Dr Rob Sommerville MEng, MRes, PhD, AMIChemE, MIMMM

Dr Rob Sommerville

School of Metallurgy and Materials
Assistant Professor in Mineral Processing

Contact details

Address
School of Metallurgy and Materials
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Rob is an Assistant Professor in the schools of Metallurgy and Materials and Chemical Engineering and co-leads the Energy Materials Group at the University of Birmingham, with research interests in extraction and recycling of strategic elements and critical materials.

Qualifications

  • Member of the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining,
  • Associate Member of The Institution of Chemical Engineers.
  • PhD in Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, 2017
  • MRes in Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, 2013
  • MEng in Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, 2012

Biography

Rob completed his undergraduate, MRes, and PhD studies in Chemical Engineering at the University of Birmingham. His doctoral research, supervised by Professor Neil Rowson, focused on the reutilisation of fly ash in the production of zeolites and functional materials, earning his PhD in 2017.

Since 2017, Rob has been actively involved in battery recycling research, working on the ReLiB project in the application of mineral processing techniques to extract active materials from lithium-ion batteries. His current research focuses on the extraction and recycling of strategic elements and critical materials from both waste and primary sources, with an emphasis on improving efficiency and maximizing the reuse of functional materials.

Postgraduate supervision

Application of mineral processing techniques in the extraction and recycling of strategic elements and critical materials. If you are interested in this subject area, please contact Dr Sommerville.

Research

Rob has been involved in research projects funded by the Faraday Institution, Innovate UK, Horizon Europe, and the Advanced Propulsion Centre. These projects emphasize the importance of collaboration between academia and industry in addressing key challenges in materials sustainability and the circular economy. By working closely with industrial partners, his research aims to ensure that innovative recycling technologies can be scaled up effectively to meet the growing demand for critical materials in energy storage and electrification.