Professor
MASc and MSc Program Advisor | Associate Director, Clean Energy Research Centre (CERC) | Faculty Associate, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES)
Office: CHBE 227
Email: naoko.ellis@ubc.ca
Research Summary
Biomass Utilization, CO2 Capture, Fluidization and Multiphase Systems, Sustainability and Environmental Education, Transdisciplinary Research and Learning
Education
University of British Columbia, 2003, Ph.D.
Western University, 1993, M.E.Sc.
University of Waterloo, 1991, B.Sc., Honours
Research interests + projects
Transdisciplinary Climate Emergency
Exploring complex systems around low carbon futures through transdisciplinary approaches. Collaborating and co-creating with others to advance environmental literacy in higher education and connect with communities and other partners to imagine change. Ongoing curiosity about how collective and relational efforts may help us understand the patterns of interactions and ultimately catalyze effective movements towards hopeful futures.
Transdisciplinary PhD Collaborative on Climate Emergency
Carbon Capture, Utilization and Sequestration (CCUS) Implementation
Connecting with academic, public, and private stakeholders on knowledge translation and mobilization for regional and national decarbonization strategies. Integrating processes and technologies for carbon circular economy.
British Columbia CCUS Visioning Workshop
Multiphase Systems and Reaction Engineering
Understanding the hydrodynamics of fluidized beds as critical to the design and scaling of fluidized bed reactors that are used as various reactors. Deploying various measurement techniques and modeling methods to study and predict the behaviour of fluidized beds and other multiphase reactors. Fluidized bed applications include biomass utilization for energy production and carbon capture through looping systems.
Essentials of Fluidization Technology Textbook
Awards and honours
American Institute for Chemical Engineering Powder Technology Forum PSRI Lectureship Award in Fluidization, 2022
NSERC University Faculty Award , 2003
Scholarly and professional activities + affiliations
Fluidization Research Centre, University of British Columbia 2022
Clean Energy Research Centre, University of British Columbia 2022
Transdisciplinary PhD Collaborative on Climate Emergency 2022
UBC Sustainability Initiative 2016
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 2015
Carbon Capture & Conversion Institute 2015
UBC APSC Sustainability Pathway Initiative 2014
Full Publications List
Selected publications + presentations
Tembrevilla, G., Nesbit, S., Ellis, N., & Ostafichuk, P., “Developing Transdisciplinarity in First‐year Engineering”, Journal of Engineering Education. (2022) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jee.20497
Ramachandran, A., Abdi, K., Giang, A., Gladwin, D., & Ellis, N., “Transdisciplinary and Interdisciplinary Programmes for Collaborative Graduate Research Training”, Educational Review, 1-18, (2022). https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00131911.2022.2134312
Mohamed, B.A., Ellis, N., Kim, C.S., Bi, X., Chen, W.H., “Engineered Biochars from Catalytic Microwave Pyrolysis for Reducing Heavy Metals Phytotoxicity and Increasing Plant Growth”, Chemosphere, 271, 129808 (2021). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0045653521002770
Kim, J.Y., Ellis, N., Lim, C.J., Grace, J.R., “Effect of Calcination/carbonation and Oxidation/reduction on Attrition of Binary Solid Species in Sorption-enhanced Chemical Looping Reforming”, Fuel, 271, 117665 (2020). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016236120306608
Cheng, L., Wu, Z., Zhang, Z., Guo, C., Ellis, N., Bi, X., Watkinson, A.P., Grace, J.R., “Tar Elimination from Biomass Gasification Syngas with Bauxite Residue Derived Catalysts and Gasification Char”, Applied Energy, 258, 114088 (2020). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306261919317751