Scott Samuelsen is a Distinguished Professor of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Irvine; HORIBA Distinguished Professor Emeritus, and founding Director of the Advanced Power and Energy Program, UCI Combustion Laboratory, and National Fuel Cell Research Center. His research focuses on energy systems and their impact on the environment with an emphasis on gas turbine combustion, fuel cells and fuel cell systems, microgrid/smart grid technology, the hydrogen and electricity infrastructure for the evolving generation of zero-emission alternative vehicles, and the merging of the electric grid with transportation and goods movement in an era of high penetration of intermittent wind and solar. He received the B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley and is the founding Chair of the UCI Mechanical Engineering program. Professor Samuelsen pioneered the development of octane posting with the Federal Trade Commission and is responsible for the popular (R+M)/2 posting methodology that anchors today engine design and fuel formulation, has published over 300 peer reviewed archival publications and conference proceedings, was recognized by President Obama in 2011 as a "Champion of Change," and received the UCI Medal in 2010 for his contributions to energy and the environment.
Internships | Southern California Edison | Los Angeles, California | Summer 1962 | DuPont | Wilmington, Delaware | Summer 1963 |
Degree: | B.S. Mechanical Engineering | UC Berkeley | June 1964 |
Research Engineer | Lawrence National Laboratory | Livermore | 1964-1965 |
Degree: | M.S. Mechanical Engineering | UC Berkeley | September 1965 |
Research Engineer | Stanford Research Institute | Menlo Park, California | 1965-1970 |
Degree: | Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering | UC Berkeley | June 1970 |
Professor Assistant | Engineering | 1970-1976 | Professor Associate | Mechanical Engineering | 1976-1982 |
Professor | Mechanical, Aerospace, and Environmental Engineering | 1982-Present | |
Founding Chair | Mechanical Engineering | 1972-1983 | |
Chair | Department of Mechanical Engineering | 1985-1988 | |
Founding Director | UCI Combustion Laboratory | 1975-2018 | |
Founding Director | National Fuel Cell Research Center | 1997-2018 | |
Founding Director | Advanced Power and Energy Program | 2000-2020 | |
Founding Director | Pacific Consortium on Combustion, Energy, and the Environment | 1992 to 2012 | |
Board Member | Institute for Liquid Atomization and Spray Systems | 1990-2002 | |
Chair | Institute for Liquid Atomization and Spray Systems | 1993-1996 | |
Board Member | The Combustion Institute | 1994-1999 |