Scott Sinquefield

Scott Sinquefield
Scott.Sinquefield@rbi.gatech.edu

Scott Sinquefield completed his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering in 1998 at Oregon State University. He spent three years working with the Multi-Fuel Combustion Group at the Combustion Research Facility at Sandia National Labs (Livermore); where he performed the experimental portion of his thesis research. He joined the Chemical Recovery group at IPST in 1998 and was lead.engineer in the construction and operation of the Pressurize Entrained Flow Reactor facility. He now leads the research program on black liquor gasification. He has extensive experience in the design and construction of pilot research reactors and control systems. He also has expertise in boiler fire-side fouling and thermodynamic modeling of aqueous electrolyte systems.

Senior Research Engineer
Phone
(404) 385-0241
Additional Research
Gasification; Biofuels; Chemical Recovery; Environmental Processes; Separation Technologies
IRI and Role
Renewable Bioproducts > Faculty
Energy > Research Community
Renewable Bioproducts
Energy
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology

Preet Singh

Preet Singh
preet.singh@mse.gatech.edu

Prior to joining MSE in July 2003 Professor Singh was a faculty member in Corrosion and Materials Engineering Group at The Institute of Paper Science and Technology (IPST) since 1996.  While in IPST Singh worked on fundamental as well as applied research projects related to the corrosion problems in the pulp and paper industry. From 1990 to 1996, he was a Senior Research Associate at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, working on various materials and corrosion related research projects, including damage accumulation in metal matrix composites (MMCs), Environmental sensitive fracture of Al-alloys MMCs, and High temperature oxidation of Nb/Nb5Si3 composites. He received the Alcan International's Fellowship in 1988-90 to work on "Effects of Low Melting Point Impurities on Slow Crack Growth in Al Alloys,"  He has published over 50 papers in reputed scientific journals and conference proceedings. He is active member of NACE, TMS, TAPPI and has co-organized a number of international symposiums.

Reliable performance of the materials is very important for any industrial process and especially for the chemical process industry for the manufacture of a high quality product. Material selection is generally based on the required material properties, low initial capital investment, and minimum maintenance. Changes in the process parameters to improve products can often lead to higher corrosion susceptibilities of the plant materials. Moreover, with increase in capital cost, there is pressure to extend the life of existing plant equipment beyond its original design life. Corrosion and Materials Engineers are also playing a key role in selecting, maintaining, and modifying materials for changing needs for every industry. Corrosion Science and Engineering research includes understanding the basic mechanisms involved in material degradation in given environments and using that knowledge to develop a mitigation strategy against environment-induced failures

Professor, School of Materials Science and Engineering
Associate Chair of Graduate Studies, School of Materials Science and Engineering
Phone
404.894.6641
Office
IPST 246
Additional Research

Composites; fracture and fatigue; stress corrosion; Materials Failure and Reliability; Biofuels; Chemical Recovery; Environmental Processes; Sustainable Manufacturing; Energy & Water; Corrosion & Reliability

IRI and Role
Renewable Bioproducts > Faculty
Energy > Research Community
Matter and Systems > Affiliated Faculty
Renewable Bioproducts
Energy
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > School of Materials Science Engineering
Research Areas
Matter and Systems
  • Built Environment Technologies

Richard Simmons

Richard Simmons
richard.simmons@me.gatech.edu

Richard Simmons is currently a Principal Research Engineer and Fellow at Georgia Tech’s Strategic Energy Institute (SEI) where he directs cross-cutting energy projects with an emphasis on clean electric power, vehicle efficiency and alternative fuels. Simmons is also director of the Energy Policy and Innovation Center (EPICenter) whose objective is to perform research and outreach in energy policy and innovation with a distinctively regional perspective. He is also a part-time instructor in Georgia Tech’s Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, with a specialization in design, mechatronics and thermal systems. 

Simmons received his BS from Georgia Tech, and MS and Ph.D. from Purdue, all in Mechanical Engineering. He is a licensed professional engineer (PE) with more than 20 years of RD&D experience in automotive, advanced materials, and alternative energy and fuels. 

From 2009 to 2012, he served a prestigious American Association for the Advancement of Science S&T (Science and Technology) Policy Fellowship at the U.S. Department of State, providing technical analysis on international policy issues related to renewable energy. He has recently authored numerous publications including an open-access eBook entitled “Understanding the Global Energy Crisis” (Purdue Press, 2014), several book chapters and journal articles related to advanced energy technologies, transportation energy technology, and future energy policy strategies.

Director, Research and Studies
Principal Research Engineer
Phone
(404) 385-6326
Additional Research

Biofuels

IRI and Role
Energy > Core Faculty
Energy > Research Community
Energy > Staff
Energy > Leadership
Matter and Systems > Affiliated Faculty
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology
Research Areas
Matter and Systems
  • Built Environment Technologies

Carsten Sievers

Carsten Sievers
carsten.sievers@chbe.gatech.edu

Sievers’ research interests are in heterogeneous catalysis, reactor design, applied spectroscopy, and characterization and synthesis of solid materials. Combining these interests he seeks to develop processes for the production of fuels and chemicals. His research program combines fundamental and applied research.

In fundamental studies, a suite of analytical and spectroscopic techniques (e.g. IR, NMR) is used to gain knowledge on structure-reactivity relationships of heterogeneous catalysts. Moreover, surface reactions are studied on a molecular level to identify reaction pathways over different catalysts. Information obtained from these studies provides the foundation for designing innovative catalysts.

Applied studies focus specific catalytic processes. For these projects, continuously operated flow reactor systems are designed. Different catalysts are tested for reactivity, selectivity and stability and the influence of the operating conditions is investigated. Catalyst deactivation is studied in detail to develop suitable regeneration methods or to avoid deactivation entirely by improved catalyst design. Specific projects include hydrodeoxygenation of pyrolysis oils, selective hydration of polyols, conversion of sugars into lactic acid and ethylene glycol, and selective oxidation of methane.

An important goal of Sievers’ research is to enable technology for utilization of alternative resources in order to reduce the current dependence of oil. Among these biomass is a particularly promising candidate because it is renewable and can be produced CO2 neutral.

Sievers has contributed to 80 peer reviewed publications on heterogeneous catalysis in petroleum refining (isobutane/2-butene alkylation, fluid catalytic cracking, hydrotreating), alkane activation, supported ionic liquid as catalysts for fine chemical synthesis, and biomass processing.  He is Director and Past President of the Southeastern Catalysis Society, former Program Chair and Director of the ACS Division of Catalysis Technology & Engineering, former Director of the AIChE Division of Catalysis and Reaction Engineering, and Editor of Applied Catalysis A: General.

Professor, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
RBI Initiative Lead: Maximizing the Value of Products from Plastics Upcycling
Phone
404.385.7685
Office
ES&T 2218
Additional Research

Biomass; Biofuels; Catalysis; Advanced Characterization; Gasification; Biorefining; Lignin Upgrading; Catalysis; Energy & Water; Separation Technologies; Chemical Feedstocks; Sugars; Lignin & Hemicellulose

IRI and Role
Renewable Bioproducts > Faculty
Renewable Bioproducts > Leadership
Energy > Hydrogen Group
Energy > Research Community
Sustainable Systems
Renewable Bioproducts
Energy
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Research Areas
Sustainable Systems
  • Resource and Materials Use

David S. Sholl

David S.  Sholl
david.sholl@chbe.gatech.edu

Sholl’s research focuses on materials whose macroscopic dynamic and thermodynamic properties are strongly influenced by their atomic-scale structure. Much of this research involves applying computational techniques such as molecular dynamics, Monte Carlo simulations and quantum chemistry methods to materials of interest. Although the group's work is centered on computational methods, it involves extensive collaboration with experimental groups and industrial partners.

Professor, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Phone
404.894.2822
Office
ES&T 2214
Additional Research

Metal-Organic Frameworks; Separation Membranes; Separations Technology; Carbon Capture; Hydrogen; SMART Manufacturing; Sustainable Manufacturing; Biochemicals

IRI and Role
Data Engineering and Science > Faculty
Energy > Research Community
Data Engineering and Science
Energy
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Meisha Shofner

Meisha Shofner
meisha.shofner@mse.gatech.edu

Meisha L. Shofner is a professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology, joining the faculty following post-doctoral training at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She received her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and her Ph.D. in Materials Science from Rice University. Prior to beginning graduate school, she was employed as a design engineer at FMC in the Subsea Engineering Division, working at two plant locations (Houston, Texas and the Republic of Singapore), and she is a registered Professional Engineer in Georgia.

Shofner’s research area is processing-structure-property relationships of polymers and composites. Specifically, she designs processing strategies to attain hierarchical structures in these materials to improve properties and has discovered scalable processing methods to produce auxetic structures and tensegrity-inspired structures. Additionally, she works with bioderived materials to produce composites with reduced environmental impact.  

Professor, School of Materials Science and Engineering
Phone
404.385.7216
Office
MRDC 4409
Additional Research

Biomolecular-Solids; Biomaterials; Composites; Polymers; Nanomaterials; Biofuels; Structure-property relationships in polymer nanocomposite materials; producing structural hierarchy in these materials for structural and functional applications.

IRI and Role
Manufacturing > Affiliated Faculty
Data Engineering and Science > Affiliated Faculty
Renewable Bioproducts > Faculty
Energy > Research Community
Manufacturing
Data Engineering and Science
Renewable Bioproducts
Energy
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > School of Materials Science Engineering

Chengzhi Shi

Chengzhi Shi
chengzhi.shi@me.gatech.edu

Dr. Shi joined Georgia Tech in August 2018 as an assistant professor. Prior, he worked as a graduate student researcher at the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of California, Berkeley and Materials Science Division of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory focusing on the study of acoustic angular momentum and the design and realization of acoustic metamaterials and high-speed acoustic communication. His Ph.D. dissertation (2018) focuses on the development of acoustic metamaterials and the physics of the angular momentum of sound. Prior to his Ph.D. study at the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of California, Berkeley, Dr. Shi completed his M.S. degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan-Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute in Shanghai, China. His M.S. thesis (2013) focuses on the dynamics and vibration of cyclically symmetric rotating mechanical systems.

Assistant Professor
Phone
404-894-2558
Office
003 Love Manufacturing Building
Additional Research
Acoustic wave interactions with different cells including neurons, and imaging and treatment techniques resulted from the interactions.
IRI and Role
Bioengineering and Bioscience > Faculty
Energy > Research Community
Bioengineering and Bioscience
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering

Suresh Sharma

Suresh Sharma
suresh1.sharma@gatech.edu
Entrepreneur in Residence
Phone
(404) 385-5387
Additional Research
Electrical Grid
IRI and Role
Energy > Research Community
Energy
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology

Jerry Seitzman

Jerry Seitzman
jerry.seitzman@aerospace.gatech.edu
Professor
Phone
(404) 894-0013
Additional Research
Combustion
IRI and Role
Energy > Research Community
Energy
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering

Lakshmi Sankar

Lakshmi Sankar
sankar@aerospace.gatech.edu
Regents' Professor
Associate Chair for Undergraduate Programs
Phone
(404) 894-3014
Additional Research
Wind
IRI and Role
Energy > Research Community
Energy
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering