Research Interests

My research interests are in the area of mathematical modelling and optimisation of chemical processes, immersive learning applications and the implementation of information technology tools into the chemical and process engineering curriculum.

Classic chemical engineering focuses on the development of processes, which turn raw materials into valuable products. My interests lay in the optimisation and the improvement of the fundamental understanding of certain sub-processes (unit-operations) including drying (timber and other biomaterials) and extraction/purification of valuable products (e.g. anthocyanins from blackcurrants).

Processing plants can be described in various ways such as text, 3D drawing, process flow diagrams and piping and instrumentation diagrams and three-dimensional photography. My second area of interest focuses on the integration of the different process representations into a single software application to increase the general understanding of the process in question. In the near future, I anticipate that these immersive learning systems will assist during the initial employment phase, the health and safety induction, the plant maintenance and the process fault discovery.

In my role as Senior Tutor, I am interested in improving learning outcomes and improving our students’ skill-sets to equip them well for their professional carrier. The open-source programming language Python is widely accepted and applied to solve engineering problems and analysing data. I am currently incorporating Python into the curriculum and assisting students and academics solving mathematical problems.