Abasi-ofon Tom

Ph.D. Student (joined the Gunasooriya Lab, Spring 2024)
B.Eng. Chemical Engineering, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, 2021

Born in Nigeria, Tom developed an interest in energy, as a result of the energy scarcity prevalent in the region. His focus was primarily on locally developed approaches to energy generation which spurred his interest to pursue his undergraduate studies in Chemical Engineering at the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria where he graduated with a First Class and. Furthermore, during his undergraduate studies, he undertook a six-month industrial training program in the fluid catalytic cracking unit of one of Nigeria’s biggest refineries in Warri. This experience exposed him to catalysis and the wonders that can be performed with catalysts. Since then, Tom’s interest has evolved into optimal catalyst development for sustainable energy production. As evidence of his interest in catalysis, Tom was awarded the African and Caribbean Excellence Scholarship Award to pursue a Master of Research (MRes) in Industrial Heterogeneous catalysis at the University of Glasgow, Scotland UK, where he employed experimental strategies to understand catalysis of zeolites and three-way catalysts. Currently, Tom is interested in the design of catalysts for sustainable energy production using computational, ML, and techno-economic approaches. In the Gunasooriya Lab, he is working on next-generation catalyst design for Carbon and Nitrogen chemistry. In his free time, Tom enjoys playing racing games.

Awards
- African and Caribbean Excellence Scholarship Award, University of Glasgow, UK
- Dean of Engineering’s Prize Award, Faculty of Engineering, University of Port Harcourt
- Best Graduating Student, Faculty of Engineering, University of Port Harcourt
- Best Graduating Student, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Port Harcourt
- TotalEnergies Undergraduate University Scholarship
- Chevron Nigeria Undergraduate University Scholarship