Manish Chhowalla

Manish Chhowalla FREng is the Goldsmiths' Professor of Materials Science at the Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy, University of Cambridge. He leads the 2D Materials and Devices Group, which focuses on fundamental research into atomically thin two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) and their applications in electronics, energy storage, and catalysis.

His research spans three primary areas:

• Devices - Developing ultra-low power electronics using atomically thin semiconductors, with breakthroughs in ultra-clean electrical contacts (Nature, 2019 & 2022) and ferroelectric semiconductors (Science, 2022)
• Batteries - Advancing lithium-sulfur battery technology as part of the LiSTAR project funded by the Faraday Institution, with a recent breakthrough leading to the spin-out company Molyon
• Electrocatalysis - Engineering 2D TMDs as affordable catalysts for green hydrogen production and other clean technologies

His group's research has resulted in numerous high-impact publications in journals including Nature, Nature Materials, and Nature Energy, with recent work focusing on scalable manufacturing of 2D materials, solid-state electrolytes for batteries, and spin-dependent electrocatalysis. The group is actively involved in the upcoming 2D TMDs Conference 2025 in Cambridge.

Scientific awards include:

• Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng)

His research group has successfully mentored numerous PhD students, with recent graduations including Dr. Maheera Abdul Ghani. The group collaborates extensively with industry partners and has secured significant funding including ERC Proof of Concept Grants. They maintain state-of-the-art facilities for 2D materials synthesis, characterization, and device fabrication at the Materials Physics Centre at Cambridge.