UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Ming Ma, a doctoral degree candidate in the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering (EME) at Penn State, received the international Nico van Wingen Memorial Graduate Fellowship from the Society for Petroleum Engineers (SPE). The fellowship is given to exceptional doctoral students seeking a career in academia.
Ma said he was surprised to learn he is the recipient of this year's fellowship among the thousands of eligible graduate student SPE members worldwide.
“I was very excited because the award has become so competitive,” Ma said. “It's a gratifying experience and truly a big surprise. I’m so thankful for my adviser Dr. Emami-Meybodi who let me know about the opportunity and mentored me during the application process.”
Ma was nominated for his research on methods to optimize oil recovery and storage by utilizing carbon dioxide (CO2) injections. According to Ma, improving the fundamental understanding of using CO2 to enhance hydrocarbon recovery and storage in ultra tight, unconventional oil and gas reservoirs could also help reduce CO2 emissions.
Ma explained that gaining an understanding of oil, which seemed hidden and mysterious to him, initially drew him to pursue a career in petroleum engineering. Oil and how it traveled fascinated him.
“I knew that petroleum is underground, but I couldn’t see what was happening to it or how it moved between formations,” Ma said. “I'm very interested in the process and developing a method to simulate it using high-performance computers so I can improve the efficiency.”
After his first semester at Penn State, Ma said he discovered the joy of teaching while working as a teaching assistant. For Ma, seeing the effect of his guidance affirmed his decision to work in academia.
“When students ask me questions, and I give them examples and see that understanding dawn on their face — because of me — it is a meaningful experience,” Ma said.
Ma’s adviser, Hamid Emami-Meybodi, associate professor and program chair of petroleum and natural gas engineering, is excited to see how the fellowship will positively impact Ma’s research and career trajectory. As director of the Subsurface Energy Recovery and Storage JIP, he sees Ma’s work on species-based transport modeling in nanoporous media firsthand. He said he believes the research of students like Ma is why Penn State has dominated the SPE international and regional awards over the past several years, including five awards for petroleum and natural gas engineering faculty.
“We are proud of Ming for his accomplishments and for receiving this prestigious international fellowship,” Emami-Meybodi said. “It is a remarkable achievement for Ming and the EME department and it signifies his academic excellence and serves as a testament to his hard work. His research on poorly understood unconventional reservoirs is highly relevant to the current state of energy affairs in the United States and worldwide and continues the tradition of impactful research conducted at Penn State.”
Ma is familiar with Penn State’s worldwide reputation in petroleum engineering and recalled repeatedly coming across the same Penn State-affiliated names in the books and journals he read as an undergraduate student. The chance to meet or work with those names, or even someday author his own book inspired Ma to apply. Ma said he hopes that one day his research will reduce emissions and inspire the next generation of engineers to visit Penn State, too.
“I have lot more work to do,” Ma said. “But it would be great to have my name out there. I’m always trying to get more information and learn, and I’ll be able to do that with the fellowship grant.”
Ma received his master's in oil and gas field development from the China University of Petroleum in 2020 and his bachelor's in petroleum engineering from China University in 2017.