Akshay Rao

Professor Akshay Rao is a physicist and entrepreneur of Indian heritage, holding the position of Harding Lecturer in Physics at the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge. His research focuses on the fundamental optical and electronic properties of materials, with a particular emphasis on energy storage and photovoltaics. He has been awarded an ERC Proof of Concept Grant for translating his battery research into commercial innovation.

Akshay is a co-founder of illumion, a University of Cambridge spinout that has developed Charge Photometry — a pioneering optical imaging technique that provides real-time, non-destructive insights into how battery materials behave during the charge and discharge cycle. The technology aims to dramatically accelerate the development of next-generation battery chemistries. He is also co-founder of Cambridge Photon Technology.

Through illumion, Akshay has helped bring cutting-edge academic research in energy storage into a commercial context, addressing a field where battery material development methods have remained largely unchanged for fifty years. The company raised a £2.1 million seed round in 2024, backed by Foresight Group, Cambridge Enterprise Ventures, Parkwalk Advisors, and Cambridge Angels, to expand its platform globally.