Vaibhav Bahadur, an assistant professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, has been selected by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) to receive a 2015 New Faculty Research Grant. Bahadur was one of only two recipients worldwide this year. The award supports innovative research related to petroleum engineering and assists new faculty in the training and supervision of graduate students. It is a two-year grant carrying a total of $100,000. Grant recipients will be recognized during an event at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition in Houston in September.
Bahadur joined the Cockrell School's Department of Mechanical Engineering in the fall of 2013 after four years in the oil-gas industry, working at General Electric and Baker Hughes. During his time in industry, Bahadur worked in the areas of oil-gas flow assurance and performance/reliability enhancement of energy systems. In 2014, he won the top prize at the SPE R&D competition for the development of a new electrical technology to ensure uninterrupted oil and gas production in challenging environments. Bahadur has a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Purdue University and was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University.
Bahadur's research is targeted at thermal-energy systems, oil and gas flow assurance and materials. Bahadur is pursuing fundamental and applied research that has the potential to effect transformational changes in the global energy, oil-gas and water landscapes. Specific R&D efforts include waste natural gas utilization for water production, development of electrical flow assurance technology and electrical enhancement/control of phase change phenomena.
