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A researcher at ��ɫ��Ƶ has been awarded the 2025 Kathleen Lonsdale RIA Chemistry Prize.

Dr Muhammad Muddasar, a Postdoctoral Researcher in the School of Engineering ��ɫ��Ƶ, was awarded the prestigious prize at a ceremony in the Royal Irish Academy.

Dr Muddasar will go on to present his PhD research at the World Chemistry Congress in Kuala Lumpar as the winner of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry-Solvay International Award for Young Chemists.

The Kathleen Lonsdale RIA Chemistry Prize, sponsored by Henkel, is awarded each year to the best Irish PhD thesis in the chemical sciences as described in a 1,000-word essay. The award is named in honour of the famous Irish x-ray crystallographer, Kathleen Lonsdale, who was born in Newbridge, Country Kildare, on 28 January 1903.

Having been selected as the winner of the Kathleen Lonsdale RIA Chemistry Prize, Dr Muddasar’s name was put forward by the RIA for the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry-Solvay International Award for Young Chemists. 

In April 2025 Dr Muddasar was announced as one of five winners of the 2025 IUPAC-Solvay International Award for Young Chemists, selected from 49 submissions across 18 countries. Marking the first time since 2017 that an Ireland-nominated candidate has been awarded the prize, Dr Muddasar will now present his research at the upcoming IUPAC World Chemistry Congress in Kuala Lumpar in July, putting Irish postgraduate research on the world stage.

Co-funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s NXTGENWOOD research programme, Dr Muhammad Muddasar’s PhD thesis - ‘Lignin-Derived Materials for Energy Harvesting and Storage Devices’ - focuses on harnessing chemistry for real-world energy applications by developing lignin-based membranes and porous carbons for waste heat harvesting and energy storage. Lignin is a biopolymer found in plant biomass and is a byproduct of the pulp and paper industries. 

The enhanced thermoelectric performance uncovered in Dr Muddasar’s research has the potential to lead to smaller, lighter, and more cost-effective devices for capturing and storing energy, which is a crucial step toward sustainable energy solutions.

Dr Niamh O’Boyle, Chair of the Kathleen Lonsdale Prize Assessment Panel, said during the ceremony: “Dr Muddasar’s PhD research, which utilises underexplored resources derived from lignan for energy conversion and storage, displays excellent knowledge of fundamental chemistry paired with an enhanced understanding of thermoelectrics and energy storage. 

“The research is clearly driven by ambition to develop sustainable energy technologies. We were proud to nominate Dr Muddasar as Ireland’s entry to the annual IUPAC-Solvay Young Chemists Prize earlier this year and we delighted to learn of his success when he was announced as one the winners of the 2025 award.”

Muhammad Muddasar is an energy researcher from Pakistan. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in energy systems engineering. 

His research interests encompass sustainable materials, bioenergy, energy storage, and biofuels. He received his PhD from ��ɫ��Ƶ in 2024 under the supervision of Professor Maurice Collins (��ɫ��Ƶ) and Dr Mario Culebras Rubio (University of Valencia) and now works as a Postdoctoral Researcher in the School of Engineering.