UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Shimin Liu, Joseph Kreutzberger Early Career Professor and associate professor of energy and mineral engineering at Penn State, is one of 29 researchers recognized as a rising star by Energy & Fuel, an international scholarly journal focused on fundamental and applied research within the energy and fuels fields, for his significant contributions in the field of energy research.
Early- and mid-career researchers make up a significant portion of the research workforce and play critical roles in driving knowledge discovery and technological advances in the increasingly globalized research landscape, and Energy & Fuels established the annual recognition to celebrate the contributions of these researchers.
“It is certainly humbling and an honor to be recognized,” said Liu, “But most importantly is how it encourages me to continue my work that has challenged societies for a thousand years — how to extract and utilize Earth’s natural resources, smartly, efficiently and sustainably.”
According to the journal, the time of nomination, rising star candidates should be in their independent research careers, 12 years or less after the award of doctoral degrees, and have made significant impacts to respective areas of energy research.
“For Liu to be recognized in the inaugural year of the Rising Stars award speaks to the importance quality, and persistence of Liu’s research as well as the excellence of the Mining Engineering program and the entire John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering,” said Sekhar Bhattacharyya, program chair of Mining Engineering.
Energy & Fuel highlighted Liu’s research that was published in the journal, “Investigating Hierarchical Gas Confinement in High-Rank Coal through Small-Angle Neutron Scattering,” as work that is helping drive the field forward.
Liu explained the research improves the understanding of adsorption capability and gas storage mechanisms of coal by investigating the different ways confined gas behaves in underground coal seams. Specifically, the study looks at how microscopic pores measured in nanometers affect the interactions of the confined gas molecules.
“Coal is really a complex structure, with many other applications. This research answers some questions about the application of coal as a CO2 storage, potentially turning coal from a ‘dirty’ resource to a sustainable solution for storing carbon emissions.”
Continuing Penn State's coal research legacy
Liu was adamant that Penn State’s unique coal research history, from the University's proximity to regional mines to the extensive coal bank and the Energy Institute’s Coal Utilization Lab, as essential for his research which requires so many data inputs.
“I don’t know everything,” Liu said, “but the research structure at Penn State is really inclusive and welcoming. I can go to so many experts, ask, and then get an answer immediately. They help my research immensely so my work can continue to make a positive impact in the energy field.”