Dr Petr Zagura
Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Oxford
Engineering · Chemistry · Astronomy and physics
What if we could move electricity across the country while losing almost none of it along the way? Today, transmitting electricity over long distances can be a bit like paying for a full tank of petrol but losing a quarter of it before it ever reaches your car. Petr Zagura is exploring how superconducting technologies could help change that.
Superconductors are materials that can carry very large electrical currents with virtually no resistance. Already found at the heart of MRI scanners, they are also expected to play an important role in future fusion energy systems and more efficient power grids. Petr's research focuses on one of the biggest challenges in the field: how to connect pieces of superconducting material together without losing their remarkable properties.
Petr's fascination with superconductivity began long before his research career. Growing up with a radiologist mother, he spent time around MRI scanners and was captivated by the strange and often surprising ways powerful magnetic fields interact with the world around us.
And, while his work takes place at the cutting edge of materials science, Petr is interested in more than the science itself. For him, seeing stuff differently means looking beyond individual discoveries and asking how they can be scaled, adopted and translated into real-world impact. From improving healthcare to supporting the transition to net zero, he is fascinated by what it takes to turn a promising idea into something that changes people's everyday lives.
