Peyman Servati
Associate Professor
peymans@ece.ubc.ca
http://feel.ece.ubc.ca
Fred Kaiser Building, 4042-2332 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4
Servati, Peyman
Mohseni, Madjid
Madjid Mohseni
Professor
mmohseni@chbe.ubc.ca
Home department: Chemical and Biological Engineering
Website: Sustainable Water Innovation and Research Laboratory (SWIRL)
Research Interests
- Drinking water quality and treatment
- Emerging contaminants: Per- and Poly-fluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)
- Advanced oxidation and reduction
- UV based water treatment and purification
- Ion exchange processes
- Electrochemical water treatment processes
- Biological drinking water treatment
Research Projects
- Advanced Oxidation and Reduction Processes: Advanced oxidation / reduction processes involve various combinations of ozone, hydrogen peroxide, ultraviolet (UV), and photocatalytic techniques that are capable of oxidizing and/or reducing a wide range of contaminants including emerging contaminants of concern such as PFAS. My research interests are primarily on the development, design, and evaluation of UV based AOPs (e.g., UV-H2O2, Vacuum UV, or UV-photocatalysis) and ARPs (e.g., VUV/UV-sulfite) that are poised to replace conventional and often less effective treatment technologies. This collaborative research aims to enhance the overall quality of drinking water. Specific objectives involve proper design and analysis of photoreactor configuration, UV or VUV irradiations, and operating parameters, all these being crucial for complete degradation of contaminants and preventing the formation of harmful by-products. Also, we are focusing to understand of the effect water matrix constituents on treatment efficacy and also determine the effect of AOPs/ARPs on finished water quality.
- Adsorptive processes: Adsorption and ion exchange are convenient and often economically viable approaches for the removal of micropollutants from drinking water. In particular, anionic ion exchange (IEX) process is a feasible, robust, and effective technology for the removal of natural organic matter (NOM), PFAS and many other micropollutants from water. With its excellent performance and simplicity of operation, IEX has been increasingly considered and implemented in water treatment plants of various sizes (municipal to small communities). My research in this area focuses on development of novel adsorbents and IEX resins, and their evaluations in terms of key design and operational parameters including removal kinetics, long term operation, and regeneration efficacy as well as impact on the quality of finished water. Also, we are working on novel ion exchange reactors/contactors for greater removal of contaminants and more effective regeneration of the resins.
- Electrochemical Water Treatment: The electrochemical methods for water treatment exhibit several advantages over more conventional chemical approaches, particularly when applied to small drinking water systems. These include: a) no required chemical supply chain, transport or handling; b) robust systems with minimal service and simple operational requirements; c) compactness and small footprint; d) green technology with low carbon footprint; and e) on-site and on-demand operation with a feedback control system. My research in this area focuses on electrochemical degradation of micropollutants, with particular emphasis on the destruction of PFAS in water and concentrated solutions from regeneration of solid media.
Martí, José R.
José R. Martí
Professor
jrms@ece.ubc.ca
Home department: Electrical and Computer Engineering
Website: Complex Systems Integration Laboratory
Research Interests
- Real-Time Simulation of Electric Power Systems Using Multi-Computer Networks
- Partitioning Techniques for the Solution of Large Systems
- Multirate Hybrid Systems
- Signal Propagation in Distributed Parameter and Frequency-Dependent Systems
- Switched Devices and Nonlinear Elements
Research Projects
- Development of a multirate hybrid simulator for power systems combining SFA and EMTP subsystems
- Incorporating robustness and resilience in the design of the next generation of maritime vessels
- Wave models for hydraulic pipes in hydro-generator penstocks and for earthquake early-warning systems
- Collocated charge/current multiconductor transmission line equations to solve the inconsistencies of the classical model
- AI agent training using minimum-phase-shift deep neural networks (mDNN) for time-delayed systems
- Model-based machine learning (MBML) for wave propagation prediction in earthquake early warning systems
- Dense network of sensors over 5G for earthquake early warning prediction in smart cities.
Madden, John
John Madden
Professor
jmadden@ece.ubc.ca
Home department: Electrical and Computer Engineering
Website: Molecular Mechatronics Lab
Research Interests
- Artificial Muscle and Application to Medical Devices;
- Photosynthetic Photovoltaics
- Super-Capacitors
- Batteries
- Sensors
- Carbon Nanotube Devices
Research Projects
- Soft Tactile Sensors: A transparent stretchable touch sensor based on low cost stretchable gel ionic conductors and silicone materials was developed, towards wide applications in soft robotic skin, wearables, and flexible consumer electronics. Transparent tactile sensors based on metal and carbon conductive materials can operate while bent, while our device demonstrates sensitivity to even finger proximity during active bending and stretching. The projected electric field above the sensor couples with and senses a finger. The movement of a finger a few centimeters above the surfaces can be tracked across the array and the approach is adaptable to the detection of proximity, touch and pressure over a wide variety of surface conformations.
- Conducting Polymer Actuators: Conducting polymers, such as PEDOT and Polypyrrole (PPy), feature a combination of properties such as bio-compatibility, low density, low operating voltage, high work density, and scalability, which makes them promising for use in medical, tactile feedback and other applications.In particular, the combination of low voltage (< 2V) and large strain (> 1%) distinguishes these actuators from piezoelectrics and electrostatic actuators. With the aim of paving the way to employ fast conducting polymer actuators in real applications, we developed a new fabrication process for these electro-chemical devices, demonstrated an effective process for their encapsulation, and created a web-based graphical user-interface tool to facilitate their modeling and design optimization for different applications.
- Stretchable Batteries: In an era of advanced computing and global connectivity, if wearable devices are to provide the range of comfort and flexibility users expect, they will require functional energy storage devices that are capable of undergoing various mechanical deformations. Molecular Mechatronics lab researchers have now revealed noteworthy advances on that front. Taking advantage of polymer material properties, the team has developed simple and scalable methods for fabrication of washable and stretchable batteries. Providing safety and comfort, these batteries can be integrated into smart wearables and a variety of flexible electronics, while maintaining their energy capacity levels throughout multiple stretch – strain cycles. Further advances are underway to enhance the mechanical and chemical performance of the developed technology.
Jatskevich, Juri
Juri Jatskevich
Professor
jurij@ece.ubc.ca
Home department: Electrical and Computer Engineering
Website: Electric Power and Energy Systems Group
Research Interests
- Power and Energy Systems
- Smart Energy Grids
- Power Electronic Systems and Converter Circuits
- Electrical Machines and Drives
- Controls
- Electromagnetic Transients
- Computer Modeling and Simulation
- Distributed and Parallel Simulation
Hoorfar, Mina
Mina Hoorfar
Dean of Engineering and Computer Science, Professor, University of Victoria
mhoorfar@uvic.ca
https://www.uvic.ca/ecs/mechanical/faculty-and-staff/faculty/profiles/hoorfar-mina.php
Green, Sheldon
Sheldon Green
Professor
sheldon.green@ubc.ca
Home department: Mechanical Engineering
Website: Applied Fluid Mechanics Laboratory
Research Interests
- Industrial fluid mechanics
- Liquid friction modifier application to surfaces
- Electrospraying onto a moving surface
- Paper creping
- Paper pressing
- Energy recovery ventilators
Current Research Projects
- Friction modifier is a product applied to railroad wheels or rails to maintain the friction between the wheel and the rail at an optimal level. Too low a coefficient of friction can cause derailment or the inability to climb a slope, and too high a coefficient results in excessive fuel consumption and track wear and noise. In collaboration with the multinational company LB Foster, we study, experimentally and analytically, the efficient application of liquid friction modifier to railroad tracks or wheels. We have also begun to explore the feasibility of using electrospraying to coat railroad tracks from a moving train. Academic collaborators for these projects are Professors Boris Stoeber and Neil Balmforth.
- Creping is the process that is used to generate toilet paper, paper towel, and other important consumer products from a paper sheet. The quality of the creping process affects the softness, strength, and absorbency of the creped paper. Professor Srikantha Phani and I are collaborating with a consortium of four companies (FP Innovations, Kruger Products, Solenis, and Albany) to understand paper creping, using a combination of analytical and experimental methods.
- In a paper machine, the pulp mat leaving the forming section is about 80% water by weight. To reduce the energy consumed in the drying section, and to improve the paper consolidation, the paper is pressed before drying. We carry out unique experiments to understand paper pressing mechanics (industrial collaborator: AstenJohnson; academic collaborator: Professor Boris Stoeber).
- Professor Steven Rogak and I are collaborating with Core Energy Recovery Solutions to understand the complex heat and mass transfer processes in energy recovery ventilators. This research combines experimental techniques and analysis.
Eskicioglu, Cigdem
Cigdem Eskicioglu
Professor
cigdem.eskicioglu@ubc.ca
Home department: UBCO School of Engineering – Civil
Website: Bioreactor Technology Group
Research Interests
- Wastewater and Sludge Treatment
- Pretreatment Technologies for Enhanced Biomethane and Biohydrogen Production from Organic Waste
- Side-stream Nutrient Removal
- Fate and Transformation of Micropollutants during Biological Treatment Processes
- Modeling, Simulation and Optimization of Biological Wastewater/Sludge Treatment Processes
- Waste Minimization and Resource Recovery
Current Research Projects
- Thermochemical sludge conversion through hydrothermal liquefaction
- Biochemical sludge conversion through bioaugmented anaerobic digestion
- Nutrient removal/recovery from sludge treatment processes
- Impact of sludge treatment technologies on fate of emerging contaminants
- Biodegradability assessment of bioplastics
Wilkinson, David
David Wilkinson
Professor, Chemical and Biological Engineering
Canada Research Chair in in Clean Energy and Electrochemical Technologies
david.wilkinson@ubc.ca
Home department: https://chbe.ubc.ca/david-p-wilkinson/
Taghipour, Fariborz
Fariborz Taghipour
Professor
fariborz.taghipour@ubc.ca
Home department: https://chbe.ubc.ca/fariborz-taghipour/
Website: https://light.chbe.ubc.ca/
Chemical and Biological Engineering, 219-2360 East Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3