 Scott Samuelsen, Ph.D.
Director, Advanced Power and Energy Program
Dr. Samuelsen is the director of the Advanced Power and Energy Program, and
Henry Samueli Endowed Chair and Professor of Mechanical, Aerospace, and
Environmental Engineering. He also serves as director of the National Fuel Cell
Research Center and the UCI Combustion Laboratory. Working closely with
industry, public agencies and academic colleagues throughout the world, he leads
research on combustion technologies for stationary and propulsive applications,
fuel cells and fuel cell systems for stationary applications, and the
development of hydrogen infrastructure for mobile hydrogen-fueled combustion and
fuel cell vehicles. He also directs research on advanced near zero-emission coal
and natural gas power plants that co-produce electricity and hydrogen. Samuelsen
co-chairs the California Stationary Fuel Cell Collaborative and was an invited
member of the advisory panel that developed the blueprint for Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger’s California Hydrogen Highway Network Initiative. He holds a
doctorate in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
|
 Jack Brouwer, Ph.D.
Associate Director, National Fuel Cell Research Center
Dr. Brouwer is Associate Director of the National Fuel Cell Research Center and
an Adjunct Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. His
expertise encompasses energy systems, fuel cells, thermodynamic and dynamic
systems analyses, solid state ionics, combustion, turbulent reacting flows,
computational fluid dynamics, detailed chemical kinetics, and the design and
operation of advanced experimental facilities for emerging energy technologies.
Brouwer is part of the executive committee that organizes the annual ASME
International Fuel Cell Science, Engineering and Technology Conference, and
regularly presents workshops and short courses targeting the advancement of
power generation technology utilizing fuel cell systems. Prior to joining the
NFCRC, Brouwer was on the faculty at the University of Utah, served as a senior
engineer at Reaction Engineering International, and as a staff scientist at
Sandia National Laboratories. Brouwer holds a doctorate in mechanical
engineering and chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology.
|
 Vincent McDonell, Ph.D.
Associate Director, UCI Combustion Laboratory
Dr. McDonell is Associate Director of the UCI Combustion Laboratory and an
Adjunct Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He has more than 20
years experience in the design, operation, and characterization of continuous
combustion and spray systems. His current research focuses on the study of
auto-ignition, flashback and emissions, and the development, characterization
and monitoring of integrated gas turbine systems. This work includes the
development of fuel injection and combustion systems for fuel flexible low
emission gas, the development and application of standard test protocols for
microturbine generators, and field demonstration studies of
combined-heat-and-power systems. McDonell is actively engaged in the Institute
of Atomization and Spray Systems and the Western States Section of The
Combustion Institute. He is co-director of the Pacific Clean Energy Application
Center. McDonell received a doctorate in mechanical engineering from UC Irvine.
|
 Ashok Rao, Ph.D.
Chief Scientist, Power Systems
Dr. Rao is Chief Scientist for Power Systems in the Advanced Power and Energy
Program. He worked in industry for more than 30 years prior to joining UC
Irvine. He previously was a director in process engineering and a senior fellow
with Fluor. He has worked extensively in the design and development of coal and
gas-fired power plants, gasification, synthetic fuels plants, and the reduction
of greenhouse gas emissions and use of biomass as feedstock for a sustainable
future. Rao is the recipient of several patent awards in the area of energy
conversion, including a patent for the Humid Air Turbine (HAT) cycle, an
advanced gas turbine-based cycle. He is the author of several papers on advanced
power cycles and improved Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) designs
and engaged today with advanced Integrated Gasification Fuel Cell (IGFC) and
oxy-combustion plant designs. He holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering
from UC Irvine.
|
