Impact
Spin-outs
Clarity Sensors
Co-founded in 2022 by Sam Stranks, Hayden Salway, Ganbaa Tumen-Ulzii, Stuart Evans, Miguel Anaya, Tiarnan Doherty. Developing next-generation X-ray detectors for low-dose medical imaging.
https://www.claritysensors.com/
Sustain Education
Not-for-profit founded by Stuart Macpherson, Beth Tennyson and Sam Stranks in 2021. Providing all students at a critical learning age (7-11 years old) with the knowledge to generate progressive and innovative ideas, enabling them to renovate the world to their own modern vision.
Swift Solar
Co-founded by Sam Stranks in 2017. Developing next-generation of halide perovskite solar photovoltaics.
Recent and Ongoing Projects
Making Solar Cells with the Newnham Beavers
21st March 2025
We made solar cells from berry juice with Beaver’s (aged 6-8) and imagined what our cities will look like in the future.
Cambridge Festival
2019 - present (Cambridge, UK)
Building solar cells using berries.
School Visits
13th February 2025
Professor Sam Stranks, Barnaby Lewis & Rebecca Martin presented to Year 5 & Year 6 students at the University of Cambridge Primary School regarding the Impact of Solar Photovoltaics.
Affordable Perovskite Solar Irrigation Systems for Small-holder Farmers in Ethiopia (APSISSFE)
2020 - present
Research into developing lower cost solar irrigation systems for Ethiopian small-holder farmers, together with the Centre for Global Equality and Bahir Dar University. This project is currently on hold.
Air Travel Carbon Footprint
2019 – present (Cambridge, UK)
All Strankslab members record the carbon footprint of work- related travel.
Physics @ Work
2019 - present (Cambridge, UK)
Every September the Cavendish Laboratory welcomes around 2000 students from secondary schools across the UK to learn about exciting aspects of experimental Physics. Our activity focuses on the semiconductor bandgap, and how it is instrumental in Optoelectronics, through a combination of interactive animations and hands-on activities where students build their own optoelectronic devices
Photo from September 2025
Past projects
West Cambridge Energy Tour
March 2021 – present
The West Cambridge Energy Tour explores the West Cambridge Research Campus and introduces some of the energy-related research that goes on at the University.
EU 'Fuel from the Sun' Prize Competition
2019 – 2022
A combined team from Strankslab and the group of Erwin Reisner reached the final of the EU ‘Fuel from the Sun’ Final competition, producing a scaled up system of artificial leaves producing a sustainable solar fuel.
Primary school mapping challenge
2019 – 2023
This activity enables children of 9-12 years old to become researchers and discover the potential of renewable energy: https://energymap.oe.phy.cam.ac.uk/info. The precursor for Sustain Education.
Ministry of Education of Korea Visit
29th July 2024
We hosted a cohort of Korean high school students during their summer camp, presenting some of our ongoing research along with a tour of West Cambridge research facilities.
Experience Cambridge 2019
July 13, 2019 (Cambridge, UK)
SRUK meeting 2019
June 30 – July 2, 2019 (Cambridge, UK)
Pop-Up Physics Fest
December 2, 2018 (Peterborough, UK)
In collaboration with the Institute of Physics
Physics Fest 2018
November 25, 2018 (Ipswich, UK)
In collaboration with the Institute of Physics