Transport Phenomena & Porous Media for the Energy Transition

I am a Research Fellow in the Department of Chemical Engineering at The University of Manchester. My work bridges transport phenomena, multiphase flow, and reactive transport in bulk and porous systems, with applications in sustainable and net zero technologies, subsurface energy, and advanced porous materials.

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Dr Mehrdad Vasheghani Farahani

Research Fellow, Department of Chemical Engineering

The University of Manchester, UK

About me

I am a porous media researcher, with a PhD in GeoEnergy Engineering from Heriot-Watt University (UK) and BSc/MSc degrees in Petroleum Engineering from Sharif University of Technology (Iran). My research focuses on understanding and modelling coupled thermo–hydro–chemical processes in complex porous and process systems, from pore-scale physics to continuum-scale behaviour.

Methodologically, I combine advanced experiments (microfluidics, X-ray micro-CT, MRI, μPIV and fluorescence imaging) with numerical modelling (lattice Boltzmann modelling, pore-network modelling, CFD) and data-driven approaches to address challenges in carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), hydrogen storage, gas hydrates, and subsurface energy engineering.

I enjoy working at the interface of disciplines and collaborating with academic, industrial and synchrotron partners to translate fundamental understanding into impact for the energy transition.

Current role

Research Fellow (2025 – current) Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Manchester, UK.

  • Research on multiphase flow, salt precipitation and injectivity in CO₂ storage formations.
  • Development of pore-scale LBM models for evaporation–precipitation and reactive transport in porous media.
  • Commissioning and use of high-pressure microfluidic and μPIV/LIF facilities for pore-scale flow and transport visualisation.
Recent positions
  • Postdoctoral Research Associate (2023–2025) Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Manchester, UK (EPSRC PINCH project on CO₂ injectivity in hyper-saline aquifers).
  • Postdoctoral Research Fellow (2022–2023) School of Engineering, University of Warwick, UK (LBM and microfluidics for contaminant transport and mixing in porous geomaterials).
Key themes
  • • Porous media physics
  • • Multiphase flow & transport
  • • Gas hydrates & cryogenic processes
  • • CCUS & net zero technologies
  • • Lattice Boltzmann modelling / PNM
  • • Data-driven modelling & ML

Research

My research sits at the intersection of transport phenomena, multiphase flow, and reactive transport in bulk and porous systems. I integrate advanced experimental studies, numerical modelling, and data-driven analysis to understand, design, and optimise coupled thermo–hydro–chemical processes in energy, environmental, and materials engineering.

My research work spans scales from the pore level (μm) to the large systems, with applications in CCUS and net zero technologies, subsurface energy storage, gas hydrates, and emerging porous media technologies.

Methodological toolbox
  • High-pressure / high-temperature microfluidics with μPIV and LIF for pore-scale flow, mixing, and salt precipitation.
  • X-ray micro-CT, MRI, and optical imaging for 3D/4D characterisation of porous structures and transport processes.
  • Lattice Boltzmann and pore-network modelling for multiphase flow, evaporation–precipitation, and non-Fickian solute transport.
  • Thermodynamic and transport modelling for CO₂- and H₂-rich systems and gas hydrates.
  • Data-driven and machine-learning approaches for image analysis, upscaling, and model reduction.
Current research directions
  • CO₂ storage and injectivity in saline aquifers
    Pore- and core-scale studies of brine evaporation, salt precipitation, and permeability impairment, combining microfluidics, LBM, and X-ray imaging.
  • Multiscale transport and non-Fickian behaviour
    Comparative evaluation of continuum and pore-scale models for anomalous transport in unsaturated and heterogeneous porous media.
  • Gas hydrates and cryogenic processes
    Thermal and geophysical signatures of hydrate-bearing sediments, and hydrate-based technologies for CCUS, separation, and cold-region energy systems.
  • Porous media technologies for net zero
    Engineered porous materials and structures (aerogels, VIPs, functional sorbents, additively manufactured lattices, porous electrodes) for insulation, filtration, electrochemical systems, and carbon capture.

I am always open to collaboration on transport phenomena, multiscale modelling, and porous media technologies that support the energy transition.

Service & Leadership

Professional service
  • Journal reviewer for journals including Geoenergy Science & Engineering, Fuel, Advances in Water Resources, Chemical Engineering Science, Water Resources Research, Physics of Fluids, Review of Scientific Instruments, Energies, JMSE, Processes, and InterPore Journal.
  • Guest Editor in Frontiers in Earth Science – Georeservoirs , leading a Special Issue on subsurface CO₂ sequestration and pathways to net zero.
  • Invited talks at Shell Energy Transition Campus Amsterdam, TU Delft, Tabriz University of Technology, the Iranian Association of Chemical Engineers, and UK universities.
  • UK STEM Ambassador, supporting outreach and engagement activities in science and engineering.
Leadership and community roles
  • Chair, Chemical Engineering PDRA Forum – representing research staff and helping to shape a supportive research environment in the Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Manchester.
  • Organiser / co-organiser of workshops and events, including the 7th UK InterPore Chapter meeting (Manchester), a Turbulent Mixing in Porous Media workshop (Warwick), and skills workshops on machine learning, data visualisation, and deep learning with PyTorch.
  • Chair of the 2025 Postgraduate Research Conference, Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Manchester.
  • Webmaster and lab development – IMPRES research group and PINCH project websites; commissioning and upgrading microfluidic and imaging facilities for porous media research.
  • InterPore community engagement – long-term collaboration with the International Society for Porous Media (InterPore) on porous media research and community activities.

Contact

If you are interested in collaboration on porous media, CCUS, gas hydrates, subsurface energy or related topics, feel free to get in touch.

This site is intended as a personal research profile. For student or administrative enquiries at The University of Manchester, please use official university communication channels.