Hi! I am Alvin (徐东升), a chemical engineer and programmer working in the Chemical Energing Institute at NWU.
I was born in Xi'an of China, spending my formative years in a suburban country near Xi'an before attending Liaoning Univerdity of Petroleum and Chemical Technology for my undergraduate studies. My love of chemistry and desire to do fundamental research led me to NWU, where I worked on chemical kinetics.
As part of my research, I was engaged in heavy oil hydrogenation work, and a large part of my thesis work involves the simulation of surface catalysis through MS, VASP,CP2K, and Chemkin for preparation of the performable catalyst. Moreover, I am interested in the Reaction Mechanism Generator (RMG) software for the complicated catalytic reaction mechanism.
Additionally, I had the opportunity to participate in the Chemical Engineering Practice as part of my master's work, which involved 2 very different projects over 2 years at 2 companies, which gave me invaluable experience in project management, solving engineering problems, and writing proper project reporter.
In my spare time, I enjoy travelling, reading, swimming, and gaming.
On the programming front, I have 3+ years of experience in open-source development in Python, in Linux/MacOS environments using git/GitHub. As admin of a Linux server and Django website, I am also familiar with shell scripting, Django, HTML+CSS, JavaScript, and sqlite. In addition, my chemical engineering background gives me experience with chemical kinetic modeling and simulation (RMG, CHEMKIN, Cantera), quantum chemistry calculations (Gaussian, QChem, ORCA), process simulation (Aspen), computational fluid dynamics (COMSOL), 3D modeling (Solidworks, Inventor). Finally, MATLAB, Mathematica, LaTeX, and Microsoft Word/Excel/Powerpoint/Visio have been vital tools throughout my academic and professional work.
University of Northwest, Xi'an, Shaanxi
Expected 2020
GPA: 3.29/4.0
Liaoning Univerdity of Petroleum and Chemical Technology, Fushun, Liaoning
June 2016
GPA: 3.13/4.0
Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi
I work in Prof. Dan Yong & Li Wenhong's research group in heavy oil catalytic hydrogenation. My research focus is on the process of selective hydrogenation and conversion of heavy aromatics raw oil, for example, CPP diesel, to monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
Yangling Dailyhealth Bio-engineering Technology Co.,Ltd., Xian Yang, Shaanxi
As a analytical surveyor for the laboratory in the Dailhealth. To be uodated...
Woodside Energy, Perth, Australia
I worked at Woodside for my second Practice School station. Our first project was resolving mass balance discrepancies within the high pressure fuel gas system at the plant via meter calibration and data reconciliation. Our second project was focused on heat exchanger design and analysis via CFD to explore geometries made possible by 3D printing.
MedImmune, Gaithersburg, MD
I worked at MedImmune for my first Practice School station. Our first project focused on developing computational tools to simplify data analysis for hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry, and our second project focused on improving understanding of protein solution behavior through both experimentation and computation.
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
I was a teaching assistant for MATH 2403 Differential Equations for three semesters, in charge of one or two class sections of around 35 students each per semester. Responsibilities included teaching two 50 minute recitation sessions per week per class, holding office hours for individual help, as well as writing, proctoring, and grading quizzes and exams.
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
I worked with Dr. Wei Liu in the research group of Prof. Yulin Deng on the development and optimization of a polyoxometalate (POM) based fuel cell. We successfully designed an air breathing PEM fuel cell that uses POMs as a mediator between raw biomass and oxygen. We performed tests with various POMs and biomass sources, including starch, cellulose, lignin, switchgrass, and wood powder.
Georgia-Pacific Gypsum, Decatur, GA
As an R&D co-op at GP Gypsum, I worked on improving the performance of wallboard and underlayment products along with product testing. Screened various additives to understand effects on product performance. Evaluated methods to improve lab practices to better replicate full scale process conditions. Developed preliminary plans to implement pilot line at the research facility. Learned about industry standards and regulations as well as standard testing procedures for wallboard products.