Image credit: Annette from Pixabay.
By Dr Karen Steward
The Cambridge Graphene Centre (CGC) recently welcomed Professor Yahya Zweiri, senior director of the Research and Innovation Center for Graphene and 2D Materials at Khalifa University in the United Arab Emirates, for discussions on how universities can be better at turning world-leading research into real-world products.
During his visit, Prof. Zweiri spoke about the importance of collaboration between academia and industry, and why institutions such as the University of Cambridge have become global leaders not only in scientific discovery, but also in creating successful spin-out companies.
A professor of aerospace engineering with a background in artificial intelligence and robotics, Prof. Zweiri said his work is increasingly focused on “bridging the gap” between laboratory research and industrial need.
“We are aiming to translate research into impactful industrial solutions and spin-offs,” he said. “Universities should contribute towards commercialisation and a knowledge-based economy.”
Cambridge, he explained, provides a powerful model. He pointed to the University’s long-standing reputation for combining fundamental research with innovation, entrepreneurship and commercial impact.
“Cambridge has become a benchmark,” he said. “It is not only about producing graduates who look for jobs. Universities can help create companies, solve real problems and generate value for the economy.”
Learning from Cambridge’s innovation ecosystem
Prof. Zweiri’s visit formed part of Khalifa University’s efforts to understand how Cambridge has built one of the UK’s most successful research commercialisation ecosystems.
He noted that Cambridge has produced a remarkable number of spin-outs and start-ups, contributing billions of pounds to the UK economy. For a young institution such as Khalifa University, learning from that success could accelerate its own ambitions.
“We want to understand what Cambridge is doing, what the secrets are and how we can collaborate together,” he said. “With collaboration, we can jump many steps in a very short period of time.”
Central to those ambitions is graphene and other advanced 2D materials. More than 20 years after graphene was first isolated, Prof. Zweiri believes the next challenge is no longer simply producing the material, but identifying where small amounts of it can make a major difference.
“Graphene itself is not enough as a commodity,” he said. “The real value comes when small amounts of graphene or 2D materials are added to a product and create a differentiator.”
Potential applications range from aerospace and electronics to energy storage and advanced manufacturing. By improving conductivity, reducing heat and increasing efficiency, graphene-based materials could help create lighter, faster and more sustainable technologies.
Turning waste into high-value materials
One of the strongest themes of the discussion was sustainability. Prof. Zweiri argued that one of the biggest barriers to innovation is the disconnect between the problems faced by industry and the research taking place inside universities.
To address that, he believes researchers must work more closely with industry to identify urgent challenges and realign parts of their research accordingly.
Among the most promising opportunities, he said, is the conversion of waste into valuable graphene and 2D materials.
Instead of relying on raw materials, Khalifa University researchers are exploring ways to turn discarded plastic bottles, used tyres, aerospace thermoplastics and even biological waste into advanced materials.
“We are converting water bottles, car tyres and biowaste into 2D materials,” he said. “Those materials can then be used in products with much greater value.”
Prof. Zweiri also highlighted the growing challenge posed by electric vehicle batteries. As battery use increases, so does the need to recover scarce materials such as nickel and reuse the remaining waste sustainably.
Graphene’s role in the future of AI and energy
Looking ahead, Prof. Zweiri sees energy as one of the defining challenges of the coming decades.
He pointed to the demand created by electric vehicles, where future battery systems could one day power a car for 1,500 miles on a single charge, recharge in minutes and weigh far less than current systems.
At the same time, he warned that the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) is creating an unprecedented demand for electricity. Much of the energy used by AI systems is consumed simply by sending data between devices and remote servers.
He believes new forms of computing, particularly neuromorphic systems that combine memory and processing together, could dramatically reduce energy use. Advanced 2D materials, including graphene, are expected to play an important role in enabling those technologies.
“Graphene and 2D materials can make processors more efficient, reduce heat and lower energy consumption,” he said. “That is how we look to tomorrow: more sustainable, more energy efficient and making better use of the resources we already have.”
About the interviewee
Yahya Zweiri is a Professor of Aerospace Engineering at Khalifa University (KU), United Arab Emirates, where he also serves as senior director of the Research & Innovation Center for Graphene and 2D Materials (RIC2D) and director of the Advanced Research and Innovation Center. He leads strategic research and innovation in applied AI, neuromorphic perception and autonomous aerial robotics, with a strong focus on translating advanced research into real-world industrial deployment through global partnerships.
He holds an MSc from Imperial College London, a PhD from King’s College London and completed postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA. Professor Zweiri is the founder of three startups and has led the deployment of six industrial solutions, demonstrating a consistent track record in bridging research and commercialization.
He has secured more than USD 15 million in external research funding, supervised over 25 PhD completions and is a pioneer in neuromorphic perception research.
His work is driven by a core commitment to transforming advanced scientific research into high-value products and scalable industrial innovations, particularly in emerging areas such as graphene, 2D materials and intelligent autonomous systems.