People

Faculty

Marc Hesse Marc Hesse Assistant Professor Marc is a computational geoscientists interested in multiphase geosystems and geological porous media. Marc has an BSc in Geology from the University of Edinburg, a MS in Oceanography from the MIT-WHOI Joint Program, a MPhil in Fluid Flow from Cambridge University, and a PhD in Petroleum Engineering from Stanford University. He was a postdoctoral researcher in tectonophysics at Brown University. In the fall 2009 Marc joined the Jackson School of Geosciences as an assistant professor.

Graduate Students

Kyung-Won Chang Kyung-won Chang PhD Candidate (GEO)
B.Sc. Geotechnical Engineering, Seoul National University (2005)
M.S. Petroleum Engineering, UT Austin (2007) 

Kyung-won is studying basin-scale fluid flows in porous media, especially behavior of injected CO2. He is trying to understand the mechanisms of CO2 leakage in the geological formations by creating his own models as well as performing experiments. He is reminding himself “seemingly simple things never go simply” all the time.
Nicolas Huerta Nicolas Huerta PhD Student (GEO)
B.S. Geology, University of California at Davis (2003)
M.S. Geology, University of California at Davis (2007)
M.S. Petroleum Engineering, UT Austin (2009) 

Nicolas is interested in understanding the reactive fluid transport within a fracture under confining stress. One specific application of his work is to characterize the time-dependent leakage flux up a wellbore with a conductive defect at the cement-to-earth interface. He is using a combination of laboratory experiments and numerical models to characterize key phenomena to determine the conditions under which the pathway is self-sealing and self-reinforcing.
Abraham Taicher Abraham Taicher PhD Student (CSEM)
B.Sc. Physics, Rice University (2007) 

Abraham is a CSEM student with a strong background in numerical and applied mathematics.  He is interested in developing Mixed Finite Element methods to problems in porous media and fluid mechanics.  He focuses on studying the Darcy-Stokes equations that govern convection and partial melting in planetary interiors.
Kiran Sathaye Kiran Sathaye PhD Student (GEO)
B.A. Geophysics, University of California at Berkeley (2010)
B.S. Environmental Sciences, University of California at Berkeley (2010) 

Kiran has just joined the group, he is interested in multiphase flow in porous media and reservoir simulation. He will work on the evolution of natural CO2 reservoirs as part of the DOE funded Center For Subsurface Energy Security (CFSES).
Soheil Ghanbarzadeh Soheil Ghanbarzadeh PhD Student (PGE)
B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology (2008)
M.Sc. Mechanical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology (2010) 

Soheil is a PhD student in Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering and jointly advised with Prof. Prodanovic. Soheil is studying texturally equilibrated pore-shapes in rock-salt and their effect on petrophysical properties.
Jake Jordan Jake Jordan PhD Student (GEO)
A.B. Geophysics, University of Chicago (2011) 

After spending a year as a researcher in the group, Jake has decided to stay for a PhD. Jake’s research interests lie in the areas of computational fluid mechanics, scientific computing and applied maths. Currently Jake is developing a theory and a reactive transport simulator for partial melting and melt transport in a system with binary solid-solution.

Associated graduate students

Ashwin Venkatraman Ashwin Venkatraman
B.Sc. Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (2004) 

PhD Student (PGE) Ashwin is a PhD student in Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering advised by Prof. Lake. After taking the GEO391 Reactive Transport in Porous Media in Spring 2010, Ashwin decided to develop the hyperbolic theory for heterogeneous ion-exchange with Dr. Hesse.
Ashwin Venkatraman Yu  Liang
B.Sc. Petroleum Engineering, University of Wyoming (2012) 

MS Student (PGE) Yu (Alex) is currently a MS student in Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering advised by Prof. DiCarlo and working on a joint NSF project with Prof. Hesse on the dynamics of convective dissolution of CO2 in natural CO2 reservoirs.

Former Students

Quinn Wenning Quin Wenning (BSc 2012, GEO) 

Quinn worked with Nic Huerta on characterizing flow paths in fractured well bores. Quinn is planning to go to graduate school, a link to his new site will be posted here shortly.
blank Jennifer Cessna (MS 2011, GEO)
B.Sc. Geology and Mathematics, North Carolina State University (2009) 

Jennifer worked on unstable reaction fronts in porous media. The images for the reactive flow class on the teaching page are from her thesis.