Stranks awarded prestigious prize

Professor Sam Stranks has been recognised for his work on next-generation solar technologies and emerging semiconductors with the awarding of the 2025 Institute of Physics Nevill Mott Medal and Prize.

Sam is Professor of Energy Materials and Optoelectronics here in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology (CEB).

The prize, one of the Institute’s most prestigious, is awarded biennially for distinguished contributions to condensed matter or materials physics. Only a single recipient is chosen in each round, highlighting the distinction of the award.

He was awarded the 2025 edition as a result of 'outstanding contributions to the understanding and development of emerging semiconductor materials, particularly through multimodal microscopy techniques to connect photophysical, chemical and structural properties on different length and time scales'.

Stranks’ research is advancing understanding of halide perovskites – materials that could make solar cells and LEDs significantly more efficient. Since establishing his Optoelectronics Materials and Device Spectroscopy Group (StranksLab) in 2017, he has built one of Cambridge’s largest research teams in this field, securing more than £23 million in funding and leading projects that combine fundamental science with applications in low-cost energy technologies.

He began his studies in Adelaide, then undertook his PhD as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, before following with postdoctoral fellowships at Oxford and MIT. He became a Royal Society University Research Fellow in 2017, an Assistant Professor in Energy in 2019 and was appointed Professor in 2022. Along the way he has received multiple major awards, including the IEEE Stuart Wenham Award, the Philip Leverhulme Prize in Physics, the Henry Moseley Medal and Prize, the Marlow Award, and was a finalist awardee in the 2024 Blavatnik Awards.

He is a TED Fellow, co-founder of Swift Solar, which develops high-performance perovskite photovoltaic panels, Clarity Sensors, which develops next generation detectors for medical imaging, and Sustain/Ed, a not-for-profit supporting climate change education for school-age children. He also contributes to the scientific community as Associate Editor of Science Advances and on the editorial boards of ACS Energy Letters, Advanced Energy Materials, PRX Energy and Energy and Environmental Science.

His work combines detailed understanding of materials with practical applications, and he is recognised as a key figure in energy and sustainability research globally.

Head of Department Clemens Kaminski said: “Sam’s achievements are well deserved, and this recognition reflects both his work and the calibre of research happening here at CEB.”

“I’m deeply honoured to receive the Nevill Mott Medal,” said Stranks. “It reflects the efforts of my team and collaborators, who share my drive to use fundamental science breakthroughs to realise low-cost, scalable solutions to the climate challenge.”