The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Electrochemistry Interest Group Faraday Medal is one of the most prestigious international awards in electrochemistry. It is presented annually by the RSC to recognise outstanding mid-career electrochemists working outside the UK and Ireland.
The 2026 Faraday Medal has been awarded to Mari Lundström, Professor of Hydrometallurgy at Aalto University, Finland. The award will be presented this month at Electrochem 2026 in York, UK, where she will also deliver the Faraday Medal Lecture.
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| Mari (2nd left) at an IOM3 conference in Cambridge in 2015 with Barry and Barbara Wills, Stephen Neethling and Nick Wilshaw |
Professor Lundström is internationally recognised for her pioneering work in electrochemical and hydrometallurgical processes for the sustainable recovery of critical and precious metals. Her research focuses on:
- Electrochemical extraction and refining of metals.
- Recycling of lithium-ion batteries and electronic waste.
- Recovery of critical raw materials such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, and precious metals.
- Designing low-carbon, circular-economy processes for metal production.
- Bridging fundamental electrochemistry with industrial-scale implementation.
Her work has become particularly important as demand for battery materials has grown rapidly due to electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies. We are hoping that Mari might present her work at Hydrometallurgy '27 in Cape Town next year and that we might also see her at Critical Minerals '26 in November.
