Matthew Hamilton received his Bachelor’s Degree with Summa Cum Laude honors in Chemical Engineering and an Energy Emphasis from the University of Utah. Now as a Ph.D. candidate he is working on the feasibility and scalability of Chemical Looping with Oxygen Uncoupling focusing on utilizing simulations to scale a dual circulating fluidized bed reactor to demonstration plant and utility plant sizes.
Matt would like to pursue a career in academia as a tenure track professor as he is passionate about mentoring students to help them reach their goals. During his time as a PhD candidate he has had the opportunity to develop and teach the Combustion Engineering course giving him a better understanding of the challenges professors face when teaching students new material but also experiencing how rewarding it can be. He has enjoyed developing the CLOU technology and building the collaboration with CPFD LLC and Chalmers University of Technology. He has received multiple fellowships including John Zink Graduate Scholar, Washakie Renewable Energy Scholar, and ARCS Fellowship “Stacy K. Firth Scholar Award”. During his time as the graduate advisor for the ChemE Car team they were awarded the 2013 Most Unique Design and the Most Unique Drive System, and went on to win the 2014 ChemE Car National Championship. In his free time he enjoys carpentry, sports, and the outdoors. He has attended almost all of the University of Utah football and (men’s) basketball games and truly enjoyed seeing the transition from the MWC to the Pac-12 and the recent success of our student athletes. To future graduate students, Matt recommends that you find a research project you truly enjoy and are passionate about. He would also recommend seeing how your research is impacting and contributing to the society we live in.