UCL has appointed professor Thomas S Miller as the inaugural Horiba chair of advanced propulsion technologies in its Faculty of Engineering, effective September 2026.
This new chair expands the partnership between UCL and Horiba, which is dedicated to the decarbonization of the transportation sector, particularly through work on battery and fuel cell electric vehicles. Through this collaboration, Horiba has committed to providing support for a senior academic post and two doctoral research students within UCL’s Advanced Propulsion Lab (APL), helping to develop the next generation of clean propulsion technologies and the engineers who will deliver them.
Professor Miller commented, “The transition to net zero transportation depends on us developing a much deeper understanding of how electrochemical systems behave under real operating conditions. This role provides a unique opportunity to connect fundamental science with industry-relevant challenges, developing technologies and approaches that can be translated to deliver real-world impact. I am excited to build on the strong partnership between UCL and Horiba to advance this work.”
Located at UCL East on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the APL converges world-class expertise from chemical and mechanical engineering to enable the high-precision measurement and validation of electrochemical propulsion systems under real-world conditions. This interdisciplinary approach provides a platform for addressing challenges across the full system, delivering solutions that connect breakthroughs in basic research with practical technologies that can be deployed in the real world.
Professor Miller currently serves as director of the APL and is an internationally recognized materials scientist and electrochemist whose research focuses on electrochemical energy systems, including batteries, fuel cells and electrolysers. He is co-lead of the UCL Electrochemical Innovation Lab (EIL) and deputy director of UCL’s Global Industrial Technology Cooperation Centre. As Horiba chair, he will lead research and training to strengthen UCL’s ability to deliver technologies that enable cleaner, more efficient mobility.
Richard Carter, managing executive at Horiba UK, added, “Solving the complex challenges of transportation decarbonization requires closer collaboration between industry and academia than ever before. By combining pioneering research with real-world application, we can accelerate the innovations needed to create a cleaner, safer and more sustainable future.
Angharad Milenkovic, vice president (advancement) at UCL, concluded, “Philanthropy and partnership are critical to enabling the step change in research and innovation needed to address global challenges. Horiba’s support for this chair is a powerful example of how collaboration between industry and academia can accelerate progress, bringing exceptional talent like professor Miller to the forefront of work that will shape a more sustainable future.”
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