National Academy of Engineering Elects Two UT PGE Members
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February 06, 2018
Drs. Mukul Sharma and Chun Huh have been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Engineering (NAE) for 2018.
Election to the NAE is among the highest professional distinctions bestowed upon an engineer.
Mukul Sharma, professor in the Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering, is recognized for his contributions to the science and technology of production from unconventional hydrocarbon reservoirs. For example, his innovative work developing the first fully compositional hydraulic fracturing simulator, which uses non-aqueous fluids like carbon dioxide and nitrogen, has served to reduce the environmental footprint of hydraulic fracturing by reducing the use of fresh water. Sharma has been on the UT Austin faculty for over 30 years, serving as chair of the Hildebrand Department from 2001 to 2005. He is the winner of the John Franklin Carll Award, the Anthony F. Lucas Gold Medal and the Faculty Distinguished Achievement Award from the Society of Petroleum Engineers.
Chun Huh, retired research professor in the Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering, is recognized for enhancing the understanding of ultralow interfacial tensions of oil/surfactant/water systems. As one of the world’s leading experts on surfactant- and polymer-based enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods, his “Chun Huh equation,” which predicts ultralow interfacial tension from microemulsion solubilization, is widely used for the design of surfactant-based EOR processes. Huh served as a research professor at UT PGE from 2004-2016 and is a past winner of the Improved Oil Recovery Pioneer Award and the Distinguished Membership Award from the Society of Petroleum Engineers.
“We are extremely proud of each of our newly elected academy members,” said Sharon L. Wood, dean of the Cockrell School of Engineering and an NAE member. “It is further confirmation of the world-class quality of the professors, students and alumni who make up our Texas Engineering community.”
Membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to engineering research and practice, including pioneering new and developing fields of technology and making major advancements in the field and profession. The UT Austin members are five of 83 new members and 16 foreign members to join the academy in 2018. Among this year’s most notable elected members is Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos.
The university has over 45 current and emeritus members, among the highest total membership of any U.S. institution, including UT PGE professors Larry Lake, Gary Pope and Mary Wheeler.
