Nader Karimi

Biography

I completed my first degree in mechanical engineering in 2000 at AmirKabir University of Technology in Tehran/Iran. This was followed by a master's degree in energy conversion at Sharif University of Technology, Tehran in 2002. I was awarded a PhD in 2009 for my experimental and theoretical work on unsteady combusting flows at University of Melbourne in Australia. In between 2009 and 2011, I was a Marie Currie post-doctoral researcher at Darmstadt University of Technology in Germany. I then moved to the department of engineering at University of Cambridge in the UK and worked there as a research associate for almost two years. In September 2013, I joined the school of engineering at University of Glasgow.

Research Interest

I am interested in the fundamentals of fluid and thermal science. In particular, I am interested in those parts of this science, which are related to energy problems. Provision of sustainable energy presents a great challenge before us and there appears to be no single solution to the current complex issues in this area. I, therefore, work on a range of technologies under the general topic of thermochemical energy. My ultimate aim is to understand the essential physics of different energy technologies to further improve them. I pursue this goal through experimental and theoretical research methods. The energy sector is currently going through a significant transition from relying on fossil fuels to harnessing a variety of renewable and low carbon resources. Combustion is expected to remain an important energy technology in future provided that new combustion technologies are developed to use low-carbon and carbon-neutral fuels. At the same time, generation of environmental emissions should be minimised. It is, therefore, essential to make future combustion systems as efficient, robust and clean as possible. I work on improving combustion in gas turbines and aero-engines through developing low NOx and quiet combustion technologies. I also work on non-conventional combustion concepts for more efficient utilisation of renewable fuels such as bio-syngas and bio-methane. These include fundamental studies of combustion in porous and catalytic burners. My research further includes attempts to understand transport phenomena and heterogeneous chemical reactions at micro and meso-scales. This finds major applications in the design of microreactors for thermochemical production of low-carbon fuels, hydrogen and other chemicals. It also helps understanding and modelling of the gasification process of coal and biomass.