Current Students

Teri Snow Draper

Ph.D Chemical Engineering (w/ Terry Ring)

Alex Prlina

Ph.D Chemical Engineering

Past Students

Wenjia Wang – “Development of a Mild Solvolysis Liquefaction Method for Converting Low-rank Aromatic-rich Hydrocarbons into Value-added Mesophase Pitch,” Ph.D. Thesis, Chemical Engineering, May 2023.
Present position: Post-doctoral Research Associate, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Joshua Malzahn – “Controlled Secondary Gas-phase Reactions in Pyrolysis as a Pathway to Produce Anisotropic Carbon Materials from Non-traditional Carbon Feedstocks,” Ph.D. Thesis, Chemical Engineering, April 2022.
Present position: R&D Scientist, Research and Technology Group, Hexcel

Ding Wang – “Developments with Two Novel Coal Utilization Methods,” Ph.D. Thesis, Chemical Engineering, December 2019.
Present position: Post-doctoral Research Associate, University of Utah

Fatemeh Babazadeh Shareh – “Development of a Sub-surface Heater Technology for In-situ Heating,” Ph.D. Thesis, Chemical Engineering, December 2017.
Present position: Sr. Manager, Validation, Finch Therapeutics Group

Pal Toth – “Applications of Image Processing in Combustion Research,” Ph.D. Thesis, Chemical Engineering, May 2014.
Present position: Senior Data Scientist, Phillips 66

Keith Gneshin – “Mass Transfer and Devolatilization Phenomena in Very Large Coal Domains at Very Slow Heating Rates,” Ph.D. Thesis, Chemical Engineering, August 2013.
Present position: Patent Agent, Nautilus Biotechnology

Liyong Wang – “Experimental and Modeling Study of SO2 Behavior During Oxy-coal Combustion in Fluidized Beds,” Ph.D. Thesis, Chemical Engineering, December 2012.
Present position: Engineering Consultant

Joseph Adams – “Oxy-Coal Combustion Using Oxygen Transport Membranes,” Ph.D. Thesis, Chemical Engineering, December 2012.
Present position: Combustion Engineer, R.W. Beckett Corporation

Astrid Sanchez – “Effect of O2 and CO2 on Nitrogen Compound Emissions During Fluidized Bed Oxy-Combustion Reactions,” Ph.D. Thesis, Dept. of Chemistry, University of Antioquia (w/Fanor Mondragon), August 2011.
Present position: Associate Professor, Escuela de Quimica, Universidad Nacional de Colombia

Laurie Centauri – “Quantification of Uncertainty for Holographic Interferograms,” M.S. Thesis, Chemical Engineering, August 2010.
Present position: Chemistry Instructor, Green River College

Jingwei Zhang – “Oxy-coal Combustion: Stability of Axial Pulverized Coal Flames in O2/CO2 Envinronments,” Ph.D. Thesis, Chemical Engineering (w/Jost Wendt), August 2010.
Present position: Senior Process Engineer, Celanese

Ignacio Preciado – “Study of Soot Deposition in Flames and Its Effect on Heat Transfer to Metal Surfaces,” Ph.D. Thesis, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, December 2008.
Present position: Research Associate, University of Utah

Tara Henriksen – “Chemical-Structural Characterization and Ethanol Effect on the Products Generated in Ethylene and Benzene Inverse Diffusion Flames,” Ph.D. Thesis, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, December 2007.
Present position: Managing Director, American Chemistry Council

Alexander Santamaria – “Chemical-Structural Characterization and Ethanol Effect on the Products Generated in Ethylene and Benzene Inverse Diffusion Flames,” Ph.D. Thesis, Dept. of Chemistry, University of Antioquia (w/Fanor Mondragon), February 2007.
Present position: Docent-Investigator, University of Antioquia, Colombia.

Joy Sroykum Brooks – “Statistical Validation of Chemical Kinetic Mechanisms in Reacting Flows.,” M.S. Thesis, Chemical Engineering, August 2006.
Present position: Senior Air Quality Manager, Southern California Edison

Shihong Yan – “Formulation and Some Applications of Jet Fuel Surrogates,” Ph.D. Thesis, Chemical Engineering, Dec. 2005.
Present position: Product Manager, Air Products

William Ciro – “Heat Transfer at Interfaces of a Container of High-Energy Materials Immersed in a Pool Fire,” Ph.D. Thesis, Chemical Engineering, Dec. 2004.
Present position: Consultant & Technical Sales, Dynamis Ltd

Zoran Djurisic – “Chemical Kinetics of Nitrogen Fixation in Hydrocarbon Flame Fronts,” Ph.D. Thesis, Chemical and Fuels Engineering, Dec. 2004.
Present position: Manager, Marin Fencing Academy

Jimmy Daghlian – “Soot Volume Fraction and Temperature Measurement in a Slot Burner Utilizing Laser Extinction and Emission,” M.S. Thesis, Chemical and Fuels Engineering (w/Adel Sarofim), May, 2002.
Present position: Director, Delivery Operations South, NV Energy

Marc Wachenhausen – “The Behavior of Iron Pyrite and Toxic Metals Under Low-NOx Firing Conditions in a Wet-Bottom Boiler,” Diploma Thesis (M.S.) in Mechanical Engineering, RWTH-Aachen, University of Technology, Germany, Oct. 1999 (w/Ulrich Ranz).