Clarence Miller, the Louis Calder Professor Emeritus of Chemical Engineering at Rice, is one of four researchers honored with the 2022 IOR (Improved Oil Recovery) Pioneer Award from the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE).
Miller was recognized for research that made possible “significant advancements over the years in improved oil recovery technology.”
After earning his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, Miller spent twelve years on the chemical engineering faculty at Carnegie-Mellon University before joining the Rice faculty in 1981. He served for six years as chair of chemical and biomolecular engineering and retired from Rice in 2008.
He continued research until 2017 as a part-time research professor. Miller’s work focused on surfactants, emulsions, microemulsions and foams, and their applications, especially in enhanced oil recovery and detergency.
He is co-author of Interfacial Phenomena: Equilibrium and Dynamic Effects, now in its second edition, and published more than 150 journal articles. Miller is a fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
The award will be formally presented during the SPE Improved Oil Recovery Conference, to be held April 25-29. Miller joined SPE in 1974.