Energy is a key strategic focus for research and teaching at the University of Houston
(UH). The University is home to a number of top researchers and educators with expertise
in a wide range of energy-related fields. For your energy-related questions, please
consider the following UH experts.
Ramanan Krishnamoorti is UH’s chief energy officer. He is responsible for developing a strategic plan for
UH Energy, analyzing workforce needs and developing external partnerships to enhance
UH’s academic and research programs related to energy. Krishnamoorti also has been
chair of the UH Cullen College of Engineering’s chemical and biomolecular engineering
department. Contact him at ramanan@uh.edu or 713-743-4312.
Matthew Franchek, a professor of mechanical engineering, is director of UH’s subsea engineering master’s
program, the first program of its kind in the nation. Franchek is an expert in petroleum
production equipment and subsea engineering. Contact him at mfrancheck@uh.edu or 713-743-4502.
Joseph Pratt is a leading historian of the petroleum industry. He also coordinates the campus-wide
Energy Management and Policy Group and is editor of Houston History, a magazine of
popular history. Contact him at joepratt@uh.edu or 713-743-3088.
Craig Pirrong is a professor of finance and energy markets at UH, who keeps track of the developments
that influence the world’s oil industry and shape energy policy. Pirrong also is director
of the Global Energy Management Institute at UH’s Bauer College of Business. Reach
him at 713-743-4466 or cpirrong@uh.edu.
Ed Hirs is an economics lecturer and managing director of Hillhouse Resources LLC, an independent
E&P company. With his co-authors in the Yale Graduates Energy Study Group, Hirs has
published several top downloaded and referenced papers in energy economics. Reach
him at ehirs@Central.UH.EDU or 713-961-9661.
Don Van Nieuwenhuise is director of the professional geoscience programs in UH’s Department of Earth and
Atmospheric Sciences, as well as director of the applied sequence and biostratigraphy
program. He has worked extensively in the energy industry, including as a geologist
for MOBIL in New Orleans, where he successfully drilled more than 15 exploration,
production and blowout kill wells. Nieuwenhuise can be reached at donvann@uh.edu or 713-743-3423.
Tracy Hester is an assistant professor at the UH Law Center and is director of its Environment,
Energy and Natural Resource Center, which links energy issues with impacts on environment
and natural resources. The center addresses such issues as climate change, air pollution,
clean coal and renewable energy. Hester can be reached at tdheste2@central.uh.edu or 713-743-1152.
John Lee, a professor of petroleum engineering, is noted for his work on oil and gas reserve
regulations and his recent publications and presentations involving those regulations,
as well as estimation and production forecasting in unconventional gas reservoirs.
Contact him at wjlee@Central.UH.EDU or 713-743-4877.
Mike Nikolaou, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, is an expert in the area of
shale oil and gas development and the process known as fracking. In particular, he
is developing methods and models to predict the amount of resources in these rock
formations and to retrieve these resources safely and efficiently. Contact him at
Nikolaou@uh.edu or 713-743-4309.
Mike Harold is chair of the chemical and biomolecular engineering department, and he is principal
investigator of the Texas Center for Clean Engines, Emission and Fuels located in
the UH Energy Research Park. Harold is an expert in biofuels and engineer emissions
reduction through catalysis. Contact him at mharold@uh.edu or 713-743-4322.
Chris Ross serves as an executive professor of finance in the C.T. Bauer College of Business,
where he has distilled the insights from his long consulting career into classes on
value creation strategies in oil and gas. He also leads research classes investigating
how different energy industry segments are creating value for shareholders. He can
be reached at ceross@uh.edu or 713-743-4755.
Radha Radhakrishnan is a clinical assistant professor for the Department of Decision and Information
Sciences at the C. T. Bauer College of Business. Radhakrishnan served in the energy
industry for 36 years at Shell Oil. In his courses at Bauer, he invites experts from
the energy industry to the classroom to give his students an insight to the industry.
Contact him at sradhakrishnan3@uh.edu or 713-743-4167.
Shay Curran is a physics professor and director of UH’s Institute for NanoEnergy. Curran’s solar
power research projects include development of a transportable, off-grid, solar-powered
generator for residential and commercial use. He can discuss this project and other
solar power issues. Contact him at sacurran@uh.edu or 713-743-3565.
Jeff Rimer, an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, is an expert in
engine emissions reduction through catalysis. Contact him at jrimer@uh.edu or 713-743-4131.
Micky Fleischer, an adjunct professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, is an expert in refinery
operations and safety. Contact him at mfleischer@uh.edu or 713-743-4388.
Tom Holley is director of UH’s petroleum engineering program and is an expert in petroleum exploration
and recovery. Contact him at tkholley@uh.edu or 832-842-4847.
Shankar Chellam, a professor of civil and environmental engineering, is an expert in engine emissions
and refinery emissions. Contact him at chellam@uh.edu or 713-743-4265.
Pradeep Sharma, chair of mechanical engineering, is an expert in piezoelectrics, or materials that
produce electricity when bent and compressed. Contact him at psharma@uh.edu or 713-743-4502.
Venkat “Selva” Selvamanickam is director of the Applied Research Hub and a mechanical engineering professor. He
is working on a number of superconductivity projects, including development of a technology
with high-temperature superconducting wires that could revolutionize the way power
is generated, transported and used. Contact him at selva@uh.edu or 713-743-4044.
Haleh Ardebili, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, is an expert in advanced lithium-ion
batteries used for everything from airliners to cell phones. She is currently developing
flexible stretchable batteries that could be used in flexible electronic devices,
integrated into clothing or even worn around the wrist like a bracelet and used as
a backup power source when needed. Contact her at hardebili@uh.edu or 713-743-5562.
Yan Yao, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, develops materials
for multiple energy applications. His work includes the creation of highly efficient
batteries that can be used for military applications, electric vehicles and more.
He’s also developing materials for polymer-based solar cells that promise to be cheaper
and more durable than their standard silicon-based counterparts. Contact him at yyao4@uh.edu or 713-743-4432.
Zhu Han and Amin Khodaei, both with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, are experts in
smart grid data analytics and are developing new methods to accurately forecast electricity
demand, plan electricity generation and restore power during outages to as many people
as possible as quickly as possible. With electric utilities in the U.S. investing
billions of dollars in smart grid components to collect and report information on
electricity generation, usage and demand every few minutes, Han and Khodaei are working
to make sense out of all this information. Contact Han at zhan2@mail.uh.edu or 713-743-4437 and Khodaei at akhodaei@central.uh.edu or 713-743-4406.
Jae-Hyun Ryou, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, specializes in developing entirely
new semiconductor materials by combining different families of elements. These materials
can be used in multiple devices, including highly efficient light-emitting diodes
and solar power cells. Contact him at jryou@uh.edu or 713-743-0858.
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