Diksha Mittal, a PhD student here at St Edmund’s, returned this month from the prestigious 2026 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Renewable Energy, held from the 2nd to 8th May in Lucca, Italy. The conference, renowned for platforming unpublished and cutting‑edge research, united scientists from across the globe in advancing the frontier of solar‑fuels research. Solar fuels are a rapidly developing area within renewable energy research that aims to convert sunlight into usable chemical energy.
Our Student Development Award, made possible through the generosity of our college donors, helps students like Diksha cover the cost of extracurricular personal and professional growth opportunities. For Diksha, whose doctoral work explores the future of biomass and the sustainability of catalysis, this experience was an “invaluable investment in my scientific development”, offering “a unique opportunity to engage with cutting-edge advances in the field” of renewable energy.
Not only did Diksha have the “opportunity to engage directly with leading scientists and fellow researchers in the field”, she also platformed her own pioneering research on an international stage. Diksha presented her work on ‘Solar Reforming of Lignin to CO and Value-Added Aromatics Under Mild Reaction Conditions.’ Her work aims to address a long-standing sustainability challenge: how to transform lignin, an abundant but underutilized component of agricultural waste, into valuable chemical products.
In an era that UN Secretary-General António Guterres describes as a “highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator”, the timeliness and precedence of Diksha’s work was recognised, prompting “stimulating discussions” that gave her the opportunity “to reflect on what can be done to further improve the system’s viability, sustainability, and practicality.”
Diksha’s participation in the GRC exemplifies the intellectual curiosity and global engagement that the Student Development Award aims to cultivate.
“The experience significantly broadened my understanding of the challenges and opportunities in solar fuels research and will directly contribute to the development and communication of my ongoing research projects” she said. “I am very grateful to the college for the financial support that made attendance at this conference possible.”
Her achievements in Lucca stand as a testament to what St Edmund’s students can accomplish when given the resources to explore, connect, and lead.
