Dr. Ahiud Morag
Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Sciences
My life before BGU:
I was born in Rehovot and grew up in Ness Ziona, where I attended Ben-Gurion High School. I studied for my bachelor’s degree at BGU – a combined degree in chemistry and chemical engineering with a focus on nanotechnology – followed by a direct-track master’s in chemistry. For my master’s degree I studied crystallization and self-reduction in gold complexes. From there, I continued with doctoral studies in chemistry, focusing on designing energy storage devices using nanostructures to increase energy capacity. I did my postdoc was at TU Dresden, where I carried out fundamental research on ion arrangement in electrolytes and on how the electrochemical structure of the cathode affects magnesium batteries.
Why BGU?
I “grew up” at Ben-Gurion University. It’s where I obtained my BSc in chemical engineering. So, it felt very natural to return to the department I already know. Plus, I lived in Beer-Sheva throughout my studies, until we moved to Germany, and we really loved the city and how much it has developed over the years.
My research:
A battery has two electrodes (anode and cathode) that take part in oxidation and reduction reactions (giving and receiving electrons). Between them there’s a solution (the electrolyte) that conducts ions but doesn’t conduct electrons. My research focuses on changing and manipulating the ions inside the electrolyte, and on enabling different kinds of redox (oxidation-reduction) reactions at both electrodes.
Furthermore, in the electrolytes of magnesium, aluminum, zinc, and calcium batteries, the ions strongly interact with other elements in the electrolyte, significantly affecting chemical interactions. We showed that adding certain materials to the electrolyte can change these interactions, enabling novel chemical reactions. Unlike previous studies, we were able to demonstrate that this effect on the chemistry is consistent even when the cathode is switched, proving that it is possible to predict chemistry by characterizing the electrolyte.
An insight from my research:
It’s fine to propose a hypothesis and try to prove it, but it’s also important not to force the results to fit that hypothesis. Discovering that your hypothesis was wrong still moves your research forward.
Something that doesn’t appear on my CV:
I get up very early in the morning to work out, before the rest of the family wakes up.
When I grow up...
Over the years I’ve wanted to be so many things that I can hardly remember them, but I’ve known I wanted to be in academia since my second year of undergrad.
If I wasn’t a researcher…
I’d want to be in a startup – something in environment or energy.
In brief:
- Careful planning or spontaneity? Careful planning, with flexibility when it comes to the moment of truth. You never really know how things will turn out, so you have to be prepared to change.
- Pilates or spinning? I don’t like group workouts. I prefer putting on music or a podcast and training alone.
- Morning or night? Morning! Usually, I wake up before my alarm goes off.
- Summer or winter? Winter in Beer-Sheva, summer in Germany. But please, no rain.
- Shuk or shopping mall? Shuk. Anything you can find at the mall can be ordered online.
- Instant coffee or espresso? Black coffee. Don’t like instant, and espresso feels like too much effort.
- Trekking or the beach? Trekking. Our family’s standard for a successful trip is how much our legs hurt at the end.
- Night out with friends or quiet night alone? A night with friends.
- Car or train? With the family, I prefer using the car. When I’m alone, I’m fine with public.
- Classical Europe or East Asia? Classical Europe.
- Ocean or pool? Pool.
- City or country? A low key city that goes to sleep by 10 pm.
- A movie at the cinema or a Netflix binge? Binge, at double speed.
- Text message or phone conversation? I prefer a conversation. I feel like I waste more time explaining myself in a text.
- Fantasy or reality? Sci-fi (without dragons and princesses).
