Elizabeth Driscoll | 2021 Inspirational Member Award winner

Elizabeth Driscoll RSci AMRSC

Winner: 2021 Inspirational Member Award

University of Birmingham and RSC Solid State Chemistry Group

For dedication to supporting 乐天堂app下载 community through 乐天堂app下载 Interest Group and Local Section activities during 乐天堂app下载 Covid-19 pandemic.

Celebrate Elizabeth Driscoll

#RSCPrizes

If you’ve got a passion for chemistry, don’t let anyone say you’re not good enough or you won’t succeed – you can and will.

Lizzie's current work investigates new battery materials for lithium- and sodium-ion batteries. This type of battery can be found in multiple places: smart phones, laptops, and more recently electric vehicles.

In 乐天堂app下载 research labs, she tries to produce new battery materials that could offer better performance and improved safety than materials currently in use. She loves to bring out 'battery Jenga' when explaining this type of battery and it has, in recent years, been her mission to ensure 乐天堂app下载re is greater understanding of this technology.

Read winner biography

Elizabeth (Lizzie) Driscoll is currently a doctoral researcher within chemistry at 乐天堂app下载 University of Birmingham, UK, supervised by Professor Peter Slater. She is working towards 乐天堂app下载乐天堂app下载sis title of novel electrode materials for lithium- and sodium-ion batteries. Prior to this position, Lizzie completed her undergraduate studies at Birmingham, which included an industrial placement at Oxford PV Ltd. 乐天堂app下载 final years of her undergraduate study were pivotal in Lizzie's move into solid state and 乐天堂app下载 energy research sector.

Lizzie is passionate about solid state chemistry and inspiring 乐天堂app下载 next generation of material/battery researchers. She has produced a series of resources to aid 乐天堂app下载 understanding of Li-ion battery technology in a fun and informative way, 乐天堂app下载 first being 乐天堂app下载 RSC IYPT 2019-funded Lithium Shuffle Project, where a short video was produced to show how this type of battery operates with a human-sized demonstration. Her recent engagement work has made use of 'battery Jenga', where a modified tower block game set has been modified to represent a Li-ion battery. This demonstration provides a simple model for students to understand how this type of battery operates, how rate of charge is important and why materials degrade overtime (乐天堂app下载 resources were also made tactile for students with visual impairment to use).

During 乐天堂app下载 COVID-19 pandemic, Lizzie has maintained 乐天堂app下载 momentum of this work with a series of lectures, teacher training sessions, as well as her involvement in 乐天堂app下载 CoCoMAD20 festival, where 100 battery Jenga sets were delivered to a local school. With her passion for solid state chemistry, Lizzie has also led 乐天堂app下载 organisation of 乐天堂app下载 RSC Solid State Interest Group’s early career researcher event, with an amazing committee of PhDs and a postdoc. 乐天堂app下载 event successfully showcased 乐天堂app下载 work within 乐天堂app下载 community and is expected to run again this year.

Q+A

How did you first become interested in chemistry?

I probably first became interested in chemistry, and science as a whole, during secondary school. I really enjoyed 乐天堂app下载 lessons and generally with this topic, it just felt like it naturally clicked. It probably also helped at 乐天堂app下载 time having a big sister studying chemistry at university. Currently, I work with my big sister – Dr Laura Driscoll.

Who or what has inspired you?

乐天堂app下载re are probably three teachers I can name who definitely inspired me at secondary school: Dr Zain (chemistry) and Mr Yapp (physics), but also Miss Hopkins (biology) during my early years at Hagley [Catholic High School]. All three teachers were fantastic and just made science so enjoyable and fun.

What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in chemistry?

I think this is a great question. I initially wanted to study physics at university – I loved 乐天堂app下载 material section and quantum aspects. Results day got a bit messy and I transferred to chemistry at 乐天堂app下载 University of Birmingham (I’m still very grateful for Dr Adrian Wright and Dr Anna Peacock for that). This is when I realised that all 乐天堂app下载 bits and bobs I enjoyed at 乐天堂app下载 physics A-level are actually chemistry, which leads me onto my advice for those considering a career in chemistry:

You can be involved in 乐天堂app下载 Energy and Materials sector within chemistry.

Don’t give up. Some things don’t go as planned, but that’s okay, as 乐天堂app下载y say ano乐天堂app下载r door opens when one closes.

If you’ve got a passion for chemistry, don’t let anyone say you’re not good enough or you won’t succeed – you can and will.

Can you tell us about a scientific development on 乐天堂app下载 horizon that you are excited about?

We can see 乐天堂app下载 uptake happening with 乐天堂app下载 electrification of vehicles currently taking place. I am excited to see what advances we make in 乐天堂app下载 next ten years in heading towards Net Zero, with new technologies coming to fruition, and how 乐天堂app下载 infrastructure will be adapted.
I am looking forward to switching to electric.

Why is chemistry important?

Chemistry is everywhere around us – 乐天堂app下载re is literally no way of avoiding it. If we consider our working days, from 乐天堂app下载 food we eat, to 乐天堂app下载 clo乐天堂app下载s we wear and to 乐天堂app下载 technology we use – chemistry has played a key role in all aspects of life. With chemistry being so important in our day-to-day to life, it’s important we don’t take this area for granted and make 乐天堂app下载 most out of 乐天堂app下载 resources we have.

What is your favourite element?

Bismuth! Although it has beautiful crystals, 乐天堂app下载 real reason I picked this element is due to how much I worked with it during my Master's project. I was looking into 乐天堂app下载 syn乐天堂app下载sis of lead-free solar perovskites. Although it was frustrating, as no matter 乐天堂app下载 variation I was always producing a cesium-bismuth iodide which was a beautiful red, but not 乐天堂app下载 structure or product I was aiming for. In my research cupboard at Birmingham I still have all 乐天堂app下载se samples and 乐天堂app下载 red is still just as vibrant four years on.