Grants to Support Knowledge Exchange - Olivia Linley
Olivia Linley, 2026 Grant to Support Knowledge Exchange recipient, shares her experience.
In July 2026, I attended the UK-HyRES & GW-SHIFT Hydrogen Industry and Early Career Researcher Fora in Bristol. I presented a poster and gave a one-minute pitch on my research into pre-operational conditioning processes for PEM water electrolysers, focusing on my recent findings on how these protocols are designed across the field.
I had several meaningful discussions with both other academics, and industry representatives, and those conversations proved incredibly useful. One person invited me to another event they were hosting that was directly relevant to my research, which I would not have known about otherwise. I also had the chance to finally meet, in person, a fellow ECR from another university that I’d previously only met through zoom calls, and was able to go for a coffee with another researcher I connected with at the event. Being from a small, newly established, lab group these conversations and connections are invaluable to my future career progression.
On top of gaining many new professional connections, it was very reassuring to talk with other early career researchers at the event. Many were in a similar position to myself, and knowing I wasn’t alone in feeling behind was, unexpectedly, the most valuable takeaway.
Olivia Linley
BEng Material Science & Engineering, Queen Mary University London
