ASRL and Marriott Group Research Team
Dr. Rob Marriott
Dr. Robert A. Marriott
Professor of Chemistry, ASRL Director of Research, and ASRL Research Chair in Applied Sulfur Chemistry
Dr. Marriott is currently the Director of Research and Professor at the University of Calgary. His academic research is performed through the ASRL Research Chair in Applied Sulfur Chemistry which works in full collaboration with ASRL researchers. His interests include high-pressure reservoir chemistry, high-pressure adsorption, sour/acid gas phase behavior, sulfur recovery, corrosion, sulfur product handling and process chemistry. He has published more than 80 manuscripts and given over 50 talks at international venues.
Phone: +1 403-220-3144, e-mail: rob.marriott@ucalgary.ca. Website: University of Calgary, Marriott Research Group
Francis Bernard
Mr. Francis Bernard
Director of Operations, Senior Research Chemist
Mr. Bernard is the Director of Operations of Alberta Sulphur research Ltd. (ASRL). He graduated from Université de Sherbrooke with a bachelor's degree in chemistry. He is currently responsible for business and operations matters of the company. Francis is highly skilled in the safe handling of high-pressure sour fluids in a laboratory setting, including water content measurements. Since joining ASRL in 1999, he has been involved in projects related to sulfur corrosion, storage, forming, transportation, new uses, and emissions. While he specializes in elemental sulfur deposition and sulfur solvents, recent projects also include H2S scavengers, sulfur products, and analysis of various deposit samples. Prior to joining ASRL, Francis specialized in analytical chemistry and developed acidizing and fracturing formulations for the oil and gas service industry.
Phone: +1 403-220-5431, e-mail: fbernard@ucalgary.ca
Dr. Melerin Madekufamba
Dr. Melerin Madekufamba
Project Manager and Research Scientist
Dr. Madekufamba is an experimental physical scientist with research interest in thermodynamics, PVT properties at high temperature and pressure and sulfur chemistry. She also works in amine degradation chemistry and selective absorption of gases in special solvents. Her background includes aqueous solution chemistry and corrosion.
Phone: +1 403-220-7936, e-mail: mmadekuf@ucalgary.ca
Dr. Christopher Lavery
Dr. Christopher B. Lavery
Project Manager and Research Scientist
ASRL offers a dynamic and broad ranging research program. As a result of this, since joining the research team in 2013, Dr. Lavery has become immersed in an array of research areas related to the process chemistry associated with sulfur recovery in the oil and natural gas industry. Most of Dr. Lavery’s research efforts are focused on the chemistry within the thermal and catalytic stages of the modified Claus process. However, he also has research interests in low- and high-temperature corrosion, adsorption, and novel synthetic chemistry involving sulfur as a reactant.
Phone: +1 403-220-3143, cblavery@ucalgary.ca
ASRL Group:
Nancy Chou, Research Chemist, phone: +1 403-220-3224, e-mail: nhhchou@ucalgary.ca
Kevin Lesage, Senior Research Chemist, phone: +1 403-220-3146, e-mail: lesage@ucalgary.ca
Dao Li, Ph.D., Research Scientist, phone: +1 403-220-3224, e-mail: daoli@ucalgary.ca
Safeer Nanji, Research Scientist, phone: +1 403-220-3224, e-mail: snan@ucalgary.ca
Donna Pearson, Business Administrator and Acting Corporate Secretary, phone: +1 403-220-5372, e-mail: donna.pearson@ucalgary.ca
Kyle Schooley, Chemical Research Technologist, phone: +1 403-220-3146, e-mail: kyle.schooley@ucalgary.ca
Nicholas Simms, Research Chemist, phone: +1 403-220-3146, e-mail: nicholas.simms1@ucalgary.ca
Ruohong Sui, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist, phone: +1 403-220-3224, e-mail: rsui@ucalgary.ca
Herman Wan, Research Chemist and Safety & Infrastructure Coordinator, phone: +1 403-220-5346, e-mail: hhmwan@ucalgary.ca
ASRL Research Chair in Applied Sulfur Chemistry (Rob Marriott) Group:
Connor Deering, Research ASsociate and Lab Manager, phone: +1 403-220-3146, e-mail: connor.deering@ucalgary.ca
Mahboubeh Abolhassanzadehparizi, Graduate Student, phone: +1 403-220-3224, e-mail: mahboubeh.abolhassan@ucalgary.ca
Fatemeh Pouya, Graduate Student, phone: +1 403-220-3224, e-mail: fatemeh.pouya@ucalgary.ca
Collaborations
Dr. Rohen Prinsloo
Dr. Rohen Prinsloo
Assistant Professor
Dr Rohen Prinsloo recently joined the Department of Chemistry at UCalgary as an Assistant Professor where he is establishing an independent research program. His work focuses on flow chemistry, continuous crystallization processes and in-situ analytical techniques for gaining mechanistic insights into chemical transformations. His research interests are focused on reaction optimization to address challenges in areas such as chemical recycling of waste plastics, meeting energy demands, and the need for scalable access to complex molecules.
He is a UCalgary Alumni, where he obtained his PhD in applied physical chemistry under the supervision of Dr. Robert Marriott and in close collaboration with Alberta Sulphur Research Ltd. Prior to that, he obtained a Master’s degree in organic chemistry working on natural product synthesis under Dr. Thomas Back (also at UCalgary). As a Post Doctoral Fellow at Heriot-Watt University in the United Kingdom, he worked under the supervision of Dr. Xiong-Wei Ni, where he gained experience using oscillatory baffled reactors. His Post Doc research contributed to the project SIMPLI-DEMO: Demonstration of Sonication & Microwave Processing of Essential Chemicals.
Drawing on a broad background in organic and physical chemistry, and research experience in both academic and industrial contexts, he brings the versatility needed for innovative interdisciplinary research at the interface of chemistry, engineering, and applied sciences. His research program is designed to generate fundamental insights into chemical transformations, while accelerating their application to scalable, real-world applications.
Phone: +1 403-220-5804, Email: rprinslo@ucalgary.ca
ASRL Former Directors of Research
Dr. Peter D. Clark
Former ASRL Director of Research and Professor Emeritus, Department of Chemistry, University of Calgary
Dr. Clark acted as the Director of Research for Alberta Sulphur Research Ltd. from 1995 to 2016. Professor Clark was born in London, England and received Ph.D. and B.Sc. degrees in chemistry from the University of Hull, East Yorkshire. After an initial period in the pharmaceutical industry in the UK, during which time he worked in migraine therapy synthesizing drugs now used in treatment of severe migraine, Dr. Clark migrated to Western Canada taking up the challenge of R and D in the energy field with an emphasis on the chemistry of sulphur pertaining to natural gas production, heavy oil development and the liquefaction of coal.
Professor Clark was appointed as a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Professor in 1986 in association with Alberta Sulphur Research Ltd. at the University of Calgary. From 1995 to 2005, Professor Clark directed the activities of ASRL building the company into an internationally-based organization recognized for its expertise in a wide array of sulphur chemistry and technology.
Professor Clark published extensively in both the academic and applied literature and has been recognized by the Society for Chemical Industry (Kalev Pugi prize for applied research), the Canadian Catalysis Society (Lectureship tour for mechanistic investigations into Claus catalysis) and the Gas Processors Association of the United States of America (Katz award for R and D in gas processing and teaching).
E-mail address: pdclark@ucalgary.ca
Dr. James B. Hyne
Former ASRL Director of Research and Professor Emeritus, Department of Chemistry, University of Calgary
Dr. Hyne acted as the Director of Research for Alberta Sulphur Research Ltd. from 1964 to 1995. Professor Hyne was born in Dundee, Scotland. He received his honors B.Sc. in 1951 and his Ph.D in 1954 from the University of St. Andrews. Dr. Hyne held the position of Instructor, Chemistry at Yale University, and Associate Professor Dartmouth College. In 1960 he joined the faculty of the University of Alberta in Calgary and served as Associate Professor and Administrative Officer.
Immediately after arriving in Calgary (1960), Dr. Hyne saw the importance of the oil and gas industry and realized that fundamental research would be needed to assist in the production, storage, and transportation of sulfur, which at that time was becoming a very important by-product. In 1962, discussions with representatives of the oil and gas industries were started by the Department and the Principal's Office. The objective was to determine the feasibility of establishing a co-operative research institute. The same year, a representative from the International Sulfur Institute in Washington DC visited the University. The result of these meetings was the formation of Alberta Sulfur Research Ltd. (ASRL), which was incorporated as a non-profit sulfur research organization limited by guarantee in 1964.
From 1964-1966 he was the first head of the Chemistry department. He held the position of Professor of Chemistry, University of Calgary from 1964-1990. He became Dean of the Faculty of Graduate studies in 1966 and served as President, Canadian Association of Graduate Schools. Other positions of note that Dr. Hyne has held are Director, Petrofina Canada, and Principal Researcher AOSTRA Heavy Oils Aquathermolysis Research Group.
Dr. Hyne passed away on 11th December, 2023.