Dr Paloma Rodriguez

Paloma joined the AAPS CDT after graduating from the University of Bath in 2020 with a first-class MEng in Mechanical Engineering. During her degree, she completed a year-long placement at JCB, gaining experience across manufacturing, design, and large-scale production processes. She also played an active role in Team Bath Racing, Bath’s Formula Student team, where she contributed to composite part manufacturing and later led the chassis team for the 2020 season.

Her final-year project focused on composite sandwich panels, investigating optimisation strategies for insert design and location—an area that sparked her interest in multifunctional composites and ultimately led her to pursue a PhD in structural battery systems.

PhD Focus

Paloma’s PhD, Investigation and Quantification of Multiphysics Coupling Phenomena Present in Novel Structural Battery Architectures, explored the development of structural batteries—materials that combine load-bearing capability with energy storage. The PhD was supervised by Alex Lunt, Andrew Rhead and Frank Marken with industrial partnership from GKN. These systems offer significant potential for weight reduction in automotive and aerospace applications, contributing to lower carbon emissions.

Her research involved:

• Using synchrotron techniques to investigate the multifunctional performance of carbon fibre anodes.

• Developing scalable fibre coating processes for both electrode and separator materials.

• Characterising material properties, from fibre-level to full composite structures.

• Demonstrating a proof-of-concept full carbon structural battery cell comprised of cathode coated and separator coated fibres.

The ultimate goal was to optimise structural battery design for multifunctionality, enabling lightweight, energy-efficient solutions for future mobility systems.

Looking Forward

Paloma recently began a postdoctoral role at the University of Bath as a Research Assistant in Battery Systems. Over the next year, she looks forward to completing her PhD and continuing her work on advanced energy storage technologies. Her long-term ambition is to contribute to innovations that make transport greener and more efficient, whether through academic research, industry collaboration, or both.

The Reflection on AAPS

Reflecting on her time at AAPS, Paloma describes the experience as transformative. The transdisciplinary nature of the CDT provided her with invaluable opportunities to collaborate across disciplines and broaden her perspective on mobility challenges. She credits AAPS for helping her gain confidence in communicating complex ideas clearly and for fostering a supportive community that enriched her research journey. To Paloma, Advanced Propulsion Systems represent a collective effort to build smarter, greener, and more inclusive mobility solutions. Her time in AAPS has equipped her with the technical expertise and collaborative mindset needed to make a meaningful impact in the field.