Associated Researchers
Researchers from a wide array of disciplines contribute to the success of CERC. With a well-rounded roster of CSUB scientists and engineers, we continue to develop new external partnerships with industry, academic institutions, and organizations that are interested in issues related to energy and/or water. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss ideas, grant/contract proposals, educational outreach, and potential partnerships.
Here, you can learn more about the scientists, engineers and other energy researchers that are part of our team. Areas of research are sorted into the following categories: Subsurface Petroleum, Minerals and Carbon Management; Energy Efficiency and Renewables; Energy Economics; Agricultural Carbon Management; Energy Data and Security; and Energy Infrastructure.
Subsurface Petroleum, Minerals and Carbon Management
Assistant ProfessorDepartment of Physics and Engineering
Tathagata Acharya's WebsiteMore About Tathagata AcharyaTitle: Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics and Engineering
Academic Background:
Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Louisiana State University
M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Louisiana State University
B.E., Manufacturing Engineering, University of Pune, India
Industry Experience:
Senior Process Simulations Consultant Engineer, Wood Group (2 years)
Research Engineer Intern, ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company (3 months)
Senior Research Engineer, Kirloskar Oil Engines, Pune, Ind
Research Interests:
Currently include but are not limited to upstream petroleum production engineering, process equipment, carbon sequestration, urban climate and heat island effect, aerosol dispersion, and gas dynamics
Additional Information:
- My research group focuses on computational and experimental fluid dynamics, heat transfer and thermodynamics
- Since fall 2016, my group published 6 articles in high impact journals such as SPE Production and Operations, Journal of Ocean Engineering and Science, AIAA Journal of Thermophysics and Heat Transfer etc.
Associate ProfessorDepartment of Geological Sciences
Adam Guo's WebsiteMore About Adam GuoTitle: Associate Professor in the Department of Geological Sciences
Academic background:
Ph.D., University of Missouri, 2012
M.S. Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2004
B.E., Ocean University of China, 2001
Research interests:
My research interests center on sedimentation, environment and energy, particularly the link between them. I am motivated by problems that cross disciplinary boundaries. Thus, I apply various approaches including XRD mineralogical analysis, XRF elemental analysis, field surveys, geotechnical measurements, and mathematical modeling.
Examples of recent research topics include: 1) organic carbon in soils and its stabilization by clay minerals; 2) Paleoenvironment study based on lake sediments, i.e., Tulare Lake, Soda Lake in California; 3) Paleoenvironment study based on ocean carbonate deposits/rocks, i.e., Maldives Carbonate Platform; 4) Environment study targeting wildfire and its impact on potential debris flows; 5) Paleo-depositional environment study based on geochemistry analyses of sedimentary rocks, such as Santos Shale.
Assistant ProfessorDepartment of Geological Sciences
Matt Herman's WebsiteMore About Matt HermanTitle: Assistant Professor in the Department of Geological Sciences
Academic Background:
Ph.D. Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University
M.S. Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University
B.A. Geology & Physics, Amherst College
Research Interests:
Geodynamics, Tectonophysics, Earthquake Seismology, Remote Sensing, Fault Mechanics, Heat Flow
Associate ProfessorDepartment of Physics and Engineering
Yize Li's WebsiteMore About Yize LiTitle: Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and Engineering
Academic background:
Ph.D., physics, University of Virginia
B.S., physics, Peking University
Research interests:
Low-dimensional electronic and photonic materials and devices, topological materials, and materials and devices for biosensing and energy applications
Associate ProfessorDepartment of Physics and Engineering
Zhongzhe Liu's WebsiteMore About Zhongzhe LiuTitle: Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics and Engineering
Academic background:
Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, University of California, Riverside
M.S., Environmental Engineering, Shanghai University
B.S., Environmental Engineering, Shanghai University
Research interests:
Energy and resource recovery from fossil fuel (e.g. coal, natural gas) and renewable resources (e.g. biomass, wastewater biosolids, municipal and industrial waste streams) using both physicochemical and thermochemical methods
Additional information:
The core topics in Dr. Liu's research program are 1) Thermochemical conversion and fuel synthesis; 2) Synergistic waste treatment; 3) CO2 capture and utilization; 4) Waste-based material synthesis and application.
Professor and department chairDepartment of Geological Sciences
ProfessorDepartment of Physics and Engineering
Associate ProfessorDepartment of Geological Sciences
Liaosha Song's WebsiteMore About Liaosha SongTitle: Associate Professor in the Department of Geological Sciences
Academic background:
Ph.D., Geology, West Virginia University,
M.S., Marine Geology, China University of Petroleum
B.S. Geology, China University of Petroleum
Research interests:
CO2 sequestration, unconventional reservoirs
Additional information:
Current projects include:
- Three-dimensional Characterization of Sandstone Reservoirs using High-resolution X-ray Microtomography (funded by ACS Petroleum Research Fund)
- Evaluation of flow characteristics of CO2 in a sandstone core sample using Computational Fluid Dynamics (funded by CERC)
- Assessing CO2 storage potential of organic-rich Hue Shale on the North Slope of Alaska
Recent publications include:
Williams, T.S., Bhattacharya, S., Song, L., Vikas, A. and Shikha, S., 2022. Petrophysical analysis and mudstone lithofacies classification of the HRZ shale, North Slope, Alaska. Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, v. 208, p.109454
Song, L., S. Bhattacharya, *Z. Webb, *A. Fowler, & *V. Lee, 2021, Preservation of organic carbon in the Cretaceous Hue Shale on the North Slope of Alaska: Insights from pyrite morphology. International Journal of Coal Geology, 103678. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coal.2021.103678
Energy Efficiency and Renewables
Associate ProfessorDepartment of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Jesse Bergkamp's WebsiteMore About Jesse BergkampTitle: Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Academic background:
Ph.D., Arizona State University
B.S., The Evergreen State College
Research interests:
Solar energy transduction, synthesis of light absorbing compounds (such as tetrapyrroles) and Dye-sensitized solar cells.
Assistant ProfessorDepartment of Physics and Engineering
Gyeong Kim's WebsiteMore About Gyeong KimTitle: Assistant Professor, Physics and Engineering Department
Academic background:
Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland at College Park
M.S. Civil Engineering, Korea University
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Korea Maritime and Ocean University
Research interests:
My research focuses on a topic quite relevant to Kern County and California: the development of alternative water resources including desalination, water efficiency and water-based energy systems.
Associate ProfessorDepartment of Physics and Engineering
Zhongzhe Liu's WebsiteMore About Zhongzhe LiuTitle: Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics and Engineering
Academic background:
Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, University of California, Riverside
M.S., Environmental Engineering, Shanghai University
B.S., Environmental Engineering, Shanghai University
Research interests:
Energy and resource recovery from fossil fuel (e.g. coal, natural gas) and renewable resources (e.g. biomass, wastewater biosolids, municipal and industrial waste streams) using both physicochemical and thermochemical methods
Additional information:
The core topics in Dr. Liu's research program are 1) Thermochemical conversion and fuel synthesis; 2) Synergistic waste treatment; 3) CO2 capture and utilization; 4) Waste-based material synthesis and application.
Associate ProfessorDepartment of Mathematics
Prosper Torsu's WebsiteMore About Prosper TorsuTitle: Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics
Academic background:
Ph.D. Mathematics, University of Wyoming
B.S. Mathematics & Statistics, University of Ghana
Research interests:
Computational Mathematics, with specialty in Computational Fluid Dynamics
Associate ProfessorDepartment of Economics Title: Associate Professor in Department of Economics, and Director of Center for Economic
Education and Research (CEER) Academic background: Ph.D., Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, West Virginia University M.S., Management and Leadership: Public Administration, East Stroudsburg University
of Pennsylvania B.S., Mechatronic Engineering, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology Research interests: Energy economics, energy policy, regional economics, economic development and poverty Assistant ProfessorDepartment of Management and Marketing Title: Assistant Professor in the Department of Management and Marketing (College of Business
and Public Administration) Academic background: Ph.D. in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, University of Missouri Kansas City Master's in Project and Program Management and Business Development, SKEMA Business School Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Telecommunications, Gauhati University Research interests: Entrepreneurship and innovation and strategic management Additional information: Dr. Sarma has published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Business Horizons, Entrepreneurship Research Journal, and Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics on areas of firm-level strategies, entrepreneurial ecosystems, and entrepreneurship.
She has presented several of her research papers at international-level conferences. Associate ProfessorDepartment of Management & Marketing Title: Associate Professor in the Department of Management & Marketing Academic background: Ph.D., Business Administration, University of Cincinnati Lindner College of Business MBA, UCLA Anderson School of Management Fulbright Scholar, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität BA, German History, Stanford University Research interests: Entrepreneurship, technology transfer, small business management, family-owned businesses,
innovation, economic development Additional information: Dr. Woods is working with two engineering professors (CERC's Dr. Cabrales and Dr.
Zhongzhe Liu) to study sustainable waste treatments and entrepreneurship. Dr. Woods'
part of the project focuses on outreach to the region's agriculture communities and
entrepreneurship training. Assistant ProfessorDepartment of Biology Title: Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology Academic background: Ph.D., Ghent University Research interests: Biotechnology, microbiology, molecular biology, phytobacteriology ProfessorDepartment of Biology Title: Professor in the Department of Biology Academic background: Ph.D., Plant Biology & EEBB, Michigan State University B.S., Biology, Pepperdine University Research interests: Plant water use and stress response/recovery, plant anatomy and wood structure, dendrochronology
and climate change, biological carbon sequestration ProfessorDepartment of Biology Titles: Professor in the Department of Biology Director of 3D Imaging Center Chair of the Center for Environmental Studies Academic background: Ph.D., Biology, Washington State University B.S., Biology, Pepperdine University Research interests: Ecosystem energy and carbon balance, plant responses to drought, photosynthetic carbon
uptake, computer assisted tomography applications (microCT) Associate ProfessorDepartment of Computer and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Title: Associate Professor in the Department of Computer and Electrical Engineering and
Computer Science Academic background: Ph.D., The University of Texas at San Antonio Research interests: Large scale data mining, network topology analysis and clustering problems Additional information: My students presented their work as a full paper at IEEE International Conference on Industrial Cyber-Physical Systems My students Jonathan Crawford, Andrew Folsom, Angela Tante and Vananh Vo published
a full conference paper, "California Oilfield Underground Aquifer Injection Monitoring
by Blockchain Technology," as student authors at 2021 4th IEEE International Conference
on Industrial Cyber-Physical Systems. Victoria, BC, Canada. LecturerDepartment of Geological Sciences Title: Lecturer in the Department of Geological Science Academic background: Ph.D., University of Oklahoma Research Interests: Oil & gas regulatory application, CO2 sequestration and Blockchain database in the
Underground injection Control Additional information: Geological Science student Victoria Lee is involved with the research project. Also,
three Computer Science Department students are working in the Blockchain database
programming. Publications include:Energy Economics
Agricultural Carbon Management
M.S., University of Leuven
B.S., Hasselt University 
Energy Data and Security
Energy Infrastructure
Associate Professor and ChairDepartment of Computer and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Saeed Jafarzadeh's WebsiteMore About Saeed JafarzadehTitle: Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Computer and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Academic background:
Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, University of Nevada Reno
M.S., Engineering, Iran University of Science & Technology
B.S., Electrical Engineering, University of Tehran
Research interests:
Power systems, smart grid, renewable energy systems (including solar), energy markets,
and energy conversion.
Additional information:
His current research focus is on interdisciplinary aspects of the energy industry such as stability analysis of energy markets, forecasting renewable energy resources, quantification of smart grid policies, optimization of energy conversion systems, and power systems dynamic state estimation.
Research publication example
These are examples of published research with student co-authors resulting from CERC-sponsored research:
"Evaluation of CO2/Water Imbibition Relative Permeability Curves in Sandstone Core Flooding—A CFD Study" by Tathagata Acharya, Tapinder Dhaliwal, Alina Ludian, Gorang Popli, Benjamin Wilemon, Leonardo Hernandez, Maryam Farahani and Liaosha Song
Abstract: Greenhouse gases such as CO2 can be safely captured and stored in geologic formations, which in turn can reduce the carbon imprint in the Earth’s atmosphere and therefore help toward reducing global warming. The relative permeability characteristics in CO2/brine or CO2/water systems provide insight into the CO2 trapping efficacy of formations such as sandstone rocks. In this research, CO2/water imbibition relative permeability characteristics in a typical sandstone core sample are numerically evaluated. This work uses transient computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to study relative permeability characteristics, and a sensitivity analysis is performed based on two different injection pressures and absolute permeability values of the sandstone rock material. Results show that when the irreducible water fraction remains unchanged, the imbibition relative permeability to the non-wetting phase decreases with an increase in injection pressure within the sandstone core sample. Also, with the irreducible water fraction being unchanged, relative permeabilities to both non-wetting and wetting phases decrease with an increase in the absolute permeability of the rock material. Finally, at irreducible water saturation, relative permeability to the gas phase decreases with an increase in injection pressure.
"Evaluation of Relative Permeability Curves in Sandstone Core Flooding Using Computational Fluid Dynamics" by Tathagata Acharya, Liaosha Song, Elizabeth Duginski and Andrew Goodwin
Abstract: Geological carbon sequestration is a proven method of safely storing carbon dioxide in formations, thereby reducing atmospheric carbon imprint and mitigating global warming. The relative permeability to carbon dioxide versus brine/water in geological formations determines flow characteristics of one fluid in the presence of another. The objective of this research is to evaluate the relative permeability to carbon dioxide in both the gas phase and the supercritical state in the presence of water in a Vedder sandstone core sample. The sandstone sample used is medium- to fine-grain arkosic artenite containing primarily quartz, potassium feldspar, plagioclase, and biotite. The effect of the viscosity ratio between the non-wetting phase and the wetting phase, on the relative permeability to the non-wetting phase, is studied. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is used for this study. Results show that with the same amount of irreducible water fraction, the endpoint relative permeability to the non-wetting phase is approximately one order of magnitude lower for supercritical carbon dioxide than for gaseous carbon dioxide. The endpoint relative permeability does not change significantly with the change in inlet pressure for gaseous carbon dioxide. Additionally, the endpoint relative permeability to the non-wetting phase increases with an increase in the viscosity ratio. Results suggest that CFD can be effectively used to study relative permeability, precluding expensive experiments.