PME Industry Seminar Series - Dr. Niall English

This talk will explore how gas nano-bubbles in solvents, often water, can be used to improve energy efficiency and environmental sustainability across a whole host of end-use applications - ranging from water treatment, agriculture, and aquaculture to oil-and-gas applications. We shall explore how particular exciting new methods of generating thick-skinned, long-lived nano-bubbles offers transformative possibilities in enabling such nano-gasification of water and solvents to improve sustainability, as well as examining commercial pathways.<br /><br />

Niall English completed a Ph.D. in 2003 at UCD (Dept. of Chemical Engineering) on electric-field effects on crystallization. During 2004-2005, Niall carried out further studies on crystallization and water and metal oxides at the National Energy Technology Laboratory, a DOE national lab, in conjunction with the Dept of Chemical Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. During 2005 to 2007, he worked for the Chemical Computing Group in Cambridge, GB. Here, Niall developed molecular simulation codes, protocols and methods for biomolecular simulation, used chiefly in structure-based drug design applications in the pharmaceutical industry. Niall commenced his position as a lecturer at UCD Chemical Engineering in 2007, being promoted to senior lecturer in 2014 and professor in 2017. He is currently lecturing on chemical-engineering design, thermodynamics, experimental design, process control and molecular simulation, as well as coordinating final-year and Masters-level research projects. He is the director for the Chemical-Engineering MEngSc programme, and the upcoming one on Engineering of Advanced Interfacial Materials. His research interests encompass nanoscience (such as nano-bubbles), energy and materials - e.g., gas hydrates, solar and renewable energies, and simulation of electric-field effects on (nano)materials and biological systems. He has a special interest in water, whether in the bulk or at interfaces or in (nano-)confined systems. He is also co-founder of two campus spin-out companies, BioSimulytics and Aqua-B.

<a href="https://uchicago.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIocuCrqD0oEtZ2gQndCejOVuKO_…; Zoom Registration Link</a>