Shalini Divya

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Shalini Divya
Academic background
Alma mater Victoria University of Wellington , Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra
Doctoral advisorThomas Nann, Jim Johnston

Shalini Divya is an Indian chemist and entrepreneur working in New Zealand, specialising in developing aluminium-ion battery technology as a commercial alternative to lithium-ion batteries. She is the co-founder of battery technology company TasmanIon. Divya was awarded a KiwiNet Breakthrough Innovator award in 2021.

Contents

Career

Divya was born and raised in India, and gained a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Delhi University and a master's degree in chemistry at the Birla Institute of Technology in Mesra, India. [1] [2] She moved to New Zealand to undertake doctoral research, completing a PhD at the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology at Victoria University of Wellington in 2021, under the supervision of Thomas Nann (University of Newcastle, Australia) and Jim Johnston. [3] Divya worked on selecting a suitable cathode element for non-aqueous aluminium-ion batteries. [3] [4] Divya co-founded company TasmanIon, of which she is also chief executive, with Thomas Nann in 2022. [5] [4] The company aims to commercialise the aluminium-ion battery technology developed by Divya. The batteries are intended to be more sustainable than lithium batteries as the components are more abundant, and are also easier to recycle. [6] [7] [8] [9] Aluminium ion batteries also do not need cobalt, avoiding the ethical problems of cobalt mining, and are safer as there is no risk of explosion. [3] [10] [11] [12] [13]

In 2021 Divya was awarded a KiwiNet Breakthrough Innovator award. [14] [15] TasmanIon was shortlisted for the inaugural Le Zero Innovation Award. [16] TasmanIon was also selected as one of three participants in Wellington City Council-supported Creative HQ Climate Response Accelerator programme. [4]

Selected works

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan MacDiarmid</span> American-New Zealand chemist (1927–2007)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">John B. Goodenough</span> American materials scientist (1922–2023)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lithium iron phosphate battery</span> Type of rechargeable battery

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References

  1. ↑ "LinkedIn profile: Shalini Divya". LinkedIn. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  2. ↑ Institute, MacDiarmid (11 November 2019). "Batteries are toxic, so I'm building my own rechargeable non-toxic batteries". The MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 "Meet Dr Shalini Divya, innovator and visionary for a greener world". www.indianweekender.co.nz. 16 December 2024. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 "Eco start-ups striving for a sustainable future". Wellington City Council. 19 November 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  5. ↑ editorialcontent (7 March 2024). "Women in Business | Dr Shalini Divya, TasmanIon". Food + Beverage Technology. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  6. ↑ "A Positive Climate Pitchfest 2023: We have a winning climate tech startup!". 30 October 2023.
  7. ↑ Wellington, Victoria University of (26 October 2022). "Innovation award for University alumna | News | Te Herenga Waka". Victoria University of Wellington. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  8. ↑ Pound, Simon (2 September 2021). "Business is Boring: The New Zealand startup changing batteries for the better". The Spinoff. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  9. ↑ Raman, Venkat (1 May 2022). "Indian student invents revolutionary battery technology". indiannewslink.co.nz. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  10. ↑ "Battery research breakthrough powers success for international student". Education New Zealand. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  11. ↑ "Wellington-based CEO's solution to tackling energy shortages". NZ Herald. 27 July 2023. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  12. ↑ Jevons, Jennifer (28 July 2022). "10 NZ Female entrepreneurs to keep on your radar". Creative HQ. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  13. ↑ Young, Vanessa (27 September 2023). "Meet the people taking science to the marketplace". The Spinoff. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  14. ↑ Institute, MacDiarmid (1 December 2021). "Alumna Dr Shalini Divya wins 2021 KiwiNet Breakthrough Innovator Award". The MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  15. ↑ "Shalini Divya". www.wellingtonuniventures.nz. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  16. ↑ Ortmans, Marc (25 September 2023). "LeZero Innovation Prize Shortlist revealed". GEN UK. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
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