CIC energiGUNE scientist María Arnaiz receives the “POLiS Award for Excellence for Women Researchers” in Germany

The award entails financial support of up to 70,000 euros for research stays in one of the institutions belonging to the ‘Post-Lithium’ Energy Storage Cluster of Excellence to establish and strengthen international collaborations.

María Arnaiz received the award during the POLiS Annual Meeting, organised by the University of Ulm, where the CIC energiGUNE scientist gave a lecture on her professional career and her work on pre-metallation strategies and their subsequent scaling up to the development of multilayer cells.

María Arnaiz, a researcher at CIC energiGUNE, a leading Basque research centre in electrochemical energy storage, thermal energy storage and conversion and hydrogen technologies, has won the ‘POLiS Award for Excellence for Women Researchers’, awarded by the ‘Post-Lithium’ Energy Storage Cluster of Excellence. This organisation, made up of prestigious German institutions that aim to develop alternative storage technologies to lithium (such as sodium, potassium, magnesium or calcium), annually awards a prize to an “outstanding female researcher whose career is at an early or mid-stage and who works on one of the scientific topics of the POLiS Cluster”.

“I see this award as a recognition of the work I have already done, but above all, of what is to come,” said Dr. Arnaiz. In this sense, the award involves up to €70,000 for one or more research stays at one of the participating POLiS institutions (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, University of Ulm, Baden-Württemberg Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Centre and University of Giessen) to establish and strengthen international collaborations.

The CIC energiGUNE scientist received the award in Ulm, during the POLiS Annual Meeting, which took place on 20 and 21 June. In addition to being the protagonist of the award ceremony of the “Excellence Award for Women Researchers”, Dr. Arnaiz has also given a lecture on her professional career, with special attention to her work on pre-metallation strategies and their subsequent scaling up to the development of multilayer cells.
María Arnaiz is currently an Associate Researcher at CIC energiGUNE, where she is part of the Cell Prototyping Research Group and works in the research line on metal-ion capacitors, within the Electrochemical Storage Area.

Arnaiz’s career at CIC energiGUNE dates back to 2015, when he arrived as a summer student for a period of 2 months. During this time, he began his first steps in the synthesis and characterisation of cathode materials for sodium ion batteries. In 2016 he did his Master Thesis, aligning his work on sodium ion capacitor technology, and in 2017 he did his PhD also at the Basque centre, continuing his research on the development of lithium and sodium ion capacitors.

In 2020 she definitively joined CIC energiGUNE as a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Prototyping Group, and in 2022 she obtained a permanent position. Currently, her research work focuses on the scaling of metal ion capacitor technology, from electrode processing to cell development and optimisation. María Arnaiz participates in various national, European and industrial projects, where she focuses on developing technologies that help environmental sustainability. In addition, with the aim of disseminating science among future female scientists, she also participates in STEAM activities.

The POLiS Excellence Cluster develops new battery materials and technology concepts needed for efficient and sustainable storage of electrical energy. The members of the partnership have identified sustainable alternatives that no longer rely on lithium and other critical materials, and as a result, are researching batteries based on sodium, magnesium, calcium, and aluminium ions. These so-called post-lithium batteries have the potential to store more energy, be safer and offer a more cost-effective long-term option for mass applications such as stationary and mobile electrochemical storage.