Group members

Education Background:

• 2023-Now, PhD, Engineering Science, University of Oxford

• 2020-2023, BEng, Chemical Engineering, University of Nottingham Ningbo China 

Introduction: 

As a research student majoring in chemical engineering, Haoliang has not only achieved top academic results during his undergraduate studies, but also has a wealth of outstanding academic achievements. Haoliang worked in Prof. Chengheng Pang's project group in his first year of university, focusing on "The Green Conversion of Biomass into Advanced Materials for Bio-Medical Applications" and continued until his graduation.  He summarized the novel techniques for preparing carbon quantum dots by using supercritical fluids, and investigated the different properties of infrared absorption of graphene reproduced from different types of biomasses under different conditions. Meanwhile, another special contribution he made in his research group was that he coded an image analysis program in Python to determine the variation in the diffusion rate of the selected graphene species under NIR irradiation. The results and diagrams reached a similar conclusion to the experimental observations. The research was present in CEN and is recommended for special issue consideration and publication in Applied Energy (Impact factor: 11.446)

During the Easter holidays of the second academic year, Haoliang joined Assistant Prof. Samantha Bryan's bioengineering team in the UK, "Converting Industrial Wastes Into Ideal Polymer Materials”.The project was devoted to finding suitable biological cells to digest and decompose different carbon sources (various wastes such as construction, agricultural waste, and plastics, etc.) and convert them into ideal materials (various polymers) through specific conditions. Compliant cells were genetically engineered with the desired DNA extracted and then multiplied for mass production.

Now in Oxford, he will focus on reactor design using both numerical and experimental methods, system-level modeling and setting up a system for validation using the composite hydrogen sorbents and the designedreactor. The project will mainly study the thermodynamics and chemical kinetics of the hydrogen storage system. Haoliang is highly concerned about the development of clean and green energy, and actively promotes cooperation with the industry to achieve productization and practicality.

Relative Link: 

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=7jJJhnoAAAAJ 

Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Haoliang-Hong 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haoliang-hong-6a4b32289/ 

Education Backgound: 

• 2023-Now, PhD, Engineering Science, University of Oxford

• 2020-2021, Msc, Energy and Environment, University of Leeds

• 2016-2020, BEng, Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University

Introduction: 

Hangzuo has a robust background in chemical engineering. He began his research endeavors at Xiamen University, focusing on the development of oil-water separation treatment membranes. This foundational work in materials' development, modification, and characterization provided him with invaluable insights that have shaped his subsequent research interests. At the University of Leeds, Hangzuo specialized in Energy and Environment, furthering his studies in energy storage, especially in the domain of thermochemical heat storage.

At the University of Birmingham, Hangzuo's research centered around the design and development of a moving bed reactor for porous granular-based thermochemical heat storage solutions. He undertook comprehensive studies on the reaction kinetics and cyclic stability of composite granules within the reactor and established empirical models to facilitate system modeling and assessment.

Currently, at the University of Oxford, Hangzuo is concentrating on the development and application of thermochemical materials and systems. Additionally, he is exploring the use of Phase Change Materials for cold storage applications. This avenue of research introduces an innovative strategy with the potential to supplant traditional refrigeration systems in vehicles used for cold chain transport, offering sustainable solutions to pressing energy and logistics challenges.

Education Backgound: 

• 2023-Now, PhD, Engineering Science, University of Oxford

• 2016-2022, BEng, Chemical Engineering, The Technical University of Kenya

Introduction: 

Dorcas is passionate about energy security and environmental sustainability as well as  the need to conserve Mother Nature and the need to have efficient yet sustainable process industries.  She is currently working on Industrial decarbonization, specifically looking at steel industry, and finding alternative reducing agents(green fuels), as well as reactor modelling to minimize emissions and heat energy losses. Her research approach involves experimental studies coupled with process modelling, and has experience using MATLAB, COMSOL Multiphysics and Aspen Plus, and is supervised by Dr. Binjian Nie and Professor Aidong Yang.

While pursuing her undergraduate Chemical Engineering degree from the Technical University of Kenya, Dorcas specialized in Energy and Environment in her final year and did a research project titled “Modelling and economic evaluation of waste tire pyrolysis”, a waste-to-energy concept model, to help reduce the use of fossil fuels by having alternative fuel sources.

Dorcas is eager to collaborate with researchers in the clean energy and alternative fuels sectors, as well as those in the steel and iron-making industries. She is particularly interested in connecting with professionals working on industrial decarbonisation, green hydrogen, green ammonia, and renewable energy technologies.

Dorcas enjoys knowledge sharing and serving in leadership. She is an active member of the Women in Engineering Society at Oxford and serves as the International Student Representative and the President of the Linacre African Network at Linacre College. Some of her professional experiences includes consultancy roles at Deloitte East Africa and the BMW Mini Plant in Oxford.

Award and Honors: 

• First Class Honors: Valedictorian Class of 2022

• Rhodes Scholar 2023

Relative Link: 

Rsearch Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dorcas-Tuitoek-2 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorcastuitoek/ 

Oricd: 0009-0003-3620-7695 

Education Backgound: 

• 2014-2018, University of Nottingham, PhD, Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing

• 2010-2014, BEng, Chemical Engineering, Univeristy of Nottingham

Introduction: 

Incorporating a diverse range of experiences, Dr Le Ma has emerged as a multifaceted professional, proficient in entrepreneurship, research and project management.

As an Entrepreneurial Lead and Co-founder at Reactive Fusion Ltd, he successfully secured funding from Innovate UK, catalysing the launch of a pioneering engineering venture in 2022. The company’s primary focus encompassed fully reactive inkjet printing of polymers and high-throughput polymer chemistry screening.

His academic expedition at the University of Nottingham stands as a testament to his unwavering commitment to the advancement of knowledge. As a Research Fellow, he led the team explored the intricate interplay between material chemistry, geometry and immune cell response and their results were published in Matter. He also contributed significantly to pioneering the creation of human-scale tissues with patterned vascular networks through 3D printing of sacrificial sugar-protein composites. During his Ph.D, Le developed a predictive modeling tool for material screening for 3D printing and patented the technique.

Relative Link: 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/le-ma-phd-15751ba6/ 

Education Backgound: 

• 2022-Now, PhD, Engineering Science, University of Oxford

• 2020-2021, MPA, Science Technology Energy and Public Policy

• 2019-2020, MSc, Advanced materials for sustainable infrastructure, Imperial College Lonon

• 2015-2019, BEng, Material Science, Southwest University 

Introduction: 

Zi is a future system engineer whose current focus revolves around advancing and refining industrial-level comprehensive systems for carbon capture, CO2 to fuel and heat recovery. His aim is to employ this system to curtail external energy consumption in the production of hydrogen, methanol, and other commodities. From a systems perspective, the integrated utilization of carbon capture, heat recovery and redistribution, and CO2 fuel synthesizing systems can significantly reduce the energy costs associated with CO2 conversion by minimizing additional energy consumption. However, various compatibility issues exist between systems such as flow rate and heat matching. Therefore, Zi conducts feasibility studies on system coupling at system, reactor, and material levels to achieve a “black box” conversion from industrial exhaust gases to value-added fuels/chemicals. Prior to this, his efforts were concentrated on pioneering low-carbon cement. Through dynamic material flow models, he engineered extensive carbon sequestration calculations model grounded in material alteration, alongside cement carbon uptake computations rooted in natural absorption.

Collaboratively with Arup in 2020, he conducted policy investigations and proffered counsel concerning the UK cross-boundary heat network. Furthermore, he completed internships in diverse low-carbon sectors, including China's governmental low-carbon policy division and the research wing of the securities industry. These roles collectively furnished him with a multidimensional comprehension of China's low-carbon market.

Relative Link: 

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=zh-CN&user=80OjZhIAAAAJ 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zi-huang-9603/ 

Education Backgound: 

• 2023-Now, PhD, Engineering Science, University of Oxford

• 2021-2022, MSc, Advanced Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London

• 2017-2021, BEng, Process Control and Equipment Engineering, Dalian University of Technology

Introduction: 

Zirui had a rich academic background in engineering. He studied the design of the Mecanum vehicle and auxiliary parking equipment at Dalian university of technology, gaining expertise in mechanical engineering principles related to equipment design. Afterwards, at Imperial College London, he focused on the sequence-control multifunctional polyether synthesis and measurements, developing a strong foundation in advanced material production. His diverse skills and expertise enable him to design and develop innovative products and processes.

Nowadays, he has obtained an associate membership of the Royal Society of Chemistry (AMRSC) and interested in the synergistic process of decarbonization and resource recovery, aiming to realize carbon net zero and sustainable development goals. His main focus is Calcium looping process  for carbon capture and Industrial waste heat recovery. The initial plan is to improve the calcium-based absorbents and systems designed to capture carbon dioxide. He plans to construct the pilot experiment after simulation. Zirui is also dedicated to studying industrial thermal management based on phase change material and system design. He is committed to optimize heat exchanger distribution to reduce energy consumption and utilize phase change materials to store the waste heat.

Zirui hopes to cooperate with the industry and government to apply the research in practical production, achieving environmental protection and sustainable development.

Relative Link: 

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?hl=zh-CN&user=BS3ZSl8AAAAJ 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zirui-wang1999/ 

Oricd: 0009-0006-6976-9522 

Education Backgound: 

• 2023-Now, PhD, Engineering Science, University of Oxford

Introduction: 

Relative Link: 

Google Scholar: 

Linkedin: 

Oricd: 

Education Background:

• 2020-2024, PhD, Chemical Engineering, University of Cambridge (Emmanuel College)

• 2016-2020, MEng, BA, Chemical Engineering, University of Cambridge (Emmanuel College)

Introduction: 

Alex joined the ESEC group in 2024 as a PDRA, with his main research work focussing on thermochemical heating and cooling for heat management in solid hydrogen storage systems, alongside other projects on applying chemical looping for processes such as ammonia production and CO2 utilisation. His doctoral research, performed at the University of Cambridge in the group of Dr Ewa Marek, focussed on the fundamentals and applications of chemical looping catalysis for selective oxidation reactions. Outside of his research work, Alex enjoys target shooting, competitive quizzing, and the opera.

Relative Link

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=t5q__d4AAAAJ 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arpharrison/ 

Oricd: 0000-0002-9063-2364 

Education Backgound: 

• 2022-Now, PhD, Engineering Science, University of Oxford

• 2020-2022, MSc, Nanotechnology  University of Oxford, 

• 2017-2019, MSc, Completion and Well Intervention Engineering, Robert Gordon University

• 2013-2016, BSc. Management, London School of Economics and Political Science

• 2008-2012, BEng, Petroleum engineering, University of Pune, 

Introduction: 

Nikhil has 10+ years of energy industry experience in front-end designing and operations for drilling, completions, and well-intervention activities for offshore and land rigs. He strongly focuses on process improvement, operational performance enhancement, and HSSE and has steered several high-profile engineering projects requiring end-to-end project management in countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, India, Malaysia, Brunei, and the US.

His current research interest is carbon capture storage and utilization, geothermal energy generation, and underground hydrogen storage technologies. Previously, he has done research for private corporations encompassing computational fluid dynamics, nano-tracer technology development for reservoir management and monitoring, geochemical modelling, and developing computational tools for petrophysics and geophysics data evaluation and interpretation

Education Backgound: 

• 2022-Now, PhD, Engineering Science, University of Oxford

• 2018-2022, BS, Mechanical Engineering, Boston University

Introduction: 

Gayatri is an Engineering Science DPhil student researching how to utilize adsorption desalination and cooling processes to develop a decentralized, low-energy potable water and cold storage cogeneration system. More broadly, she seeks to utilize computational and experimental methods at the water-energy-food nexus to tackle current and future sustainable development opportunities. Gayatri is co-advised by Prof. Nick Hankins and Dr. Binjian Nie.  

Prior to joining the University of Oxford, Gayatri completed her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at Boston University. During her degree, she built and tested a desiccant-based water harvesting device for her senior design project, conducted research in heating electrification through Boston University’s Campus Climate Lab, and interned at Commonwealth Fusion systems as an R&D Mechatronics Intern. Building on a range of research and industrial internships in the energy and water landscape, Gayatri aims to bring an interdisciplinary perspective to future computational and experimental research projects.  

Award and Honors: 

• Innovation4All Competition Inaugural Winner, Worshipful Company of Engineers & Tech4All  (2023-Now)

• Clarendon Scholarship, University of Oxford (2022-Now)

• Anthony Janetos Climate Action Prize, Boston University Campus Climate Lab (2021)

Relative Link: 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sgayatri/ 

Education Backgound: 

Introduction: 

Relative Link: 

Google Scholar: 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-ball-/ 

Oricd: