'Outstanding' Oxford University researchers awarded Philip Leverhulme Prizes

The Philip Leverhulme Prizes commemorate the contribution to the work of the Leverhulme Trust made by Philip, Third Viscount Leverhulme and grandson of William Lever, the founder of the Trust. This year, the Leverhulme Trust awarded five prizes in each of the following subject areas: Archaeology, Chemistry, Economics, Engineering, Geography, and Languages and Literatures. Each prize winner receives £100,000 to be used for any purpose that advances their research.

Associate Professor Emilio Martínez-Pañeda was awarded an Engineering prize for his work on material mechanics.

Professor Martínez-Pañeda’s research focuses on developing mechanistic models to describe how materials deform and fracture. A particular interest is in addressing fundamental scientific challenges that currently hinder the transition to a net-zero carbon society. Examples include understanding metal-hydrogen interactions to develop safe hydrogen energy infrastructure; modelling corrosion in wind turbines to inform approaches to extend their serviceable life; and designing new microstructures to enhance lithium-ion battery durability and performance.

He intends to use the Leverhulme Prize to develop advanced mechanistic models to predict material degradation in solid-state batteries, particularly at interfaces, where electrochemical, mechanical, and chemical processes interact. This critical knowledge gap is currently holding back the wider deployment of next-generation batteries, but greater understanding could accelerate the discovery of engineering solutions.

He says, “I am delighted to be awarded the Philip Leverhulme prize and very much appreciate the generosity and flexible support of the Leverhulme Trust. I am very grateful to the jury for recognising the key role that mechanics can play in unravelling fundamental scientific challenges that are holding back the energy transition.”

Professor Noa Zilberman was awarded an Engineering prize for her work on computing infrastructure.

The focus of Professor Zilberman’s research is building scalable, sustainable, and resilient computing infrastructure. Currently, she is exploring three key areas: building scalable AI systems at 1/1000 the cost and power; developing novel sustainable computing solutions; and embedding machine learning models directly into network devices.

Using the Leverhulme Prize, she intends to address current global challenges of critical communications infrastructure, particularly regarding resiliency and sustainability. Her approach will include bold, high-risk ideas that could revolutionise the design of AI systems. One approach is to use light to connect processors through glass, which could enable hundreds or even thousands of AI accelerators to be linked inside a single machine. 

She says, “This prize is a powerful testament to the great work of my research group and talented collaborators, and will provide crucial support for tackling the immense sustainability and resilience challenges facing our global digital infrastructure.”

Other Oxford winners

Associate Professor Meera Mehta (Department of Chemistry) was awarded a prize for her work on the fundamental chemistry of earth-abundant non-toxic elements and their application in synthetic and materials science. Associate Professor Ludvig Sinander (Department of Economics) was awarded an Economics prize for his work on economic theory.

About the Leverhulme Trust

The Leverhulme Trust is an independent charity that seeks to fund ambitious blue skies research and scholarship, which has the potential to generate new ideas and research breakthroughs that benefit society. The Trust also aims to support a diverse range of scholars in their educational endeavours. Today, it is one of the largest all-subject providers of research funding in the UK, distributing approximately £120 million a year.