Dr Zhilun Lu

Profile

I am an Assistant Professor of Electronic and Energy Materials in the School of Chemical and Process Engineering. My group designs lead-free functional ceramics and decodes how their atomic-scale structure governs performance, translating that understanding into sustainable energy storage, solid-state cooling, and power electronics that operate in extreme environments.

Selected highlights

• 85 journal papers (85% in Q1 journals), 5,800+ citations, an h-index of 34 and an i10-index of 62
• Principal Investigator on an EPSRC New Investigator Award (£653k, 2026 to 2029) on high-entropy dielectric ceramics; £700k secured as PI to date
• Named on the Stanford/Elsevier Top 2% Scientists list in 2023, 2024 and 2025, ranking in the top 1% in the materials science subfield
• Research cited by the European Commission in its 2022 review of RoHS Directive exemptions, and submitted as expert evidence to the GB RoHS consultation on lead in dielectric ceramics
• Chief Editor of Journal of Advanced Electronic Materials (since 2025); editorial board member for eight journals; reviewer for 30+ journals including Nature Physics, Nature Communications and Physical Review Letters
• Awards include the Journal of Advanced Dielectrics Best Paper Award (2024), the RINENG Young Investigator Award (2023), the Web of Science Highly Cited Article (2021), and the Energy & Environmental Science HOT Article (2020); nominated by the University of Leeds for the 2027 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists

Career

• PhD in Materials Science and Engineering, University of Sheffield, 2016 (High Quality PhD Thesis Prize)
• Research Scientist, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin for Materials and Energy, 2016 to 2018
• Henry Royce Institute Research Associate, University of Sheffield, 2018 to 2021
• Lecturer, Edinburgh Napier University, 2021 to 2023
• Assistant Professor, University of Leeds, since 2023

I am currently recruiting PhD students. I welcome inquiries on high-entropy dielectrics for energy storage, lead-free electrocaloric cooling, and high-temperature capacitors for SiC/GaN power electronics. See our Postgraduate research opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Programme Director for the SWJTU–Leeds Joint School BEng Materials Science and Engineering

Research interests

My group studies how composition and atomic-scale structure govern the properties of advanced functional materials, then translates that understanding into prototype devices. I combine impedance spectroscopy, neutron scattering (ILL, ISIS) and synchrotron diffraction (Diamond Light Source) to link atomic structure and "electrical microstructure" to device performance.

1. Lead-free dielectrics and antiferroelectrics for electrostatic energy storage, including high-entropy ceramics
2. Electrocaloric materials for solid-state, refrigerant-free cooling
3. High-temperature dielectrics for SiC/GaN power electronics
4. Piezoelectric and ferroelectric ceramics for actuators and transducers
5. Microwave and millimetre-wave ceramics for 5G/6G telecommunications
6. Magnetic materials and quantum magnets probed by neutron scattering
7. Thermoelectric materials for energy harvesting

Qualifications

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

Professional memberships

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
• Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
• Member of the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (IOM3)
• Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
• Member of the American Chemical Society (ACS)

Student education

Current postgraduate researchers

• Songhao Fu

Projects

<li><a href="//phd.leeds.ac.uk/project/1867-advanced-materials-for-electrostatic-energy-storage">Advanced materials for electrostatic energy storage</a></li>

Funding

<li><a href="//phd.leeds.ac.uk/funding/353-epsrc-doctoral-landscape-award-2026/27:-chemical-&-process-engineering">EPSRC Doctoral Landscape Award 2026/27: Chemical & Process Engineering</a></li>