Qingwang Yuan
Qingwang Yuan is an associate professor and the Quentin E. and Louise L. Wood Faculty Fellow in the Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering Program in the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering at Penn State. He is leading The Hope Group — HydrOgen Production from the Earth's subsurface (HOPE).
Yuan's research lies at the intersection of reservoir engineering, geoscience, geochemistry, reactive transport, and subsurface energy engineering. His primary research program is centered on developing the scientific and engineering foundations for subsurface hydrogen production. In particular, his group investigates three complementary pathways: natural and stimulated geological hydrogen (GeoH₂) production (carbon-free), hydrogen production through coupled rock-water-CO₂ reactions and mineral carbonation (carbon-negative); and in-situ hydrogen production from petroleum reservoirs (carbon-zero). His secondary research program focuses on enhanced geothermal recovery, CO₂ sequestration, and unconventional oil and gas recovery.
Yuan is the co-founder and president of the Association of Geological Hydrogen (AGH), where he works with researchers, industry, national laboratories, students, and other stakeholders to advance GeoH₂ research, education, workforce development, and international collaboration. He also chaired the inaugural Gordon Research Conference—Geologic Hydrogen in 2026.
Before joining Penn State, Yuan was a faculty member in petroleum engineering at Texas Tech University. Earlier, he conducted postdoctoral research at Stanford University and at the University of Regina/Saskatchewan Research Council through the Mitacs Elevate Program. He also worked as a reservoir engineer at the CNOOC Research Institute. He received his Ph.D. in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Calgary.
- Q. Yuan*, S. Wanambwa, M.A. Ifticene, Q. Kang, B. Chen, D. Reible, Stimulated Geologic Hydrogen: from Mechanistic Control to Engineered Rock Transformation, Energy & Environmental Science, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1039/D6EE01230B
- M. Abdellatif, S. Leggett, Q. Yuan*, Analytical Modeling of Tracer Pulse Tests with Significant Background Concentration at the Utah FORGE Geothermal Site, Geothermics, Vol. 142, 103817, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geothermics.2026.103817
- B. An, Q. Yuan*, Nano-iron Catalyst Enhanced In-situ Hydrogen Generation via Electromagnetic Heating from Shale Reservoirs, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 236, 155246, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2026.155246
- C.C. Nwanwe, A. Kaiser, M. Mehana, D. Reible, Q. Yuan*, Geochemical Modeling of Geological Hydrogen Generation by Serpentinization, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 227, 154510, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2026.154510
- M.A., Ifticene, I.Z., Madani, Q. Yuan*, Reservoir-Scale Modeling and Techno-Economic Analysis of In-Situ Hydrogen Production from Heavy Oil Reservoirs via Cyclic Air-Steam Injection, Fuel, Vol. 414, 138406, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2026.138406
- S. Mao, S. Yu, J. Xu, H. Chen, W. Zhao, M. Blunt, Q. Kang, B. Chen, M. Gross, J. Van Wijk, Q. Yuan, S. R. Kazi, M. Mehana, Geologic Hydrogen: A Review of Resource Potential, Subsurface Dynamics, Exploration, Production, Transportation, and Research Opportunities, Energy & Environmental Science, Vol. 18, 9991-10035, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1039/D5EE02910D
- K. Yan, K.P. Shrestha, M.A. Ifticene, Q. Yuan*, Insights into Reaction Mechanisms: Water’s Role in Enhancing In-situ Hydrogen Production from Methane Conversion in Sandstone, Journal of Energy Chemistry, 102, 353-364, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jechem.2024.10.055
- B. An, K. Yan, M.R. Mojid, K.J. Lee, Q. Yuan*, Deciphering Minerals in Reservoir Rocks as Natural Catalysts for In-Situ Methane-to-Hydrogen Conversion via Electromagnetic Heating, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 90, 1279-1287, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2024.10.052
- M.A. Ifticene, Y. Li, P. Song, Q. Yuan*, Kinetic Modeling of Hydrogen Generation via In-situ Combustion Gasification of Heavy Oil, Energy & Fuel, 38, 20, 19787-19797, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.4c03237
- B. An, K. Yan, B. Robison, J. Hu, Q. Yuan*, Characterizing Thermal Runaway of Reservoir Rocks under Electromagnetic Irradiation towards Hydrogen Generation from Petroleum Reservoirs, Applied Thermal Engineering, 252, 123687, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2024.123687
- K. Yan, B. An, Q. Yuan*, Natural-Catalysis-Based Clean Hydrogen Production from Shale Oil: An In-Situ Conversion by Electromagnetic-Assisted Heating, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 62, 1245-1257, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2024.03.078
- P. Song, Y. Li, Z. Yin, M. A. Ifticene, Q. Yuan*, Simulation of Hydrogen Generation via In-situ Combustion Gasification of Heavy Oil, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 49, 925-936, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2023.09.248
- M. A. Ifticene, K. Yan, Q. Yuan*, Fueling a Carbon-Zero Future: Igniting Hydrogen Production from Petroleum Reservoirs via In-Situ Combustion Gasification, Energy Conversion and Management, 298, pp. 117770, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2023.117770
- Q. Yuan*, B. Ling*, S. Aryana, New Phase Diagram of Miscible Viscous Fingering Instabilities in Porous Media with Dead-End Pores, Physics of Fluids, 34, pp. 092109, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0104692
- Q. Yuan*, X Jie, B. Ren, Hydrogen Generation in Crushed Rocks Saturated by Crude Oil and Water Using Microwave Heating, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 47, pp. 20793-20802, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2022.04.217
- Whitacre Engineering Research Award, Texas Tech University, 2025
- Emerging Inventor of the Year, Texas Tech University, 2024
- SPE Regional Reservoir Description and Dynamics Award, Society of Petroleum Engineers, 2024
- Daneshy International Award for Best Invention on Energy Transition, Ershaghi Center for Energy Transition, University of Southern California, 2023
- Interpore – PoreLab Award for Young Researchers, International Society for Porous Media, 2018
- Mitacs Award for Outstanding Innovation – Postdoctoral, 2017
- Department of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering Graduate Award, University of Calgary, 2014
- Chemical & Petroleum Engineering Graduate Excellence Scholarship, University of Calgary, 2013, 2014
- Dr. Roger Butler Memorial Graduate Scholarship, University of Calgary, 2012