GERC - Virginia Tech IRES Collaboration: Charlie Schlosser


My name is Charlie Schlosser and I am a research mining engineer at the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research (VCCER) at Virginia Tech, where I am also a Ph.D. student in the Mining and Minerals Engineering Department in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.  My duties at VCCER include carrying out research activities, developing grant proposals, and providing technical support to students and other researchers in our group.  Currently, I am involved in two Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) projects: 1) a field-scale CO2 injection and storage tests in unmineable coal seams and shale natural gas reservoirs; and 2) an offshore CO2 storage resource assessment for the Mid-Atlantic outer continental shelf region. 

Roaming around Europe: The Fountain of Trevi

This summer, I spent seven weeks working the GeoEnergy Research Centre (GERC) at the University of Nottingham, UK to develop new research methodologies to analyze, understand, and predict petroleum and natural gas reservoir behavior using state-of-the-art modeling and simulation software and robust statistical algorithms.  I spend most of my time under the guidance of Prof Matthew Hall and Dr Donald Brown, whose combined backgrounds and knowledge of materials characterization, hydrocarbon reservoir behavior, and applied mathematics lent me a new interdisciplinary perspective on how to address my research problem.  We were also able to identify new areas of interest that could lever Donald’s contemporary mathematical background to other areas of research, which we are currently pursuing through remote collaboration.  I was also fortunate to meet other members of the Nottingham Engineering faculty who share research interests to my own, including Dr Chunyu Jin and Dr Buddhika
Hewakandamby.

Outside of my studies, I enjoyed exploring the local village of Beeston, the endless string of pubs and restaurants of downtown Nottingham, and the serene countryside of the Peak District.  Never balking at the opportunity to venture a bit farther on the weekends, I was also able to take in the raucous city of Dublin, the impossibly ancient living museum of Rome, and the breathtaking Highlands of Scotland.
 
Exploring the Isle of Syke, Highlands of Scotland
The trails of the Peak District
 

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