a net-zero future.

Dr Taofeeq Ibn-Mohammed, Associate Professor in Sustainable Systems Engineering at WMG, University of Warwick, has been appointed as a Lead Author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s Seventh Assessment Report (AR7).

Established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1988, the IPCC assesses the science related to climate change. Since 1990, when it launched its first Assessment Report, it has been sharing knowledge on the causes and potential impacts of climate change, along with potential responses. The IPCC reports are widely seen as the definitive global assessments of climate change science, impacts, and mitigation.

An academic in sustainable systems engineering, Dr Ibn-Mohammed will lend his expertise to the IPCC as part of ‘Working Group III: Mitigation of Climate Change’. The group focuses on the limitation and removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and explores all areas of mitigation, from technical feasibility and cost to the environments that would enable measures to be put in place.

University of Warwick has been shortlisted for the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Bhattacharyya AwardLink opens in a new window for its sustained collaboration with the Tata Group.

The Bhattacharyya Award is an annual award presented by the Academy to celebrate long-term collaboration between academia and industry. Funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, it was launched in 2019 in tribute to Professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya, the founder of WMG, University of Warwick.

The Award is worth £25,000 to the winner, who will be announced at the end of October. All the shortlisted entries, including the University, are operating at the interface of high-level research, pushing innovation, or creating new technologies for use in a commercial.

As Warwick’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Stuart Croft, says: “This is partnership with purpose, driving innovation, delivering sustainability, and securing the future of the UK industry globally.”

These connections create a talent pipeline for companies while addressing critical skills gaps within these industries. Universities attract financial investment and ambitious students, while both sides discover new pathways to solutions and gain access to cutting-edge research.

Dr Di Li — Associate Professor and Deputy Head (Skills and Education Engagement) of the Business Innovation, Supply Chain and Trade Group at WMG, University of Warwick — has been selected as a judge for this year’s QS Reimagine Education Awards. These prestigious, international awards recognise innovative projects, technologies, and pedagogical approaches that enhance learning outcomes, employability, and educational equity. As a judge, Dr Li will review submissions from around the world, enabling her to engage directly with cutting-edge educational innovations.

New research from WMG has found that the carbon footprint of collecting and refurbishing abandoned trolleys adds up to the equivalent of flying from London to New York and back twice!

“Thousands of shopping trolleys are reported as abandoned in the UK every year. When you multiply the carbon impact of retrieving each one, it becomes both significant and concerning,” explains Neill Raath, Assistant Professor at WMG, University of Warwick, who led the research.

Despite supermarkets introducing a range of methods to stop shopping trolleys leaving their premises, including coin slots and wheel-locking mechanisms, over 520,000 are still reported as abandoned in the UKLink opens in a new window each year, according to global trolley and retail equipment manufacturer, Wanzl.

Supermarkets rely on commercial collection services, typically using diesel vans to survey suburban areas, to collect and return the trolleys. Researchers at WMG assessed the environmental impact in order to tally the true cost of abandoning a trolley.

It’s been a busy and exciting time for Warwick Racing and Warwick Submarine, two undergraduate student-led project teams from the University of Warwick, who recently showcased their engineering talent in international competitions both at home and abroad. Read all about the teams' success at Formula Student, Silverstone, and the International Submarine Races, USA.

The Outreach team at WMG has been busy bringing science to life in London as part of the Royal Institution (Ri)’s holiday workshop programme. Designed for ages nine to 14, the workshops provide young people with hands-on experience of STEM topics, helping expand their learning beyond the classroom.

This is the fourth consecutive year that WMG has delivered sessions in partnership with the Ri, expertly led by Professor Margaret Low, Director of Outreach and Widening Participation, and Dr Phil Jemmett, Widening Participation Coordinator and Faculty Public Engagement Lead (Science, Engineering and Medicine).

To drive safety in our future airspace, WMG has been working with the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on new research to assess how future electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft can be safely integrated into UK skies. The 18-month study, funded by the Department for Transport, forms part of the regulator’s Future of Flight programme and applies systems thinking to assess the safety of future eVTOL aircraft operations in UK airspace.

Earlier this year the UK Government recognised agri-tech, in its Industrial Strategy, as a key frontier industry within Advanced Manufacturing.

The recognition marks a pivotal shift by the government - acknowledging the sector’s potential to drive growth, enhance productivity, strengthen climate resilience, and reduce agricultural emissions - while prioritising a sustainable and secure food supply for the UK.

This also aligns with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) new food strategy for England, to tackle UK food resilience and enhance supply chains, while protecting nature and biodiversity.

Warwick Agri-Tech, established in 2022, is a pioneering initiative that brings together the expertise of two leading University of Warwick departments – WMG and the School of Life Sciences. By integrating advanced engineering with plant science, the initiative aims to shape the future of agriculture.

As part of this mission, Warwick Agri-Tech has launched a new Pilot Facility featuring state-of-the-art robotics designed to support sustainable food production and accelerate agricultural innovation.