Dr Zoe Schnepp

Dr Zoe Schnepp

School of Chemistry
Associate Professor in Materials Chemistry

Contact details

Address
School of Chemistry
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

The research of the Schnepp group covers two main areas. The first is the study of materials derived from biomass, including porous carbons and nanostructured ceramics. The group is particularly interested in how chemical and physical features of the biomass translate into different textural properties in the resulting material. They regularly visit large-scale facilities such as Brookhaven National Laboratory and Diamond Light Source to study the mechanisms of biomass pyrolysis. The Schnepp group works closely with several institutes around the world, including the National Institute for Materials Science in Japan, Universidad de Sevilla and University of Auckland.

The second area of research of the Schnepp group is in science education. They are interested in how outreach activities impact interest and career aspirations in school children. They are also studying how science can be made more accessible for people with vision impairment. Zoe Schnepp leads ChemBAM (www.chembam.com), a multi award-winning outreach project.

Listen to Zoe speaking about her research on BBC World Service's Science In Action.

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Qualifications

Associate Professor in Chemistry:

  • PhD in Chemistry, University of Bristol, 2009
  • MSci (Hons) in Chemistry with Industrial Experience, University of Bristol, 2005

Biography

Zoe Schnepp completed a PhD with Professor Stephen Mann at the University of Bristol in 2009. She then held a postdoctoral fellowship at the Max Planck Institute for Colloids and interfaces in Germany before moving to the National Institute for Materials Science in Japan. Here, she was awarded an independent postdoctoral fellowship in the International Center for Young Scientists. In 2012, she returned to the UK as a Birmingham Fellow. In 2019, she was promoted to Associate Professor.


Research

RESEARCH THEMES

  • Sustainability
  • Biomass-derived materials
  • Mechanisms of biomass pyrolysis
  • Ceramic nanostructures
  • Porous carbons
  • Science education
  • Vision impairment

Publications

Selected Recent Publications:

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