معرفی
Helen Lewis is an Associate Professor at the School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society, Heriot-Watt University, and part of the Institute for GeoEnergy Engineering. She holds roles such as Director of the Applied Geoscience MSc and has served on committees including Postgraduate Studies and Athena SWAN (Women in Science). Her research focuses on geomechanics, rock deformation, and subsurface reservoir dynamics, with emphasis on fluid flow in fractured systems and laboratory-based testing using advanced imaging (e.g., X-ray/ neutron tomography).
Education: PhD in Basin Development and Basin-scale Flow Systems from the University of Glasgow (1991-1998). Earlier work includes a fixed-term research contract joint between Geology and Civil Engineering at the same university. Prior academic return, she spent a decade in the US oil and gas industry managing fractured reservoirs.
Research Interests: Current research addresses rock damage in subsurface reservoirs (natural and human-induced), storage/retrieval of fluids, heat, and energy. Methods include experimental rock mechanics, tomographic imaging, and numerical simulation. Historical projects include deformation band studies in sands/sandstones, carbonate rock petrophysics, and nanosensor integration in rock deformation studies ('Bots in Rocks').
Grants and Equipment: Secured grants for neutron beam access and X-ray tomography. Manages the ET micro-CT scanner facility. Collaborations include the International Centre for Carbonates Research (ICCR) and EU's ALERT network.
Labs/Teams: Active in the Institute for GeoEnergy Engineering, leading projects on CO₂ storage, hydrogen trapping, and fracture-flow system behavior. Contributions align with UN Sustainable Development Goals related to clean energy and climate action.
