Curriculum Vitae

Education

3rd year Ph.D. Candidate in Chemical Engineering | Dr. Joan Brennecke & Dr. Benny Freeman Research Groups
The University of Texas, Austin, TX | August 2021 – Present | Expected: Spring 2025
Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering & Master of Engineering in Engineering Management
Washington University, St. Louis, MO | August 2018 - May 2021
Bachelor of Science in Mathematics; Minor in Physics (Honors program, Summa Cum Laude)
St. Edwards University, Austin, TX | August 2015 - May 2018

RESEARCH SUMMARY AND TECHNICAL SKILLS

Supported ionic liquid membranes for carbon capture: post-combustion & direct air capture

Designed and built two fully automated pure-gas constant-volume variable-pressure permeators, an automated humidified mixed-gas sweep cell apparatus for testing DAC operating conditions, an automated pressure-decay system for ionic liquid CO2 sorption studies, and a pressure and volume apparatus to prepare supported ionic liquid membranes (SILMs) more efficiently

Experience with nuclear magnetic resonance, gravimetric & volumetric solubility apparatus, shlenk lines, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), kinematic viscometer, dynamic sorption analyzer, transmission electron microscope (TEM), cyro-microtome, laboratory tangential mixer, tensile testing machine, microscopy and microanalysis

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

ExxonMobil R&D Process Technology Intern under Anita Lee and Ying Liu, Spring, TX | May 2021 – August 2021

Ran computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models of a floating-catalyst chemical vapor deposition process
Collaborated with experimentalists and advised on operating conditions from CFD findings

Molecular Rebar Design Intern under August Krupp, Austin, TX | May 2019 – August 2019

Designed and performed experiments to disperse functionalized multi-wall carbon nanotubes into polymeric adhesive formulations
Successfully determined product characteristics and use recommendations, improving adhesion properties – resulting in a marketable developmental product.
Performed a market analysis & built a formulation cost model of MR in adhesives to determine the price-performance ratio

ExxonMobil Business Coordination & Optimization Co-op under Ric Carlile & Yelena Leznik, Baytown, TX | Jan – May 2019

Built Lost Monitoring System (LMS) tool for steamcracker (BOP2X), propylene recovery unit, butadiene unit, base BOP, and BOPX with Excel that saved contact engineers more than 6 hours of their time, per week.
Open-ended research projects dealing with butadiene unit and the concentration of sulfur in the feed stream
Quantified key margin variables at the olefins plant to optimize ethylene production better and analyzed the viability of a gas oil feed project with $20 million incentive per year

ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE

Teaching Assistant, CHE 264: Chemical Engineering Senior Process and Project Lab | Fall 2023, Fall 2022

California Institute of Technology in Dr. Julia Greers’s Group, Pasadena, CA | June 2020 – Dec. 2020

Ran and analyzed molecular dynamic simulations of additively manufacture (AM) polycrystalline zinc oxide (ZnO)
Studied the role of a single grain boundary on the mechanical and electrical behavior of AM polycrystalline ZnO

Cornell University Research Fellow in Dr. Abraham Stroock’s Group, Ithaca, NY | June – August 2018

Built a mathematical model with Matlab that can predict stem water potential of coastal redwoods given environmental data to quantify if coastal redwood trees are experiencing stress (i.e. undergoing a draught)

St. Edwards University Research Intern, Austin,TX | May – June 2018

Produced python code that can calculate the pressure offset of weather balloons using the hypsometric formula

Calculus TA and Supplemental Instruction (SI) Leader St.Edwards, Austin, TX | August 2016 – Spring 2018

Washington University Summer Engineering Fellowship (WUSEF) in Dr. Marcus Foston’s Group St. Louis, MO | May – August 2017

Designed project with over 34 experiments changing 4 variables, analyzing the percent of lignin depolymerized and the major compounds present working in a two-part process: thermocatalytic (hydrogenolysis) with a biological system
Worked with a pressure reactor, centrifuge, total organic carbon analyzer, and a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyzer

National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), Boulder, CO | Aug. 2017

Developed a nonexistent mathematical model that can be applied to radiosondes without GPS capabilities to predict the pressure bias with higher accuracy

AWARDS AND HONORS

DOW BEST Symposium | July 2024

Distinguished 1st place Poster Competition| UT Energy Week – 2024

Dow Research Award – Gold Level | UT Austin, Jan 2024

2nd Place Graduate Oral Presentation SHPE Conference| Nov 2023

UT Chevron Energy Graduate Fellowship| May 2023

Sustainability Award Texas Ventures Lab Competition| May 2023

UT MyNine PhD Fellowship | August 2020 - Present

HSF (Hispanic Scholarship Fund) Scholarship| May 2020

ExxonMobil Technical Scholarship | October 2019

MIT Access Scholar | August 2019

SHPE Undergraduate Scholarship | August 2019

Forbes 30 under 30 Scholar | July 2019

Harvard Business School Online: Business Analytics | Fall 2019

Harvard Business School SVMP | June 2019

Harvard Business School Peekweekend | June 2018

Harold P. Brown Engineering Scholarship (Full tuition covered Washington University) | Spring 2018

Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) American Institute of ChemE Scholar |Spring 2018

Student Excellence Showcase Participant St. Edward’s University | Spring 2018

St. Edward’s Summer Fellowship Award | Summer 2017

Honor’s Program | Fall 2015- present

Dean’s List | Fall 2015-Present

Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society | Fall 2015-Present

Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers Member | Fall 2017 – Present

Alpha Chi National Honors Society | Spring 2018 – Present

CONFERENCES

Chamoun-Farah, A.; Freeman, B. D.; Brennecke, J. F. Amine Functionalized Supported Ionic Liquid Membranes (SILMs) for CO2/N2 Separation. 2024 Symposium on Thermophysical Properties.

Chamoun-Farah, A.; Freeman, B. D.; Brennecke, J. F. Amine Functionalized Supported Ionic Liquid Membranes (SILMs) for CO2/N2 Separation. 2024 North American Membrane Society (NAMS) Annual Meeting.

Chamoun-Farah, A.; Freeman, B. D.; Brennecke, J. F. Amine-Functionalized Supported Ionic Liquid Membranes (SILMs) for CO2/N2 Separation. 2024 UTCCS-7, University of Texas 7th Conference on Carbon Capture and Storage

Chamoun-Farah, A.; Freeman, B. D.; Brennecke, J. F. Amine-Functionalized Supported Ionic Liquid Membranes (SILMs) for CO2/N2 Separation. 2023 SHPE Annual Meeting. Won 2nd place graduate oral presentation.

Chamoun-Farah, A.; Freeman, B. D.; Brennecke, J. F. CO2 Separation with Supported Ionic Liquid Membranes Containing AHA Ionic Liquids. 2023 AIChE Annual Meeting. AIChE, 2023.

Chamoun-Farah, A.; Keller, A.N.; Park, J.; Cañada, L. M.; Thacker, P.; Freeman, B. D.; Brennecke, J. F. Development of Aprotic Heterocyclic Anion (AHA) Ionic Liquids for Carbon Capture. 2023 ACS.

LEADERSHIP AND OUTREACH

ChemE Graduate Leadership Council Industry Relations Chair |UT, Fall 2023 - present

World of Engineering |UT Austin, TX Oct 2023

Junior Achievement | ExxonMobil, Baytown, TX |February – May 2019

Relay for Life | ExxonMobil, Baytown, TX | February – April 2019

Hearts and Hands Food Bank | ExxonMobil, Baytown, TX | March 2019

SHPE Secretary |Washington University, St. Louis, MO |Fall 2017 – Spring 2018

Vice President | Math Club, St. Edwards, Austin, TX| Fall 2017 – Spring 2018

Secretary | Math Club, St. Edwards University, Austin, TX | Fall 2016- Spring 2017

College Prep STEM BME Assistant |WashU St. Louis, MO |Summer 2017