02 / Research

Research & Projects

Research interests and selected project work.

Interests

Research Interests

My work sits at the boundary of analytical chemistry and energy science — developing methods that matter for both industry and environmental stewardship.

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Bitumen Extraction & Oil Sands Analysis

Developing and validating faster solvent-based extraction techniques for determining the oil, water, and solids content of Alberta oil sands ores — including dynamic accelerated solvent extraction (DASE).

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Analytical Methods Development

Designing, optimising, and benchmarking analytical protocols for complex, heterogeneous sample matrices — with emphasis on speed, reproducibility, and practical applicability at scale.

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Green & Sustainable Chemistry

Exploring solvent reduction, waste minimisation, and cleaner approaches to industrial chemistry — aligning laboratory methods with broader environmental and sustainability goals.

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Physical & Environmental Chemistry

Understanding the thermodynamic and physicochemical properties of heavy hydrocarbon systems, including phase behaviour, wettability, and solvent–solid interactions in oil sands tailings.

Projects

Selected Projects

Designed and optimised a dynamic accelerated solvent extraction (DASE) protocol to simultaneously determine oil, water, and solids content in Alberta oil sands — achieving complete extraction of 25 g samples in approximately 12 minutes. Benchmarked against industry-standard methods including Dean–Stark distillation and static ASE.

ASE 350 Karl Fischer Dean–Stark Gravimetric Analysis Toluene Solvent System