Dr Zhilun Lu

Profile

I am an Assistant Professor in Materials Science and Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences. I obtained my PhD degree from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Sheffield and was awarded the High Quality PhD Thesis Prize. Following this, I worked as a Research Scientist at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin for Materials and Energy, which is one of 19 major research centres of Germany's largest research organisation, the Helmholtz Association. I subsequently served as a Research Associate at the University of Sheffield under the Henry Royce Institute, the UK's National Institute for Advanced Materials Research and Innovation. Afterward, I took on a role as a Lecturer at Edinburgh Napier University.

I am on the editorial boards of Materials Today Communications, Journal of Advanced Dielectrics, Microstructure, Frontiers in Materials and Crystals. I also act as a peer reviewer for high-impact journals, including Nature Physics, Nature Communications, Advanced Functional Materials, and Physical Review Letters.

I am the author of more than 70 journal papers (H-index=29) and have secured multiple competitive grants from both the Royal Society and the Royal Society of Chemistry. I was granted the 2023 RINENG Young Investigator Award. My paper, “Superior energy density through tailored dopant strategies in multilayer ceramic capacitors”, was selected as a Hot Article (as one of the top 10% of papers) in Energy & Environmental Science.

Research interests

My research group focuses on the structure-composition-property relations of a broad spectrum of advanced functional materials and the translation of novel materials into prototype devices.

I process expertise in utilising Impedance Spectroscopy to examine "electrical microstructure", as well as Neutron Scattering to analyse: 1) atomic and magnetic structures, 2) the dynamic interplay of quasi-particle and charge transport, including phonon excitations in solids and spin waves in magnetic materials.

Research interests:

1. Electroceramics for electrostatic energy storage

2. Thermoelectric materials for energy harvesting

3. Piezoelectric and ferroelectric ceramics for transducers

4. Magnetic materials for quantum computing and data storage

5. Microwave ceramics for 5G/6G telecommunications

6. Solid oxide fuel cells for energy conversion

Qualifications

• PhD in Materials Science and Engineering
• M.Eng in Materials Science and Engineering
• B.Eng in Materials Science and Engineering

Professional memberships

• Fellow, Advance HE - Higher Education Academy
• Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry (MRSC)
• Member of the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (MIMMM)
• Member of the American Chemical Society
• Royal Society of Chemistry (RCS) Grants Peer Reviewer

Student education

I am the SWJTU-Leeds Joint School Programme Director for Materials Science and Engineering.