Dr Gul Ozcan-Taskin

BEng, Diplome d’lng, DEA, PhD, CEng, FIChemE

  • Senior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering

Background:

Prior to joining Loughborough University as a Senior Lecturer, Gül worked in industry for 20 years setting up, managing and actively contributing to several R&D and consultancy projects (Senior Consultant at BHR Group 1995-2015). Most of these were large multi-partner projects and industrial consortia: Fluid Mixing Processes (FMP) Consortium (40+ industrial member companies, budget- over £600K per annum), Dispersion of Micro and Nanoparticles in Liquids (DOMINO) consortium (7 industrial members, budget- £120K per annum), PROFORM (EC project nb. 505654; 3.5 M euros budget): Transforming nano-particles into consumer care products through advanced product and process formulation; AddNano (EC Contract nb 229284; 12 M euros budget): Scale up and formulation of new lubricants with improved tribological properties. Consultancy projects were for single clients and confidential. She has extensively lectured in the field of mixing and dispersion processes, during the annually organised Improved Mixing Processes (1996 onwards) and Dispersion of Nanomaterials in Liquids (2008 onwards) or courses held at clients’ site. She co-supervised PhD students during her time at BHR Group.

Gül worked as a Senior Research Fellow (1993-95) at the University of Birmingham School of Chemical Engineer on a project titled Development of an improved impeller design (sponsored by SERC, DTI and APV Baker Ltd.). She co-supervised undergraduate and MSc students for their design and research projects. Gül also worked as a Research Associate at the University of Cambridge Department of Chemical Engineering (1992) on oscillatory flow reactors.

Qualifications:

  • 1988- 93 - University of Birmingham, School of Chemical Engineering PhD On the effects of viscoelasticity in stirred tanks
  • 1985- 87 - Université de Technologie de Compiègne, France, Bioconversions, Biotechnology (DEA (Diplome d’Etudes Approfondies - Master's degree Effects of viscosity on power consumption in agitated, aerated vessels
  • 1984- 86 - ENSIA- France “Diplome d’Ingenieure” Food Process Engineering - specialisation in biotechnology
  • 1979-83 - University of Hacettepe, Dept. of Food Engineering- Ankara. MEng (Honours).

Key awards:

  • Chartered Engineer
  • Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers

Outline of main research interests:

  • Dispersion of micro and nanoparticles in liquids;
  • Delamination of layered structures (nanoclays, graphite);
  • Mixing single and multi-phase systems: liquid blending, mixing rheologically complex liquids or dispersions; gas-liquid mixing, liquid-liquid dispersions, solid suspension;
  • Incorporation of fine powders into liquids;
  • Applied rheology;
  • Process design, scale up.

PhD positions

PhD positions are available in the areas of:

  • high shear mixing,
  • dispersion of nanoparticle clusters in liquids,
  • emulsification using energy-intensive devices,
  • powder incorporation into liquids,
  • delamination of nanoclays for structured products
  • single and multiphase mixing processes

Teaching responsibilities:

  • Mixing Fluids and Particles (D060 and P060)
  • Downstream Processing (D062 and P062)
  • Advanced Biochemical Engineering (D069)
  • Process Intensification (D083 and P083)
  • MSc Research Project (P056)
  • Design Project (C038)
  • Professional Development Project (C002)
  • Food Engineering (B021)

Administrative responsibilities:

  • Module leader for 060 and 062
  • Research project with MacDermid autotype

Selected publications:

Utomo, A.; Alderman, N.J.; Padron G.A.; Özcan-Taşkın, N.G. (2023) Effects of particle concentration and dispersion rheology on the breakup of nanoparticle clusters through ultrasonication. Chemical Engineering Research and Design. Special Issue on Process Intensification. Volume 191, March 2023, Pages 301-312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cherd.2023.01.041 

Hannam, A.; Sparks, T.; Özcan-Taşkın, N. G. (2021) Power characteristics of inline rotor-stators with different head designs. Chemical and Process Engineering Special Issue in memory of Prof Jerzy Baldyga, 42 (2), p: 91-104. https://doi.org/10.24425/cpe.2021.137343 

Bacon, J.; Rielly, C.D.; Özcan-Taşkın, N.G. (2020) Incorporation of Fine Powders into a Liquid with an in-Line Rotor-Stator AIChE Annual Meeting AIChE  https://youtu.be/fft5YOJanj0 

Calabrese, R.V.; Padron, G.A.; Kowalski, A.J. Özcan-Taşkın, N.G. (2020) High Shear (Rotor-Stator) Mixers, 25 Years Later. AIChE Annual Meeting Nov 16, 2020 https://player.vimeo.com/video/476968401 

Gavi, E., Kubicki, D., Padron, G.A., Özcan-Taşkın, N.G. (2018) “Breakup of nanoparticle clusters using Microfluidizer M110-P” Chem Eng Res Des, Volume 132, p: 902-912; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cherd.2018.01.011 

Padron, G.A., Özcan-Taşkın, N.G. (2018) “Particle De-agglomeration with an In-Line Rotor-Stator Mixer at Different Solids Loadings and Viscosities” Chem Eng Res Des, Volume 132, p: 913-921; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cherd.2018.01.041  

Kamaly, S.W.; Tarleton, A. C.; Özcan-Taşkın, N. G. (2017) “Dispersion of clusters of nanoscale silica particles using batch rotor-stators” Advanced Powder Technology, Vol. 28, Issue 9, p: 2357- 2365   //doi.org/10.1016/j.apt.2017.06.017 

External Collaborators:

  • MacDermid Enthotone
  • BHR Group
  • University of Maryland
  • Unilever
  • PIMSA
  • University of Birmingham
  • YtronQuadro UK Ltd
  • SpxFlow

External roles and appointments:

  • Committee member of the Fluid Mixing Processes SIG of the IChemE (ex Chair)
  • Committee member of the the EFCE’s Working Party on Mixing representing FMP SIG
  • Conference Chair: Int. Conf. on Ind. Processes for Nano and Micro Products (2007)
  • Conference Chair: Int Conf. on Ind. Processes for Nanomaterials (2014)
  • Co-chair: ISMIP IX (2017)
  • Member of the Scientific Committee of 4th Int Conf on Bioreactor and Bioprocess Fluid Dynamics (1997). European Conference on Mixing Series since 2000. ISMIP X
  • Member of the IChemE (Fellow)
  • British Society of Rheology (since 1993)
  • AIChE (since 1997)