Research
The ability to accurately model flow in subsurface formations enables the efficient production and optimal management of key resources such as oil and natural gas. Reliable subsurface flow models will also be required for the design and operation of geologic CO2 storage processes. My students and I pursue a number of research areas involving the simulation of multiphase subsurface flow phenomena. Some of the specific areas we study are the optimization of well placement and well settings, the upscaling (or coarse-graining) of detailed geological descriptions for flow simulation, reduced-order modeling, flow in fractured or faulted systems, CO2 sequestration modeling, and general numerical discretization and gridding issues. Many of our studies involve the development of new computational methods able to accurately and efficiently represent the effects of geological complexity on subsurface flow. Another main focus is "closed-loop" reservoir modeling, in which we employ computational optimization and data assimilation techniques for real-time simulation and optimization. I am also active in the area of energy systems optimization, where the goal is to determine the optimal design and operating parameters for integrated energy facilities that include carbon capture.

Teaching
I teach or co-teach graduate courses on advanced reservoir engineering, reservoir simulation, and advanced reservoir simulation. These classes focus on the analytical description and computational modeling of subsurface flow phenomena. I also co-teach an undergraduate class on energy and the environment.

Professional Activities
I co-direct the Stanford University Industrial Affiliates Programs on Smart Fields and Reservoir Simulation Research (SUPRI-B). Outside of Stanford, I serve on the Editorial Boards of two journals, Computational Geosciences and Mathematical Geosciences, and I am a permanent member of the European Conference on the Mathematics of Oil Recovery (ECMOR) Program Committee. I am also an active member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.