Michael Walsh PhD Student
School of Engineering & Physical Sciences, Institute of Mechanical, Process & Energy Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, Riccarton, UK
Office: DB 2.62
Phone: TBC
Email: ww2011@hw.ac.uk
Biography:
Michael has a background in Mechanical Engineering after completing his undergraduate degree from the University of Aberdeen. His undergraduate project focused on a simulation analysis on the effect of drilling in the context of subsea engineering. Michael completed his MSc in Renewable Energy Engineering from Heriot-Watt University in 2022. His final dissertation was on photoelectrochemical hydrogen generation and water pollutant treatment, focussing on the fabrication and utilisation of catalyst coatings in the degradation of pollutant dyes in water. Michael’s findings showed the promising capabilities of using visible light-driven materials under natural sunlight irradiation to treat water pollutants in an economical and sustainable way, while supplying a source of green hydrogen. Through his work, he was able to obtain skills in nanomaterial synthesis and coatings, characterisation techniques, and handling analytical tools. Currently, Michael is a research student (PhD) in the Research Centre for Carbon Solutions (RCCS) at Heriot-Watt University. His research will continue to focus on the design of novel, earth abundant catalyst coatings at a large scale for solar-to-hydrogen production, while integrating the wastewater treatment process. He will further investigate effect on the overall solar-to-hydrogen efficiency during the scaling-up process of this technology.
Research Interests:
Michael's main research interests are Hydrogen, Photoelectrochemistry, Nanomaterials, Water Pollutant Treatment, Solar Energy.
