Researchers at the Centre for Energy Materials have reported a perovskite–silicon tandem prototype exceeding 31% conversion efficiency in laboratory testing. The result, achieved by a team led by Dr. Priya Sundaram, points toward lower-cost, higher-yield photovoltaics for the energy transition. The group will now work with industry partners at the Northgate Technology Park to study scale-up and long-term stability.
The university has opened the Innovation Commons, a 6,000-square-metre maker and collaboration hub featuring prototyping workshops, a digital fabrication studio, and dedicated space for student-led start-ups. The facility anchors CUST’s expanded entrepreneurship program and will host the first cohort of the student accelerator this autumn.
Professor Lena Marko of the School of Computing & Data Science has been recognised for a decade of contributions to distributed systems and privacy engineering. Her work on verifiable, privacy-preserving data infrastructure has influenced both academic research and open-source practice. “This honour belongs to my students and collaborators,” she said.
A multidisciplinary team from the Schools of Engineering and Design took first place at the Aldermere Sustainable Mobility Challenge with a modular, low-cost electric cargo trike designed for last-mile delivery in dense neighbourhoods. The team will pilot the design with a local logistics cooperative over the summer.