New Center of Excellence in Subsurface Energy and Digital Innovation Opens at UW

A new center dedicated to innovative research and finding solutions to energy development challenges in Wyoming is opening at the University of Wyoming.

UW’s School of Energy Resources (SER) -- in partnership with the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences -- is establishing the Center of Excellence in Subsurface Energy and Digital Innovation (SEDI).

SER supports research through its Centers of Excellence model, which facilitates the investigation of energy issues across disciplines. SER will provide seed funding to the new SEDI over five years while it works to establish itself as a leading research center at the intersection of energy solutions and digital technology.

Soheil Saraji, an associate professor of energy and petroleum engineering, will direct the new center. SEDI will be a groundbreaking hub for advancing energy solutions by integrating cutting-edge digital technologies.

“We have found that our Centers of Excellence have yielded successful results over the years in both faculty retention and creating multidisciplinary, solutions-based research,” says Scott Quillinan, SER’s senior director of research. “SER is grateful for the collaboration with the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences and UW’s Department of Energy and Petroleum Engineering to stand up a new center in this exciting field of work. Under Dr. Saraji’s leadership, it will be exciting to see the impact from SEDI, which is focused at the juncture of transformative power of digital technologies and energy.”

To help kick-start the center and position it for success, a generous gift from Richard and Marilyn Lynch will establish the Richard and Marilyn Lynch Non-Endowed Chair in the Subsurface Energy and Digital Innovation Center.

The $150,000 gift over five years -- which will be matched by SER -- will support the faculty director and provide a flexible source of funding that will be used to foster excellence in teaching, research and education within the center.

“I am incredibly grateful for the support from Mr. and Mrs. Lynch, the School of Energy Resources and the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences for making this vision a reality,” Saraji says. “I believe the Subsurface Energy and Digital Innovation Center will bridge a critical gap between research and application, driving innovation and sustainable development.”

In addition to his faculty appointment in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Saraji is co-director of the Hydrocarbons Research Laboratory and an SER adjunct professor. He has been a pioneer in applied blockchain research for the oil and gas industry; developed new courses and research initiatives on the topic at UW; and published extensively, including a book examining blockchain technology and its applications in the energy industry.

Benefiting from Saraji’s drive and initiative, SEDI has an ambitious five-year plan to support 15 graduate students and to achieve a total fundraising target of $3.5 million. The center also will make significant contributions to the field and prepare the next generation of experts to address global energy challenges.

Areas of focus will include blockchain for sustainable energy; big data analytics for energy; machine learning; novel fluids for energy applications using artificial intelligence for laboratory-generated data; and virtual and augmented reality and digital twins.

Additional faculty collaborators in the center will include Minou Rabiei, an associate professor of energy and petroleum engineering, and Tawfik Elshehabi, an assistant professor of energy and petroleum engineering.

“We are excited about this center using our faculty expertise in a concerted effort to recruit high-caliber students in cross-cutting disciplines,” says Professor Vamegh Rasouli, department head and the LeNorman Endowed Leadership Chair in Petroleum Engineering. “As the center continues to grow, we look forward to new, interdisciplinary opportunities for data-driven learning in geosciences and subsurface engineering.”

For more information about SEDI, click here.