Recognizing the role and importance energy plays in the world, and especially the state, West Virginia University has created the WVU Energy Institute to establish a powerful network of expertise in energy research and education. Brian J. Anderson, a top energy researcher at WVU, will head the institute.

“Access to affordable, clean energy is one of the most complex and far-reaching issues of our time. Energy is a key driver of our state’s economy and economies around the world. It affects the health and quality of life of the world’s citizens,” President Gordon Gee said.

The institute will connect WVU’s existing energy efforts and respond to new opportunities, Anderson said. It will enable faculty to conduct research and pursue larger and multidisciplinary problems, solutions and funding opportunities. The four main areas of focus will be fossil energy, sustainable energy, energy policy and environmental stewardship.

This work is vital, Gee said, because “WVU has built up tremendous momentum in the area of energy research. It permeates so much of what we do here, from educating our students to making new discoveries in faculty laboratories to the way we manage and build our facilities. The Energy Institute will allow us to take that expertise beyond our campus to benefit the state, the nation and the world.”

Anderson, the GE Plastics Material Engineering Professor of Chemical Engineering at WVU, was chosen to lead the institute because of his expertise in energy research. For the past year, Anderson has been the coordinator of strategic research in energy for WVU’s Research Office. He has conducted extensive research in the areas of natural gas hydrates, thermodynamic modeling and sustainable energy, and development in the area of geothermal systems.

In 2013 he was a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, the U.S. government’s highest honor for science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers. In 2011 he received the Department of Energy Secretary’s Honor Award for his work in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and was selected to the National Academy of Engineering’s 2010 Frontiers of Engineering Education Workshop. A native of Ripley, he earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from WVU and his master’s and doctorate degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In addition to furthering faculty research opportunities, the Energy Institute will help WVU make connections both within the University and with agencies and institutions outside the University.

“Through the Energy Institute we can link all of the diverse work being done by researchers on campus,” said Provost Joyce E. McConnell. “It is not enough to identify the problem and find solutions. These discoveries can upend existing paradigms, so we must also address the implications of these solutions. WVU is unique because we have the expertise to address each piece in that chain, from the classroom and the laboratory to the policies that will shape the future.”

WVU has more than 150 faculty members across the University and nearly 20 centers and initiatives working on energy-related issues.

One of those key resources is the National Research Center for Coal and Energy, which has been advancing technology in coal mining and processing, oil and gas extraction, energy efficiency, mine land reclamation, health concerns, water use and more for 35 years.

“NRCCE has extensive experience in collaborating with the WVU faculty and others to develop and conduct multidisciplinary research programs to advance innovations for traditional energy resources and to protect the environment,” said Director Richard A. Bajura. “We look forward to working closely with the Energy Institute and Brian as he expands WVU’s energy research.”

Similarly, the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources provides an excellent engineering education and conducts research on coal, oil and natural gas, electrical power management, engine efficiency, and energy materials, among others.

“WVU’s new Energy Institute will bring engineering and technology initiatives across campus together to work collaboratively in support of the responsible growth of the state’s rich energy resources, especially in the area of natural gas,” said Gene Cilento, Glen H. Hiner Dean of the Statler College. “Brian has earned the respect of his colleagues, not only in the Statler College, but across WVU and on the national stage. He is an excellent choice to lead this initiative.”

In addition to these relationships, the Energy Institute will facilitate partnerships among faculty, other academic institutions, industry and government both home and abroad in order to grow the University’s energy portfolio. These strong relationships will help WVU faculty respond to funding opportunities from government agencies and private industry. The institute will also work with WVU’s Office of Technology Transfer and Office of Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Commercialization to help faculty take their energy innovations through the commercialization process.

“West Virginia is among the top energy-producing states and WVU is among the top energy universities,” said Vice President for Research Fred King. “Establishing the Energy Institute will grow that reputation by providing infrastructure and connections that help translate the fundamental research and scientific discoveries of our faculty into real-world solutions that will improve the lives of West Virginians and beyond.”

The Energy Institute is housed in WVU’s Research Office. For more information about the WVU Energy Institute check http://energy.wvu.edu and follow @WVUEnergy on Twitter.

-WVU-

ms/09/15/14

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