From Batteries to Solar Cells: Prof. Saiful Islam Explores Energy Materials on the Atomic Scale

Published: 24 August 2026

On 14 November 2025, the Centre for Net-Zero Technology (Future Centre) at Monash University Malaysia welcomed Prof. Saiful Islam, a world-renowned materials chemist from the University of Oxford, as the latest speaker in its Net-Zero Speaker Series.

The session showcased strong cross-faculty collaboration: Prof. Sarah Hawkes, Head of the Department of Global Population Health at the Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, helped connect Prof. Islam with the School of Engineering, building an academic bridge between the two schools for the event.

Using 3D visualisations, Prof. Islam walked the audience through the atomic-scale science behind sustainable energy, covering the shift from lithium-ion to cheaper, more sustainable sodium-ion batteries; how atomistic modelling and machine learning help researchers predict new materials and improve battery performance; the rapid rise of perovskite solar cells and their potential to overtake traditional silicon efficiency; and real-world challenges such as the ethics of cobalt sourcing and material stability. He also shared a memorable anecdote from his Royal Institution Christmas Lecture involving the classic lemon-battery experiment.

The talk closed with an engaging Q&A covering solid-state batteries, supercapacitors, and advice for young researchers, drawing together students and researchers keen to accelerate progress toward net-zero solutions.