Nuanced. 40. Sami Khan: Climate Change, Sustainable Energy & Engineering
Sami is an Assistant Professor in the School of Sustainable Energy Engineering at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver. His research focus currently is improving carbon capture technology. In this conversation, Aaron and Sami discuss climate change, sustainable energy, CO2, how Mr. Khan became interested in the topic and the role chemical engineers can play.
He leads the Engineered Interfaces for Sustainable Energy (EISEn) group, studying creative ways to enhance the performance and longevity of sustainable energy systems. He teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses in energy engineering at SFU, and his multidisciplinary research group is particularly interested in clean energy solutions in remote Canadian communities.Sami was born in Pune, India and immigrated to Canada. A chemical engineer by training from the University of Toronto, Sami’s interest in science and policy piqued when he interned at Ontario Power Generation, reviewing compliance to nuclear safety codes and standards as part of the Darlington Nuclear Station refurbishment project. Sami’s motivation to use his engineering knowledge to impact policy making subsequently led him to pursue a Masters’ degree in Technology and Policy from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In his Masters’ thesis, Sami studied the market for rare-earth metals with applications in hydropower systems. He received the Hydro Research Foundation Award from the US Department of Energy, and was recognized as the Young Researcher of the Year at the World Hydropower Congress in Beijing, China in 2015. He obtained his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT in June 2020.
Sami has previously worked in the rare-earth mining industry in Canada, and was a Science and Technology Advisor to the Chief Scientist of Natural Resources Canada. He has taught high school and university students in South Korea, Kazakhstan and Mexico, and has volunteered in Indonesia through the GiveLight Foundation, supported by the Priscilla King Gray Public Service Fellowship from MIT. He is an avid biker, sailor, foodie and geography geek, and yearns to sail around the world one day. He is an uncle to four nieces and is an alumni mentor at both his alma maters.