The “Energy and Environment” dual challenge serves as the primary research focus at the Geo-Intelligence Lab (GILab), led by Dr. Salah A. Faroughi in the Ingram School of Engineering at Texas State University. Within GILab, our primary objective is to expedite the quest for affordable and dependable clean energy sources, while simultaneously protecting the environment, by leveraging advanced scientific approaches and embracing digital transformation. The ongoing wave of digital transformation is rapidly permeating established industries such as energy, environment, materials, and chemicals. This wave aims to reshape these industries through the adoption of Industry 4.0 initiatives, where emerging technologies are employed to uncover new possibilities and reinvent products and services with enhanced efficiency. This transformative shift serves as a driving force for our research group, motivating us to seize the opportunity and develop knowledge and reliable technologies, firmly grounded in physical principles, for acquiring and interpreting multidimensional and heterogeneous datasets, thereby enabling the design of sustainable infrastructure that contribute to a clean future fueled by renewable energy sources.
The Geo-Intelligence Lab focuses on the following primary research areas:
- Particle-level physics in particulate matter and complex fluids
- Physics-based deep learning models
- Design large-scale geo-energy systems (geothermal, carbon and hydrogen subsurface storage)
- Multi-scale multi-physics computational modeling (fluid flow, climate, etc.)
- Big data intelligence and visualization
At the Geo-Intelligence Lab, our focus lies in the development and utilization of cutting-edge technologies in data intelligence and computational modeling. These endeavors aim to make fundamental contributions to:
- Enhancing our understanding of the nonlinear and multidimensional behaviors exhibited by advanced materials and complex geo-energy systems.
- Improving our ability to map microstructural changes in complex matter when subjected to various external stimuli, such as stress, electromagnetic, and thermal conditions.
- Parametrizing the impact of microstructural pattern evolutions on the bulk mechanics, dynamics, and thermophysics of complex materials, particularly in terms of stress and energy transmission.