Rate My Professor Richard Wills

Richard Wills is Professor of Electrochemical Energy Storage and Head of Department for Mechanical Engineering at the University of Southampton in the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences. He earned a BSc in Chemistry from Durham University, an MRes in Bio-inorganic Chemistry from the University of Nottingham, and a PhD in Electrochemistry from the University of Southampton in 2004, focusing on the soluble lead-acid flow battery. His professional career includes work as a consulting engineer on chemical, electrochemical, and energy storage projects, a stint as battery specialist at Atraverda in 2007 developing ceramic and composite electrode materials, and research roles at the University since 2008 within the Energy Technology Research Group, progressing to his current professorship.

Professor Wills specializes in electrochemical energy storage and its applications, encompassing supercapacitors, batteries, and fuel cells at component and device levels. His research emphasizes aqueous electrolyte systems, including soluble lead flow batteries, aqueous aluminium-ion batteries, zinc-cerium redox flow batteries, and hybrid energy storage systems for renewable integration and electric vehicle charging stations. He has produced over 84 publications, among them the highly cited 'A lead acid battery based on an electrolyte with soluble lead(II)' (2004), 'Sizing a battery-supercapacitor energy storage system with hybrid dynamical model' (2020), 'Kinetics of oxygen evolution reaction in soluble lead flow batteries' (2024), and 'Planning a hybrid battery energy storage system for supplying electric vehicle charging station microgrids' (2024). In recognition of his contributions to lead-acid battery advancements, he received the Dave Rice Award in 2007. Wills has served as guest editor for special issues on hybrid battery energy storage and contributed to the UK Department for Transport Science Advisory Council, influencing sustainable energy storage development.