About Me

Howdy! I’m Dustin Kenefake, and I’m a fourth-year chemical engineering student in the Pistikopoulos Lab at Texas A&M. My primary research interest involves leveraging optimization for process systems engineering in the space of model predictive control and real-time optimization. In undergrad I worked in the Krempner Lab studying new catalytic systems. In my off time, I like to cook and make beer.

Education

Chemical Engineering, PhD

Texas A&M (Aug 2019 - Now)

Chemical Engineering, BS

Texas Tech (Aug 2014 - July 2018)

Papers and Talks

Publications

Here are some highligts, click here to see all publications!

1. “Inverse” Frustrated Lewis Pairs: An Inverse FLP Approach to the Catalytic Metal Free Hydrogenation of Ketones - Chemistry, A European Journal
2. Multiparametric Programming in Process Systems Engineering: Recent Developments and Path Forward - Frontiers of Chemical Engineering
3. PPOPT - Multiparametric Solver for Explicit MPC - Escape 32

Presentations

1. Integrating Deep Learning and Explicit Model Predictive Control for Advanced Process Control - ChEGSA 8th Annual Symposium
2. Smart Manufacturing for Monitoring and Control of an Industrial Air Separation Unit - AIChE 2020 Fall Confrence
3. Smart Manufacturing for Monitoring and Control of an Industrial Air Separation Unit - ChEGSA 9th Annual Symposium
4. Optimal Control of an Industrial Air Separation plant through Smart Manufacturing and Surrogate Modeling - PSE Advanced Process Modelling Forum 2021
5. Smart Manufacturing for Chemical Processing: Energy Efficient Operation of Air Separation Unit- CESMII Cross Pollination Workshop - Machine Learning 2021
6. PPOPT (Python Parametric OPTimization) - a Python Package for Solving Multiparametric Optimization Problems with Parallel Algorithms - AIChE 2021 Fall Confrence
7. Smart Manufacturing for Monitoring and Control of an Industrial Air Separation Unit - AIChE 2021 Fall Confrence
8. Modeling, Simulation and Control of an Air Separation Plant - 2021 Texas A&M Energy Confrence
9. Smart Manufacturing for Chemical Processing: Energy Efficient Operation of Air Separation Unit - CESMII Cross Pollination Workshop - Projects 2022
10. PPOPT - A Solver for Explicit Model Predictive Control - Escape32

Software Contributions

• PPOPT (Lead Developer)
• POP (Maintainer)

Service

Graduate Teaching Assistant

• CHEN 364 - Kinetics and Reactor Design (Fall 2019)
• CHEN 322 - Chemical Engineering Material Science (Spring 2019)
• CHEN 656 - Advanced Process Optimization (Spring 2022)
• ICPE 604 - Energy System Engineering (Fall 2022)

Officer Positions

• Internal Vice President of TAMU Chemical Engineering Graduate Student Association (2020-2021)

Peer Review

• Reviews for the scientific journal “Computers and Chemical Engineering” (Fall 2019 - Now)

Skills

• Programming - Python, C\C++, Java, Rust
• Simulation Tools - Hysys, gProms suite
• Optimization - GLPK\Gurobi\CPLEX, Model Predictive Control, Theory of Optimization
• Modeling\Surrogate Modeling
• Data Analysis and Visualization

Courses Taken During PhD

• Process Analysis
• Applications of Thermodynamics
• Process Safety
• Lab Saftey
• Kinetics and Reactor Design
• Transport Phenomena
• Optimization II (Math Department)
• Survey of Optimization (Industrial Engineering Department)
• Database & Comp Tools for Big Data (Statistics Department)
• Advanced Process Chemical Optimization I/II
• Foundations and Methods of Approximation (Math Department)
• Time Series Analysis (Statistics Department)
• Heuristic Optimization (Industrial Engineering Department) [attended]