Shaina Kelly

Shaina Kelly

Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Engineering

Shaina Kelly and her research group investigate “submicron to subsurface” transport phenomena in geologic and engineered porous media for sustainable energy and environmental applications, including subsurface carbon storage and mineralization.

Shaina’s research focuses on characterizing and optimizing the interplay between multiphase flow and fluid-mineral interactions in a spectrum of energy-related sedimentary and igneous/metamorphic rocks as well as soils and engineered materials such as membranes and cements. The Kelly Lab specializes in the characterization of flow in nanopores and films to quantify how interfacial interactions influence fluid and solute transport in complex and low-permeability porous media. The lab integrates pore-to-core-scale sample analyses and measurement techniques, microscopy, micro/nanofluidics, and computational fluid dynamics methods (CFD) to identify emergent pore-scale phenomena. Kelly Lab’s experimental and numerical pore-scale findings are upscaled in terms of engineering variables such as effective viscosity, diffusivity, capillary pressure, wettability indices, and relative permeability for continuum modeling of rock energy production, alteration, and storage scenarios.

Shaina Kelly has 6+ years of related industry experience and specializes in the study of how interfacial interactions influence fluid and solute transport in complex, low-permeability porous media, beginning with the characterization of capillary imbibition in varied nanochannels and bridging to characterization of wettability and migration pathways in nanoporous rocks. Shaina received her PhD from The University of Texas at Austin in 2015, and her BSc from the University of Florida in 2011. 

Research Areas

  • Nano/Microscale Multiphase and Reactive Flows in Porous Media
  • Geologic and Engineered Carbon Storage and Mineralization
  • Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS)
  • Sustainable Resource Production - in situ critical mineral recovery and lower-carbon hydrocarbon recovery
  • Other Subsurface Sustainable Energy & Water Applications: enhanced weathering, hydrogeology, aquifer remediation, hydrogen storage, deep nuclear waste storage, etc.
     

Additional Information

  • Professional Affiliations
    • American Geophysical Union (AGU)
    • Interpore - International Society for Porous Media
    • American Chemical Society (ACS), Energy & Fuels Division 
    • Society of Petrophysicists and Well Log Analysts (SPWLA)
  • Honors & Awards
    • Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award (DFTA), Columbia Engineering Alumni Association's (CEAA), May 2024.
    • 2024 Medal of Merit for Best Paper Related to Canadian Petroleum Geology, the Canadian Energy Geoscience Association (GEGA), (co-authors/co-awardees: Watt, E. A., Laycock, D. P., Michael, E., Tobin, R. C., Kelly, S., Johnston, M. N).
    • Awardee, Carbontech Development Initiative - New Directions, 2024 (co-PI: Shiho Kawashima).
    • Young Professional Technical Award, Society of Petrophysicists and Well Log Analysts (SPWLA), 2023. 
    • Awardee, Columbia University Qiu Zhong Wei Research Projects, 2023  (co-PIs: D.R. Nagaraj, Raymond Farinato).
    • Awardee, Columbia University SEAS Interdisciplinary Research Seed (SIRS) Funding, 2023 (co-PIs: Peter Kelemen, Marc Spiegelman). 
    • Awardee, American Chemical Society (ACS) Petroleum Research Fund, PRF# 66777-DNI9, July 2023.
    • Awardee, Columbia Climate School Seed Funding, 2023  (co-PI: Peter Kelemen).
    • Awardee, Provost’s Grants Program for Junior Faculty who Contribute to the Diversity Goals of the University, 2023. 
    • Nominee, J&J WiSTEM2D program - Engineering Track, 2023.
  • Professional Experience
    • Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Engineering, Columbia University, 2022-
    • Assistant Director, Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy, Columbia University Climate School, 2023-
    • Senior Geoscience Engineer, AquaNRG Consulting Inc. (Houston, TX), 2021-2022
    • Senior Petrophysicist (Geoscience), ConocoPhillips Company (Houston, TX), 2018-2021
    • Petrophysicist (Geoscience), ConocoPhillips Company (Houston, TX), 2016-2018
  • Education
    • PhD, Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin
    • MS, Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin
    • BS, Environmental Engineering, University of Florida