UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Zuleima Karpyn, associate dean for graduate education and research in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences and professor of petroleum and natural gas engineering, was named the inaugural Donohue Family Professor.
Former Penn State professor David Donohue and his son, Timothy, both alumni of the University, established the professorship with a $1 million gift. The Donohue Family Professorship supports a faculty member whose research focuses on petroleum and natural gas engineering.
“It is an honor to be named the inaugural Donohue Family Professor,” Karpyn said. “The Donohue family has been a longtime supporter of EMS’ and Penn State’s mission of advancing education through research. Being the steward of their generous gift is a true privilege. Their support provides the resources necessary to continue and further my contributions to teaching, research and service.”
Karpyn specializes in reservoir characterization. She integrates laboratory experiments and numerical modeling to improve the understanding, representation and prediction of transport behavior in geologic systems, underground pollutant migration and hydrocarbon recovery processes.
In July 2020, she succeeded John Hellman as associate dean of graduate education and research in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.
Karpyn holds a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Universidad Central de Venezuela, and a master's degree and doctorate in petroleum and natural gas engineering from Penn State.
She said the support from the professorship will allow her to focus research efforts in the area of rock-fluid interactions during geologic carbon storage and on the optimal utilization of captured carbon dioxide for simultaneous reduction of carbon intensity in hydrocarbon production operations and improved recovery.
“I look forward to engaging students and contribute to their development as future leaders through research training and creative research activities,” Karpyn said.
David Donohue received a bachelor of science degree in petroleum engineering from the University of Oklahoma in 1959 and a doctorate in petroleum and natural gas engineering from Penn State in 1963. He worked in operations, research and engineering for several energy companies before returning to Penn State as a faculty member in petroleum and natural gas engineering in 1964. He left to enter law school and received a juris doctor in corporate law from Boston College Law School in 1971.
While in law school, he founded the International Human Resources Development Corp. (IHRDC), a worldwide leader in training and employee development for the oil and gas industry and continues to serve as its president. He also started Arlington Storage Co., the first independent developer of underground gas storage facilities in the United States.
Timothy Donohue received a bachelor's degree in geology from Colorado College and a master's degree in geosciences from Penn State.
He serves as vice president of e-Learning Solutions at IHRDC, and for the last 25 years he has led a team of developers, information technology specialists and subject-matter experts at the company. Prior to this role, he worked in project development and operations for underground gas storage projects in New York, and served as an environmental specialist, focusing on contaminant hydrogeology at several superfund sites.