This is an exciting opportunity for my career development as a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Associate in the Renewable Energy Production sector. KTP (Knowledge Transfer Partnership) supports partnerships between businesses and universities, placing graduates (KTP Associates) to work on innovative high-profile projects. I am undertaking a collaborative project between Scotland’s leading agricultural cooperative, The ANM Group, and the University of Aberdeen. I am based at the University of Aberdeen. I am a part of the research, design, creation, and launch of a new renewable energy consulting division for ANM. This role involves the development of a decision support system, design of a vertical axis wind turbine, and 3D printing the prototype for testing, which will be adapted to improve the productivity and efficiency of microgeneration renewable energy assets. The decision support system will help to decide the best renewable configurations such as solar PV-wind tubine, solar PV-micro hydro, micro hydro-wind turbine etc. This project also involves the life cycle assessment to address the carbon footprint of the product and logistics used in the production of renewable energy. This is mainly focused on one environmental impact category: greenhouse gas emissions (CO2). I am using SimaPro for LCA with a cradle-to-grave assessment.

I have investigated the role of gas diffusivity in the reduced pore space of compacted soil in relation to the accumulation of the hormone ethylene in the root tissue of various wheat lines.I have carried out laboratory experiments comparing the development of ethylene-insensitive wheat lines and control lines under various levels of abiotic stresses and therefore tested a hypothesis that the increased level of ethylene can reduce the growth of wheat roots.I worked on the design, fabrication, and commission of two chamber gas diffusion system to measure the GHG emissions from soil cores using GT5000 Terra Gasmet FTIR Gas Analyzer. GHG emissions were measured to develop the baseline followed by nitrogen flushing and the introduction of pure ethylene (from BOC) to measure the gas diffusion through the soil at different compaction, temperature, and moisture levels.

My work at Baker Hughes as a Desktop Support Engineer (contractor) gave me the opportunity to utilize my IT knowledge to provide remote support to clients via phone or Remote Desktop Protocol (such as MS teams and team viewer). I worked with various Microsoft operating systems including Windows 7, 8, and 10, as well as the Microsoft Office Suite experience and support as an IT Technician. I worked on project Cacao which involved the new IT equipment deployment, laptop/desktop software installation, configuration, and mass image deployment as part of a company-wide project.

Research at the CTP was coordinated under several themes to deliver outcomes to global challenges such as green energy, biofuels, or climate change. As a visiting researcher at CTP, I ensured the experimental data production of high-quality thermodynamics in the area by getting training and coordinating with the qualified staff at the CTP across disciplines, opening up and participating in weekly presentations to get to know the people and their working relations with the government and industry, and making decisions about the direction of my work along with the CTP’s resource availability. The Centre thermodynamique des proceeds employed scientists, researchers, and support staff, making it one of the finest, and most competent research centers in France and the first of its type in Europe. It brought together several industrial partners from all over Europe, the USA, and the UK to solve their problems and generate thermodynamic data for nuclear and petroleum problems. My position was one of the researchers who reported directly to the Director of the CTP. In this position, I continued to conduct my PhD research into phase equilibria and excess properties of biofuels in different industrial solvents for designing and transportation. I learned equipment calibration and maintenance techniques while working as a research collaborator.

As a tutoring assistant at the School of Engineering, I worked with course coordinators on several courses such as Fundamental Engineering Mechanics, Engineering Thermodynamics, Materials, and Engineering Design to develop, teach, and demonstrate to undergraduate engineering students. During my PhD, I supervised MSc students from engineering and soil sciences to explain the experimental activities, train on different equipment types, and ensure good work progress.

Continuation of earlier work

I developed a new method to produce mesoporous gamma-alumina support from locally available bauxite and used it as catalyst support for the dehydrogenation of decalin to produce hydrogen. I also worked on the design and fabrication of a packed bed reactor rig connected with HPLC and GC to analyse the results from different catalyst loadings to obtain the rate of reaction for modelling and publication. I was successful in producing mesoporous gamma-alumina support and characterizing it. I also worked with a PhD researcher to run heterogeneous catalysis experiments for hydrogen production using methylcyclohexane molecules. During my appointment, I helped the engineering team in the installation and commissioning of GC installed in a heterogeneous catalysis laboratory. I also worked as a trainer to train and help undergraduate engineering students in the laboratory.

I joined saif textile as a project consultant at a very critical time and completed a wastewater treatment project within a year's time. I was able to promptly understand the objectives and priorities. I made positive quality contributions to the designing, fabrication, commissioning, and testing processes. As a project engineer/ consultant I ensured the project was completed on time and well within the planned budget. The quality of my work was recognized and appreciated by the client’s technical and managerial team.

As a process controller, I developed chemical quality reports following ISO 9001 & 14001 standards. I worked on the process improvements of the dyeing section and manage the chemical and quality control laboratory. While working as a process controller I also took care of the wastewater treatment plant of 70 m3/ hr. My duties as a wastewater treatment controller involved water testing, risk assessment report writing, laboratory management, troubleshooting, and liaising with technical staff to fix any technical faults in an efficient and prompt manner.