Industry-Academia Collaboration
in Advancing Qatar’s Gas Processing Research
Thursday, 29 October 2020 • 12–1 p.m.
Qatar has one of the world’s most extensive gas processing facilities, presenting a unique diversification model in natural gas monetization. Texas A&M University at Qatar takes full advantage of this distinctive environment to foster global collaboration in research, and development, resulting in the creation of the Gas & Fuels Research Center, a hub for research excellence in the advancement of natural gas processing technologies. This talk will highlight success stories in building bridges between academia and industry in the areas of (a) understanding the fundamentals of natural gas conversion chemistries and processes; (b) creating world-class research capabilities to formulate and characterize fuels and value-added chemicals derived from natural gas; (c) interfacing midstream and downstream natural gas processing for energy integration and handling of CO2 emissions to produce lower carbon foot-print products; (d) exploring new avenues to diversify products from natural gas, and more importantly (e) developing human resources in this field critical to Qatar’s economy.
This one-of-its-kind model resulted in several synergistic collaborations leading to technological inventions, product development, and the training of a generation of global leaders in science and engineering, currently advancing gas processing technology in Qatar and around the globe.
Dr. Nimir O. Elbashir
Professor, Texas A&M University at Qatar
Qatar Foundation Distinguished Inventor of the Year 2020
Dr. Nimir Elbashir is a professor in the Chemical Engineering Program and the Petroleum Engineering Program at Texas A&M University at Qatar and serving as the director of Texas A&M’s Engineering Experiment Station Gas and Fuels Research Center. Professor Elbashir has extensive experience from academia and industry, and his research focuses on the design of advanced reactors, catalysts, and conversion processes for natural gas and CO2. He established and led several unique global research collaboration models between academia and industry with research funding exceeds multimillion dollars. Professor Elbashir holds several U.S. and European patents and numerous scientific publications in form of peer-reviewed journal articles, books and book chapters, conference papers, and industry technical reports. He received several awards and recognitions of his research activities from Qatar Foundation, BASF Corp, Texas A&M University, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Shell, ORYX GTL Co., and others. Professor Elbashir trained a large number of postdoctoral, Ph.D., master students and undergraduate students and served as a visiting professor in multiple universities around the globe.