Brian R. Ellis

Brian R. Ellis is a Research Fellow at the University of Michigan's Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, affiliated with the Michigan Society of Fellows. His research focuses on advancing sustainable infrastructure materials, subsurface engineering for carbon management, and environmental impacts of energy extraction technologies. He holds a PhD in Civil & Environmental Engineering from the University of Michigan.

Key research areas include: 1) Developing CO2-utilizing concrete composites for low-carbon construction, 2) Investigating geochemical processes in fractured reservoirs for carbon sequestration, 3) Evaluating hydraulic fracturing's environmental impacts, and 4) Optimizing geothermal energy systems coupled with carbon storage. His work bridges materials science, geomechanics, and environmental engineering.

Recent studies emphasize microwave-enhanced CO2 capture, fracture evolution in carbonate systems, and lifecycle analyses of sustainable construction materials. Ellis has contributed to regulatory reports on Michigan's fracking practices and pioneered methods to quantify CO2 mineralization potentials in subsurface formations.

• Lab Affiliations: University of Michigan Civil & Environmental Engineering Department
• Key Technologies: Carbonation curing, fracture network modeling, topological data analysis