Arely Torres

Major: Ph.D., Chemical and Petroleum Engineering

I chose KU because of its relationship with the Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis (CEBC). The chemical and petroleum engineering program combines academics with industrial expertise provided by some of the top chemical companies that are members and advisors of CEBC. This made the perfect mix, since it was exactly what I searched for in a graduate program.

My main research interest is catalysis and reaction engineering with an environmental focus. It arose from the undergraduate course I took in Kinetics and Chemical Reactor Engineering. This course was one of the most challenging in my undergraduate career, but it was one of the first times I felt a real connection between my degree and the real world. I decided to pursue this path further in graduate school. I am fortunate to conduct my research under the guidance of Dr. R.V. Chaudhari at the CEBC. The ultimate goal of my research is to understand reactions that use renewable bio-derived materials to produce chemicals that are in high demand today, and develop successful processes with environmentally benign and inherently safe practices that will reduce the world’s dependence on petroleum-based products, while still keeping people and the environment safe.

While it is fun and exciting to do research and be able to discover and apply many new things, sharing them is also equally interesting and rewarding to me. One of my long term goals is to become a faculty member. I enjoy helping other people learn and I have witnessed that the most significant learning is achieved through teaching. I have experienced the hard work required to maintain the balance between research and teaching duties, as professors need to do, by being a teaching and research assistant simultaneously during my graduate studies. This has been an excellent opportunity to learn and improve in this area. I hope that with good guidance, I can one day become a professor worthy of sharing my passion for knowledge with my students as many other professors have shared theirs with me.

My favorite thing about Lawrence is its diversity. It has a diverse culture enriched by the presence of people from so many different countries. I was born and raised in Mexico; and, in my nearly three years in Lawrence, I have learned about so many cultures, including my own, from different perspectives. Lawrence has a diverse restaurant and entertainment scene; there is always something for everyone. It has the advantages of a big city, without being a big city.

In my free time, I love to read science fiction and romance novels (a nice change from convoluted research articles), watch films and anime, dance, and oil paint.

Prospective students may contact me at kuengr@ku.edu.