Rate My Professor Alex Robertson

Alex Robertson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Warwick, where he joined as an academic in 2021. He earned his MPhys degree from Durham University and a PhD in Materials Science from the University of Oxford under the supervision of Prof. Jamie Warner. Robertson's career trajectory includes a postdoctoral position at the University of Oxford from 2013 to 2016, partly funded by an EPSRC Doctoral Prize Award; a postdoctoral role at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in the USA in 2017; and a Royal Society University Research Fellowship from 2018 to 2026, initially held at Oxford's Department of Materials before transitioning to Warwick. Currently, he serves as the Postgraduate Admissions Tutor for Physics and leads a research group as part of the department's Microscopy Group. He also contributes to teaching, including the module PX446 Condensed Matter Physics II.

Robertson's research utilizes transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to elucidate dynamic structural and chemical transformations in nanomaterials under application-relevant conditions. His academic interests focus on two-dimensional materials for beyond-Moore electronics, innovative material chemistries for improved rechargeable batteries, and nanostructuring processes in heterogeneous catalysts. Notable awards include the Royal Society University Research Fellowship and an ERC Consolidator Award in 2024. His influential publications feature 'Cation-disordered rocksalt cathode for anode-free zinc-ion batteries' (Energy & Environmental Science, 2025), 'Challenges and opportunities in operando electrochemical liquid cell TEM' (Chemical Physics Reviews, 2025), 'Identifying the role of Zn self-dissolution in the anode corrosion process in Zn-ion batteries' (Energy & Environmental Science, 2025; highlighted in Nature Energy), 'Trapped O2 and the origin of voltage fade in layered Li-rich cathodes' (Nature Materials, 2024), 'Decoupling, quantifying, and restoring aging-induced Zn-anode losses in rechargeable aqueous zinc batteries' (Joule, 2023), and 'Molybdenum Disulfide Memristors for Next Generation Memory and Neuromorphic Computing: Progress and Prospects' (Advanced Electronic Materials, 2024). Through these contributions, Robertson advances understanding in energy storage and nanoscale materials science.