Our founding team
Dr Yan Zhao, CTO
PhD, MEng Hons
Yan moved from China to the United Kingdom for secondary education with the ambition of working in Formula 1. Through that journey, he saw the urgent need to transition from engines to battery-powered vehicles, so began research focusing on lithium-ion battery design, thermal management and simulation at Imperial College London. In 2019, he graduated with a PhD in battery engineering.
Observing pollution and emissions while waiting for London buses with his young daughter, Hannah, Yan was motivated to co-found Breathe.
When Yan isn’t researching battery technology, he’s working towards summiting Everest. He has already completed the trek to base camp.
Dr Ian Campbell, CEO
PhD, MSc, BE Hons
Ian is passionate about mathematics, computing and batteries. He cares about climate protection and dreams of a world with clean air. He’s excited by a future with electric cars, boats and aircraft but frustrated by the barriers imposed by current battery technologies.
In response, he began researching lithium-ion batteries at Imperial College London in 2015. In 2019 he graduated with a PhD in the topic and experience consulting to a range of industries.
Outside of work, he enjoys competing in motorsport and triathlons.
Dr Greg Offer, Chief Scientist
PhD, MSci-Hons, MRSC, CSci
Greg has always cared about the environment. From childhood, he wanted to become a scientist and to help solve climate change.
True to his ambition, since 2006 Greg has been conducting world-leading electrochemistry research. In 2010, Greg completed a secondment as an Energy Advisor to the United Kingdom's Department of Energy and Climate Change.
Today, in addition to his role as Chief Scientist and co-founder of Breathe, Greg is a professor and research group leader of the Electrochemical Science and Engineering group at Imperial College London. He is the principal investigator of the $20M Faraday Multi-Scale Modelling programme, part of the UK’s Faraday Battery Challenge, and is a co-founder of the Faraday Institution. Greg is also the co-founder and chair of the technical committee of the Future Propulsion Conference. Through his work, he has published over 130 peer-reviewed journal papers.
Greg is an accomplished singer and participates with his local barbershop quartet.