Monthly archive

Samuel Taylor

Job Title: 
Assistant Director, Strategic Partnerships and Technology
Organization: 
West Virginia University, Energy Institute

Sam Taylor is an assistant director at the WVU Energy Institute.  He is focused on development of major research investments and initiatives that can leverage the cross-cutting strengths and partnerships of WVU to high-impact research outcomes.  Through those efforts, he is engaged in development of faculty research support and program development for aligned energy faculty.  He has a technical focus in large scale grid, carbon management, natural gas production and utilization, transportation energy utilization and energy geosciences.  Taylor has strong interests in economic and workforce development issues, especially as they relate to energy development and technological change in the region.  

Taylor came to WVU in 2011, and has worked in the development, management and oversight of renewable and non-renewable energy research activities since 2001.  He has directly managed research, development, and deployment programs totaling more than $1 billion for both WVU and the U.S. Department of Energy.  Prior to his appointment to the WVU Energy Institute, he served as the operations manager for large energy research projects at West Virginia University, including the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center, and the Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory.

He brings significant expertise in the technological and economic aspects of advanced energy technologies, federal funding capture and proposal development, federal grants compliance and operations, and large and complex project and program development and execution.   

Education

Taylor received a masters in mechanical engineering in 2001 from West Virginia University and a doctorate in resource economics in 2020.  His dissertation focuses on the impacts of population losses in rural regions.

Dr. Samuel Taylor

Job Title: 
Assistant Director, Strategic Partnerships and Technology
Organization: 
West Virginia University Energy Institute
Sam Taylor is an assistant director at the WVU Energy Institute. He is focused on development of major research investments and initiatives that can leverage the cross-cutting strengths and partnerships of WVU to high-impact research outcomes. Through those efforts, he is engaged in development of faculty research support and program development for aligned energy faculty. He has a technical focus in large scale grid, carbon management, natural gas production and utilization, transportation energy utilization and energy geosciences. Taylor has strong interests in economic and workforce development issues, especially as they relate to energy development and technological change in the region. Taylor came to WVU in 2011, and has worked in the development, management and oversight of renewable and non-renewable energy research activities since 2001. He has directly managed research, development, and deployment programs totaling more than $1 billion for both WVU and the U.S. Department of Energy. Prior to his appointment to the WVU Energy Institute, he served as the operations manager for large energy research projects at West Virginia University, including the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center, and the Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory. He brings significant expertise in the technological and economic aspects of advanced energy technologies, federal funding capture and proposal development, federal grants compliance and operations, and large and complex project and program development and execution. Taylor received a masters in mechanical engineering in 2001 from West Virginia University and a doctorate in resource economics in 2020. His dissertation focuses on the impacts of population losses in rural regions.
Credentials: 
PhD

Dr. Virginia T. McLemore

Job Title: 
Principal Senior Economic Geologist, Minerals Outreach Liais
Organization: 
NM Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, NM

Dr. McLemore, is the Principal Senior Economic Geologist and Minerals Outreach Liaison for the Bureau. An economic geologist is a scientist who studies earth materials or minerals that can be used for economic and/or industrial purposes. Some of the topics an economic geologist examines are: how these minerals form, where are these natural resources found (i.e. inventory of these minerals, completing mineral-resource assessments), studies the history of mining, explores for new economic localities of these minerals, how to mine these resources, and how to reclaim these sites after mining. It is my job to provide mining and minerals-related information concerning New Mexico to decision makers, general public, scientists, environmental groups, and the mining industry (including consulting firms).

Credentials: 
PHD

Dr. Navid Mojtabai

Job Title: 
Professor, Department Chair, Mineral Engineering
Organization: 
New Mexico Tech, Socorro, NM

Dr. Mojtabai is a professor of mineral engineering. His research interests are Site Investigation, Rock Fragmentation, Mine Design, and Geomechanics. He is an expert in a variety of mining fields, including economic analysis, geostatistics, mine ventilation, environmental Issues, rock slope stability, tunneling and underground excavation. Mojtabai is a graduate of New Mexico Tech, earning his bachelor’s and master’s in mining engineering in Socorro. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Arizona in mining engineering, with a minor in civil engineering.

Credentials: 
PHD

Dr. Charles Sims

Job Title: 
Director, Energy & Environment Program
Organization: 
University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Dr. Charles Sims is currently a Faculty Fellow at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Tennessee.  He attended the University of Tennessee, receiving a Bachelor's Degree in Forest Resource Management and an MS in Forestry, with a minor in Environmental Policy. After spending a year as a Research Associate at the University of Tennessee, he headed west to join the Economics doctoral program at the University of Wyoming. He then spent four years as an assistant professor in the Department of Applied Economics at Utah State University.

Dr. Sims' research is in applied microeconomic theory with a focus on management of natural resources, coupled human and natural systems, risk and uncertainty, invasive species, endangered species, public land management, optimal control theory, dynamic programming, real options, computable general equilibrium.

Dr. Sarma Pisupati

Job Title: 
Director of Center for Critical Minerals
Organization: 
Penn State

Sarma V. Pisupati is Professor of Energy and Mineral Engineering, and Director of Center for Critical Minerals at Penn State. He also codirects Coal Science and Technology Program of the EMS Energy Institute. He earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in Chemical Engineering from Osmania University and IIT Kharagpur, respectively and a Ph.D. degree from The Pennsylvania State University. He has been studying and teaching the issues related to the energy and environment for the past 35 years. He has worked in industry for five years before joining The Pennsylvania State University.

Prof. Sarma’s main areas of scientific research are chemical kinetics, mass and heat transfer in combustion of solid fuels; computational fluid dynamic modeling of combustion systems for emission reduction; extraction of geothermal energy integrated with CO2 sequestration, advanced power generation methods; oxy-fuel combustion; chemical looping combustion; slagging and fouling in gasification; coal and biomass co gasification and extraction of critical and rare earth elements from secondary sources. He was Principal Investigator (PI) or co-PI on 65 externally funded scientific research projects and was involved in 15 other projects with specific responsibilities. He coauthored over 225 research publications and has one US patent.

Sarma is very actively involved in professional societies. He is a Fellow of American Chemical Society. His service to professional societies includes: Co-organizer and/or Co-chair or Moderator of 25 Scientific and teaching related Symposia for American Chemical Society, ASME International Fluidized Bed Combustion Conferences, Annual International Pittsburgh Coal Conferences and American Society of Engineering Education, Associate Editor, ASME Journal of Energy Resources and Technology, Energy Research Journal; International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Technology; News Letter Editor, Secretary/Treasurer, Division Chair of the Energy Conversion and Conservation Division, American Society for Engineering Education; Conference Chair of 17th ASME International Conference on Fluidized Bed Combustion; Treasurer, Petroleum Chemistry Division of the American Chemical Society; Program Chair, Fuel Chemistry Division, American Chemical Society; Member Steering Committee of the 16th International Conference on Fluidized Bed Combustion

Sarma was inaugural Chair of Energy Engineering Program. In recognition of his contributions, he received numerous awards. To name a few–United Phosphorous CHEMCON Distinguished Speaker Award from Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers; four Best Paper Awards from Energy Conversion and Conservation Division of American Society of Engineering Education; George W. Atherton Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Education (University’s highest award in teaching); e-Education Faculty Fellowship in recognition of contributions to e-education; Marion and Montgomery Mitchel Award for Innovative Teaching; Matthew J. and Anne C. Wilson Award for Excellence in Teaching; Innovative Incentive Award; Outstanding Technical Paper Award, Thirteenth Annual International Pittsburgh Coal Conference and Outstanding Service Award from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

Dr. Jared Freiburg

Job Title: 
Mineral Resource Geologist
Organization: 
Illinois State Geological Survey

Jared Freiburg is a Mineral Resource Geologist at the Illinois State Geological Survey. He has a PhD in Geology from Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University in Greifswald, Germany and a M.S. and B.S. in Geology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Profile Type: 
Speaker

Dr. Michael Karmis

Job Title: 
Director of the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy
Organization: 
Virginia Tech

Michael Karmis is the Director of the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research at Virginia Tech. was created by an Act of the Virginia General Assembly on March 30, 1977, as an interdisciplinary study, research, information and resource facility for the Commonwealth of Virginia. In July of that year, a directive approved by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors placed the VCCER under the University Provost because of its intercollegiate character, and, because the Center's mandate encompasses the three missions of the University: instruction, research and extension.

Brent Sheets

Job Title: 
Director
Organization: 
Petroleum Development Laboratory at the University of Alaska
Brent Sheets is the Director of the Petroleum Development Laboratory (PDL) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The PDL is working to engage the oil and natural gas in Alaska in the conduct of research and developing high value analytical products that support economic development.

Dr. Erin H.W. Phillips

Job Title: 
Research Scientist, Geochemistry
Organization: 
Center for Economic Geology Research, UW
Erin Phillips, PhD is a geologist at the Center for Economic Geology Research at the University of Wyoming’s School of Energy Resources. Erin contributes to the DOE funded CarbonSAFE project at Dry Fork Station in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and leads the University of Wyoming’s efforts for the Plains CO2 Reduction Regional Partnership Initiative. Erin completed her PhD at the University of Wyoming, where she studied geochemistry and volcanology.

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