University of Houston President Renu Khator has named Dow Chair Professor Ramanan Krishnamoorti as a special assistant to the president/chancellor for UH Energy, a collection of the university’s preeminent energy research and education programs.
Krishnamoorti will lead UH’s efforts to develop a strategic plan for UH Energy involving education and training, research and the expansion of UH’s Energy Research Park.
In recent years, UH has identified energy as a key strategic focus for research and teaching. The overall vision for UH Energy and the ERP is to build a premier research and education facility for students and faculty as well as establish a unique environment for the best minds to forge new business approaches to the way energy is created, delivered and used.
UH Energy includes the brightest minds in UH engineering, law, business, natural sciences and technology. These researchers and educators help shape energy policy and forge new business approaches in the energy industry. They also educate the innovators of tomorrow by providing a dynamic environment for students and faculty.
“The UH Energy initiative is an exciting and important mission, given its location in the world’s energy capital,” Krishnamoorti said. “I will be working on developing a comprehensive strategic plan designed to capitalize on the abundance of energy-related talent and resources here at UH.
“I also will be working on growing our global partnerships with industry in regards to education and research,” Krishnamoorti said. “This strategic plan also will involve the development of degree and non-degree programs using online and offsite delivery mechanisms.”
Additionally, Krishnamoorti will work closely with the UH Energy Advisory Board, a distinguished panel of global industry leaders to build a vibrant partnership with industry.
For the past four and a half years, Krishnamoorti has been department chair of the UH Cullen College of Engineering’s chemical and biomolecular engineering department. He has stepped down as department chair to assume the newly created special assistant’s position. Mike Harold, M.D. Anderson Professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, has been named the new department chair.
Krishnamoorti earned his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Princeton University. He joined UH as an assistant professor in 1996 and became a professor in 2005. He also was a visiting researcher at ExxonMobil Chemical Company in 2003 and was UH’s associate dean of research for engineering from 2005-2008.
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About the University of Houston
The University of Houston is a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university recognized by The Princeton Review as one of the nation’s best colleges for undergraduate education. UH serves the globally competitive Houston and Gulf Coast Region by providing world-class faculty, experiential learning and strategic industry partnerships. Located in the nation’s fourth-largest city, UH serves more than 40,700 students in the most ethnically and culturally diverse region in the country.