Aston student wins place at prized meeting of Nobel science laureates

Third year chemistry PhD at the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnologies in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences Vijayakumar Manavalan will attend this year’s Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings in Germany.

Established in 1951, the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings theme alternates yearly between the three Nobel Prize scientific disciplines of physics, chemistry and physiology/medicine.

Young scientists are selected to attend from a pool of applicants drawn from undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

Successful applicants cannot attend more than once, unless they themselves subsequently win a Nobel science award.

The choice of UK-based attendees is decided by the Royal Society. Manavalan, from Pondicherry, India was picked after nomination by his supervisor Dr Stephen Worrall.

“I am delighted that Vijayakumar is getting this much-deserved opportunity. He has demonstrated excellence in his principal field of study, published 11 peer reviewed journal articles in high impact factor publications and presented his research at national conferences,” said Worrall.

He cited Manavalan’s part in the design of projects for and the supervision of project students as showcasing the student’s potential to advance to higher levels of academia. 

Vijayakumar added: “I am looking forward to meeting Professors Akira Yoshino and M. Stanley Whittingham who are two of the three researchers awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for lithium-ion batteries.

“As a researcher in energy storage, it will be incredible to learn from their experiences, gain insights into their groundbreaking research and be inspired by their remarkable journeys in the field of battery technology.”

The 74th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting will be held from 29 June to 4 July  on the island of Lindau, situated on Lake Constance in south Germany.