Anisimov Spends Sabbatical at Petroleum Institute

news story image

Above: Professor Anisimov (left) works with a student in the Petroleum Institute's new dynamic light scattering laboratory, which Anisimov built for the school. Below: A view of Al Lulu Island, off the coast of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Professor Mikhail Anisimov has recently returned from a sabbatical at the Petroleum Institute (PI) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, where he was a Visiting Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering.

Established in 2001 by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and other international oil companies, the Petroleum Institute specializes in educating engineers for careers in gas, oil, and other energy-related industries. The Institute offers bachelors and masters degrees in majors including chemical, electrical and mechanical engineering, and petroleum geosciences. It is currently in the planning stage for the development of three research centers. PI's academic affiliates include the University of Maryland and the Colorado School of Mines.

During his time at the Petroleum Institute, Anisimov pursued several new theoretical and experimental projects. His activities included building a state-of-the-art dynamic light scattering (DSL) laboratory for the school, which is used to measure submicron and nano-particle sizes in opaque liquid materials, including real-time monitoring of asphaltene aggregation in crude oils. He also taught graduate and undergraduate courses in thermodynamics, dynamic light scattering, and fundamentals of nanotechnology.

Anisimov also maintained a busy publishing and presentation schedule with colleagues and research affiliated with the Petroleum Institute, including three book chapters, journal articles, and invited lectures at major conferences. He was a featured speaker at the 15th International Conference on the Properties of Water and Steam in Berlin, Germany, and the annual meetings of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the American Physical Society.

For More Information: Visit Professor Anisimov's Homepage » Visit the Petroleum Institute web site »

Published October 19, 2009