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A friendly, well‑organised outing at The Red Bull, Newnham, put together by Rebecca & Sean as the May social, with the group enjoying pizza, drinks, and board games in a classic Cambridge pub setting.

A warm farewell cake break was held for Dr Wenxin Mao as he prepares to leave the group and begin his new faculty role at Monash University. The gathering was a chance to celebrate his achievements, share good wishes, and enjoy cakes and conversation together. The group expressed heartfelt thanks for his many contributions, dedication, and positive…

Barney Lewis’s Viva celebration was a lively and cheerful gathering, complete with cakes, tea, and a few beers and glasses of champagne to mark the occasion. Professor Ivan Scheblykin, the external examiner, joined the group in person and enjoyed mingling with everyone. After a short online speech from Professor Sam Stranks, gifts were presented an…

Qichun Gu’s Viva celebration was a warm and joyful occasion, marked by a lovely spread of tea and cakes enjoyed by everyone present. Dr Miguel Anaya joined the gathering in person, while Professor Sam Stranks celebrated with us virtually. Dr Ganbaatar Tumen‑Ulzii presented the congratulations card and gift on behalf of the group, making the moment …

Dr Rob Westbrook gave a talk about the origins of photophysical heterogeneity in Sn-containing halide perovskites

PhD Student, Emile introduced his research on perovskite tandem solar cells during the sustainable energy materials industry day.

Dr. Weidong Xu delivered a presentation on "Unveiling Local Inhomogeneities Governing Charge Extraction in Perovskite Solar Cells via Operando Photoluminescence Spectroscopy and Hyperspectral Photoluminescence Microscopy" at the MATSUS 2026 conference in Spain.

Congratulations to Leo and Ben who put together a great IIB poster on controlling defects with passivation in Sn-Pb perovskites.

Anglea Le's poster was presented at the Sensor CDT mini-conference in CEB, showcasing the work of current CDT MRes students to our course directors as well as to the rest of the department.  

Xian Wei Chua, StranksLab PhD, attended the 3rd International Workshop on Near-field Optical Imaging and Spectroscopy at the University of Manchester last month (22 - 23 January 2026), where he gave an oral presentation and a poster presentation on his ongoing work on developing a nano-photoluminescence set-up to characterize halide perovskite semi…

From Solar Power to Patient Care: Cambridge Innovation Driving Global ImpactProfessor Sam Stranks, a leading expert in energy materials and optoelectronics at the University of Cambridge, is on a mission to tackle two of the world’s most pressing challenges: climate change and healthcare. Through pioneering research in next-generation solar technol…

Dr Rob Westbrook Visits Taiwan!We’re thrilled to have seen Dr Rob Westbrook in Taiwan, where he was warmly received by StranksLab alumnus Dr Chieh-Szu Huang. During his visit, Dr Westbrook delivered two engaging presentations at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) in Tainan and National Chung Hsing University (NCHU) in Taichung, sharing insights …

Professor Sam Stranks Awarded the 2025 Nevill Mott Medal and Prize for Groundbreaking Work in Energy MaterialsProfessor Sam Stranks has been honoured with the 2025 Nevill Mott Medal and Prize by the Institute of Physics, recognising his pioneering research into semiconductor materials for next-generation solar cells and lighting technologies. His w…

Ultrafast Quantum Light Emission Discovered in Scalable Perovskite FilmsA groundbreaking study led by Professor Sam Stranks and his team at the University of Cambridge has revealed that halide perovskite materials can emit light at unprecedented speeds, opening new avenues for quantum photonic technologies.Published in Nature Nanotechnology, the re…

Professor Sam Stranks recently caught up with current and former members of the StranksLab Group — Dr Eunyoung Choi, Dr Youngkwang Kang, and Dr Danbi Kim — at the SISF Conference in Korea in November 2025. It was a great opportunity to reconnect, share updates on their latest research, and celebrate the continued impact of their collaborative work