Aamir Farooq, Ph.D.

Faculty

Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Research Interests

​Dr. Farooq's research interests are in the areas of energy sciences, combustion chemistry, spectroscopy and laser-based sensors. He is the principal investigator of Chemical Kinetics and Laser Sensors Laboratory and is affiliated with the Clean Combustion Research Center. Professor Farooq's group focuses on the development and use of advanced experimental techniques to understand fundamental processes in traditional and renewable energy-conversion devices. The laboratory carries out experimental research on chemical kinetics using shock tubes and rapid compression machine. These idealized reactors enable the study of reaction kinetics, fuel chemistry, ignition properties, and emissions under conditions suitable for future high-efficiency, low-emission engines and gas turbines.

Professor Farooq is interested in the development of new laser-based sensors and their application to a variety of energy systems. These sensors are used to make in-situ measurements of various parameters of interest such as species concentration, gas temperature, flow velocity, mass flux, and particle number density. Small-sized quantum-cascade lasers are used to design highly sensitive sensors that are portable and can be applied directly in industrial settings. Also, Professor Farooq is interested in developing laser-based sensors for biomedical and environment–monitoring applications.

Selected Publications

  1. Laser sensors for energy systems and process industries: Prespectives and directions
    A. Farooq, A.B. Alquaity, M. Raza, E.F. Nasir, S. Yao, W. Ren
    Progress in Energy and Combustion Science 91, 100997 (2022)
  2. Ignition delay time and laminar flame speed measurements of ammonia blended with dimethyl ether: A promising low-carbon fuel blend
    G. Issayev, B. Giri, A. Elbaz, K. Shrestha, F. Mauss, W. Roberts, A. Farooq
    Renewable Energy 181, 1353 – 1370 (2022)
  3. Inception of carbonaceous nanostructures via hydrogen-abstraction phenylacetylene-addition mechanism
    H. Jin, L. Ye, J. Yang, Y. Jiang, L. Zhao, A. Farooq
    Journal of American Chemical Society 143, 20710 – 20716 (2021)
  4. Symmetric ethers as bioderived fuels: Reactivity with OH radicals
    M. Belmekki, B. Giri, D. Liu, A. Farooq
    Energy & Fuels 35, 16075-16085 (2021)
  5. Cavity-enhanced measurements of benzene for environmental monitoring
    M. Mhanna, G. Zhang, N. Kunnummal, A. Farooq
    IEEE Sensors Journal 21, 3, 3849 - 3859 (2021)
  6. Experimental and computational studies of methanol and ethanol preignition behind reflected shock waves
    M. Figueroa-Labastida, M.B. Luong, J. Badra, H.G. Im, A. Farooq
    Combustion and Flame 234, 111621 (2021)
  7. Continuous butadiyne addition to propargyl: A radical-efficient pathway for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
    H. Jin, L. Xing, J. Yang, Z. Zhou, F. Qi, A. Farooq
    Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters 12, 8109-8114 (2021)
  8. Dual-camera high-speed imaging of the ignition modes of ethanol, methanol and n-hexane in a shock tube
    M. Figueroa-Labastida, J. Badra, A. Farooq
    Combustion and Flame 224, 33 – 42 (2021)
  9. Prediction of the derived cetane number and carbon/hydrogen ration from the infrared spectroscopic data
    E. Al-Ibrahim, A. Farooq
    Energy & Fuels 35, 8141 – 8152 (2021)
  10. Optical frequency metrology in the bending modes region
    M. Lamperti, R. Gotti, D. Gatti, M.K. Shakfa, E. Cane, F. Tamassia, P. Schunemann, P. Laporta, A. Farooq, M. Marangoni
    Communications Physics 3 175 (2020)

Education

 
  • Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Palo Alto, USA, 2010
  • M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Palo Alto, USA, 2006
  • B.S., Mechanical Engineering, GIK Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology, Topi, Pakistan, 2002

Professional Profile

  • 2022-Present: Professor, Mechanical Engineering, KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
  • 2016-2022: Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering, KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
  • 2010-2016: Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering, KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
  • 2005-2010: Research Assistant, High Temperature Gasdynamics Laboratory, Stanford University, California

Scientific and Professional Membership

  • Member, Combustion Institute
  • Member, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
  • Member, Institute of Physics

Awards

  • Research Excellence Award by the Combustion Institute (2020)
  • Hiroshi Tsuji Early Career Research Award by Elsevier and the Combustion Institute and (2019)
  • Distinguished Teaching Award by KAUST (2019)
  • Visiting Guest Professor of the Graduate School in Advanced Optical Technologies at the Fredrich-Alexander-Universitat Erlangen-Nurnberg, Germany (2018 – 2019)
  • Visiting Faculty Fellowship from the University of Lille, France (2016)

KAUST Affiliations

  • ​Clean Combustion Research Center (CCRC)
  • Physical Sciences and Engineering Division (PSE)
  • Mechanical Engineering Program

Research Interests Keywords

Fuels and combustion Sensors