Assistant Professor

Maja Rücker

RESEARCH PROFILE

Treatment and development of sub-surface fluid reservoirs in rocks, such as aquifers, H2 or CO2 storage sites, is crucial for the reduction of stress on water supply, energy demand, climate and environment. Insight into how fluids behave within the confined space of the porous rock is key for decision-making processes in the associated applications.

I study molecular interactions of fluids within porous materials and how these link to the macroscopic flow phenomena (incl. multiphase flow responses, reactive transport), develop integrated experimental workflows for upscaling and advance digital modelling approaches used, e.g. to assist decision making for effective utilization of sub-surface resources and of other porous media applications.

Current research projects are funded by the Irene-Curie Fellowship and the DeepNL-NWO programme. 

 

ACADEMIC BACKGROUND

I received my PhD in a joint project of the Rock & Fluid Physics team at Shell Global Solutions International B.V. and Imperial College London and hold a BSc and MSc degree in Geoscience from the Johannes-Gutenberg University, Mainz. I worked from 2018-2020 as a Research Assistant and later as Research Associate in the Chemical Engineering Department at Imperial College London, where I am now a visiting researcher. Supported by the Interpore Porelab award for young researchers 2020, I am also visiting the Porelab Institute at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and the University of Oslo.

November 2020, I joined the Mechanical Engineering Department at the Eindhoven University of Technology as an Assistant Professor. Here, I am working in the Energy Technology group and teach the international MSc course 'Energy transition- the path towards net zero' in collaboration with DTU and CLUSTER-SEEEP.

Ancillary Activities

  • elected council member, vice-chair of the Benelux Interpore Chapter, lecturer of the interpore Academy, International Society of Porous Media (Interpore)
  • Guest Researcher, Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research
  • Guest researcher, Max Planck Institute for Polymer research
  • visiting researcher, contribution to a research project awarded to MPIP, Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPIP)