Dr Peter Gostomski
Position
Head of Department/Senior Lecturer
Qualifications
- Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (London)
- Chartered Engineer
- Ph.D (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute)
- M.S. (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute)
- B.S., Ch.E. (Penn State University)
Room
E530, 5th Floor of the Engineering building
Contact Details
Phone: +64 3 364 2141 (direct)
Internal phone: 6141
peter.gostomski@canterbury.ac.nz
Schedule- If you wish to make an appointment to see me, click here and suggest a time by email.
Background
I joined the department in 1998 after spending four years with the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) in Idaho Falls, Idaho. It is part of the Department of Energy national laboratory system in the United States. While there I investigated the biological degradation of volatile hydrocarbons and other airborne contanimants using biofiltration.
I obtained my Ph.D. in 1993 under the supervision of Harry Bungay at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. My thesis topic investigated the use of multivariable auxostats for the production of PHB (a biodegradable polymer). My M.S. investigated the hydrolysis of steam exploded cellulose by concentrated sulfuric acid.
My B.S in Chemical Engineering was obtained at Pennsylvania State University in 1985. After that I worked for two years at an acrylic sheet plant working on new product development.
Research Profile and Publications
Please visit my research profile page for more extensive research information and a list of my recent publications
Postgraduate Research Projects Offered for 2012
Collaborative or related research links
Microbial Cellulose
- UoC Natural Fibres & Biocomposites Research (collaborative)
- BioPolymer Network (collaborative)
Biofiltration
- Marc Deshusses Duke University (collaborative)
- Joe Devinny Univ. of Southern California (collaborative)
Interesting Links
- SciTech Daily Review (great linkis to science stories)
- ESPN ("compliments" the The Press sports page)
2009 Research Team
| Ke Xu - microbial cellulose, ME candidate |
| Seema Dean - microbial cellulose, Ph.D. candidate |
| Arie Kristiono - biotreatment of kiln condensate, ME candidate |
| Daniela Murugesh - biofiltration, ME candidate (part-time) |
| Detchanamurthy Swaminathan (Swami) - biofiltration, Ph.D. candidate |
| Julia Valigore - Bioenergy from wastewater, Ph.D. candidate Civil & Natural Resources Eng. (co-supervised) |
| Daisy Badilla (visitor) - Biofiltration, Ph.D. candidate, Environmental Eng. University of the Philippines |
| Katie Clark - biofiltration - closing the carbon balance, 3rd Pro research project |
| Tim McNulty - microbial cellulose strength testing, 3rd Pro research project |
Administration
- Head of Department
- CAPE Safety Committee
- College of Engineering Management Team
- Engineering College Academic Staffing Committee
- Engineering College Equity and Diversity Committee