Soheil Soleimanikutanaei

Soheil Soleimanikutanaei was determined to come to the U.S. from his homeland, Iran. Arriving in a new country and not knowing anyone was difficult. Today, he’s getting his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering and has authored more than 70 articles which have been cited over 2,600 times.

Soheil’s research is in the energy and heat transfer field. He worked on two projects with the U.S. Department of Energy in collaboration with the Gas Technology Institute. He developed an algorithm to improve the design for a unit used to recover heat, energy and water from power plants. The technology which he was contributing to has the potential of a cost savings of $4.3 billion per year and reduces greenhouse gases. The research earned him the 2016 ASME Petroleum Engineering Scholarship, one of the most prestigious international awards in the field.

Simultaneously, Soheil worked on various projects funded by private industry, including Alfa Laval, a Swedish company specializing in heat transfer, separation and fluid handling. His work could impact waste heat recovery systems and make them more efficient.

Soheil says that one of the most challenging problems we face is the lack of clean and affordable energy and achieving better outcomes in terms of cost and pollution reduction. He hopes to make a difference by improving the performance of the equipment in various industries. Soheil hopes to find a job in the energy or car industries and is currently interviewing for a position in these fields.

By Millie Acebal
Director of Marketing & Communications, College of Engineering & Computing