Mark is a PhD student in the Department of Chemical Engineering at UWA under the supervision of Prof. Eric May. His research focusses on experimental nucleation measurements to characterise formation likelihood for a variety of solids relevant to the energy industry. Primarily, this involves the use of optical microscopy to detect tiny quantites of solid forming at high pressures and cryogenic temperatures. 

The goals of his research are:

• Reducing the cost of safe liquid hydrogen production by measuring the solubility of impurities in hydrogen at cryogenic temperatures. This prevents adsorption units from being over-sized. 
• Investigating ortho-para hydrogen conversion catalyst deactivation due to the formation of solids on the catalyst surface.
• Reducing non-routine CO2 emissions in LNG plants by preventing unplanned shutdowns and plant uptsets due to solid freeze-out
• Measuring, designing, and modelling alternative gas hydrate managment chemistries to reduce the volume of inhitiors required (and thus CO2 emissions) during the production and transport of natural gas