N.I.O.C Fellow and Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Civil and Environmental Engineering
Education
- 2008, Doctoral Degree, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- 2008, Master's Degree, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- 2003, Master's Degree, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Delaware
- 1999, Bachelor's Degree, Civil Engineering, University of Tehran
Biography
Behnam Jafarpour is a Professor of Chemical Engineering and Material Science with joint appointments in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Civil and Environmental Engineering Departments at USC Viterbi School of Engineering. He leads the Subsurface Energy and Environmental Systems (SEES) Lab and co-directs the Advanced Reservoir Characterization and Forecasting (ARCF) Center. Dr. Jafarpour earned his PhD and SM degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), respectively, from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2008. He started his academic career as an Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University in 2008, prior to joining USC in 2011. Dr. Jafarpour's research and teaching activities revolve around characterization, prediction, and control of fluid flow and transport phenomena in complex subsurface energy and environmental systems.
Research Summary
Dr. Jafarpour's research is at the interface of systems science, data science, and computational geoscience, with an emphasis on improving the description, prediction, and control of flow and transport in subsurface energy and environmental systems. His research lab focuses on integrating advanced system-theoretical principles and modern data science algorithms with modeling and prediction of fluid flow and transport processes in geologic formations to develop scientifically rigorous and practical methods for effective characterization, forecasting, and management of subsurface energy and natural resources. The main research areas in his lab include (i) Effective Representations of Complex High-Dimensional Geosystems; (ii) Inverse Modeling and Uncertainty Quantification for Subsurface Flow Systems; (iii) Optimization and Control for Subsurface Flow Systems; and (iv) Data Science for Prediction and Decision Support in Complex Energy and Environmental Systems. Some of the applications studied in his lab include conventional and unconventional energy systems, groundwater aquifers, geothermal energy, and geologic CO2 storage.
Awards
- 2024 SPE International Data Science and Engineering Analytics Award
- 2024 SPE Regional Data Science and Engineering Analytics Award (Western North America)
- 2023 SPE Distinguished Member
- 2021 SPE Western North America Region Reservoir Description and Dynamics
- 2017 SPE Western North America Region Formation Evaluation Award
- 2016 Energi Simulation (formerly, Foundation CMG) Industrial Research Chair
- 2015 Management and Information Award, SPE Western North America Region
- 2015 Outstanding Engineering Educator Award, Orange County Engineering Council
- 2014 Best Reviewer Award, Mathematical Geosciences Journal
- 2014 Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award, SPE Western North America Region
- 2012 Junior Faculty Research Initiation Award, SPE
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