As a part of the award, Anup Premaraj Kamath had the opportunity to spend 30 days during summer at the INSTM Research Unit at Sapienza University of Rome working within the ENAM research group on a collaborative research project in energy storage and conversion. The collaborative scientific project between Fraunhofer ISE, the University of Freiburg and ENAM focuses on the improvements in separator design to enhance the electrochemical performance of room temperature sodium-sulfur and lithium-sulfur batteries. »Receiving this award in honor of Prof. Scrosati’s and having the opportunity to do an internship at the university where he made such impactful contribution, is both humbling and inspiring. His legacy continues to shape the future of energy storage and conversion, and I’m grateful to be a part of that journey«, says Anup Premaraj  Kamath.

Research and academic background

Anup Premaraj Kamath is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Sustainable Systems Engineering at Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg. He works as a research assistant with the Advanced Battery Materials group within the Electrical Energy Storage department at Fraunhofer ISE as well as at the Freiburg Materials Research Center (FMF). The group focuses on developing advanced functional materials for supercapacitors, lithium, and post-lithium-ion batteries. Anup’s research centers on the development of materials for room-temperature sodium-sulfur batteries, a promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries. During the few past months, he contributed to designing gel-polymer electrolytes as safer and more stable alternatives to its liquid counterparts. Now, as part of his master’s thesis, titled “Surface-Modified Separator Design for High Performance Room-Temperature Sodium-Sulfur Batteries”, he is developing composite materials to address the critical polysulfide shuttle effect. His work involves designing and fabricating physically surface-modified separators using the blade coating technique. 

About the Scrosati Award

Established in 2025 by the National Interuniversity Consortium of Materials Science and Technology, the award honors the scientific legacy of Prof. Bruno Scrosati, one of the founding fathers of the modern secondary batteries and among the most influential Italian electrochemists of the 20th century. The Award is granted to a master’s student enrolled in a non-Italian European university, researching in battery technology and materials science. The selection criteria for the award includes the Curriculum Vitae, the Transcripts, a Letter of Recommendation and a Video Presentation describing the research experience of the candidate in the field of batteries and material sciences.