When Creativity Meets Research: Sagnik Das Shines in Art of Research Competition

CBE PhD student Sagnik Das (Haiqing Lin group) was a finalist in the University at Buffalo's recent Art of Research competition. The competition celebrates research by showcasing original images that capture the visual beauty of research, scholarship, and creative pursuits. This competition offers a platform for researchers across all disciplines to share their work in a way that engages and resonates with a wide public audience. Each student submits their photo into one of seven categories: Precision and Detail, Innovation and Technology, Field Work and Exploration, Data Visualization, Cultural Insights and Interpretations, AI Research Unveiled, and Collaboration, Teamwork and Community Impact. 

Sagnik's research focuses on the development of advanced membrane technologies for selective lithium (Li⁺) extraction from seawater. He chose this surrealistic representation to capture attention and evoke the idea that energy solutions of the future may lie hidden in plain sight, within our oceans. 

With the rapid global demand for lithium in applications such as rechargeable batteries, electric vehicles, and grid-scale energy storage, conventional lithium sources are becoming limited. Seawater, despite having a low lithium concentration (~0.17 ppm), represents a vast and untapped reservoir. His work aims to engineer membranes that can overcome the challenges of ion selectivity, energy efficiency, and scalability for lithium recovery from this complex matrix.

The image visually conveys the concept of “harvesting lithium from the ocean” — depicted through a pair of hands rising from the seawater, cradling a water droplet containing a lithium-ion battery. The battery symbolizes lithium’s critical role in energy storage technologies. The droplet, shaped like a teardrop and cupped protectively, reflects both the preciousness of water as a source and the intricacy of isolating lithium ions from an overwhelmingly saline and multicomponent environment.