Dr. Young's 's areas of research interest are in process control, process simulation and process development - particularly the processing of carbonaceous materials. Dr. Young was a lecturer in chemical process control at the University of Technology, Sydney from 1991 to 1998. He is the author of over 35 refereed journal and conference papers, 15 invited or lightly refereed presentations or papers and 20 technical reports to industry.

The following research programs are in progress:

• Dynamic simulation and plant wide control of chemical processes: This work involves the simulation complex process plants and their operability, controllability and optimisation by non-linear control. Recent work has centred on dynamic model guidance for the control of an amine gas sweetening pilot plant and the design of experiments for plant friendly, model-based control-relevant identification.
• Thermodynamic modelling of the combustion of oil shale for oil production: A number of oil shale deposits in Australia are currently being investigated as an alternative oil supply by Suncor Inc. of Canada. Process development requires more detailed predictive heat requirement models for each oil shale processing stage. Each deposit requires a model to effect higher yields, and more efficient use of heat energy. These models will prevent costly over design of production processes in successive development stages.

Consulting and Short Courses:

Dr. Young has been a consultant to a number of chemical and process engineering firms in both Australia and Canada. He has also given continuing education courses to industrial clients in both fundamental and advanced process control.

Professional and Community Activities:

Dr. Young is a Professional Engineer and is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta, the Canadian Society of Chemical Engineers, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the Instrument Society of America.

Selected Publications:

• Gain-scheduled Lumped Parameter MIMO Models of a Pilot-Plant Climbing Film Evaporator, Journal of Control Engineering Practice, 1994, 2 (2), 219-225
• Data Collection & Identification Strategy for a Climbing Film Evaporator, Journal of Measurement & Control, 1995, 28 (4), 167-172
• Multi-Input, Multi-Output Identification of a Pilot-Plant Climbing Film Evaporator, Journal of Control Engineering Practice, 1995, 3 (8), 1067-1073
• Thermal characterisation of Australian oil shales, Journal of Thermal Analysis, 1997, 49, 737-743
• Pathways of Polycyclic Hydrocarbon formation during plasma arcing of carbonaceous materials, Fuel, 1998, 77 (1/2), 15-18
• The Reduction of the Molecular Motion of Polymethylene in Oil Shales by Mineral Matter, Energy & Fuels, 1998, 12 (2), 262-267
• The effect of minerals on retorting enthalpies of some Australian Tertiary oil shales, Fuel, 1998, 77 (9/10), 987-993
• The application of the "WATERGATE" suppression technique for analysing humic substances by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Journal of Organic Geochemistry, 1998, 28 (9/10), 547-559
• X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of conodonts, Journal of Organic Geochemistry, 1998, 28 (11), 759-765
• Experimental determination of transverse mixing kinetics in a rolling drum by image analysis, Powder Technology, 1999, 106 (3), 183-191
• Fullerenes and nanotubes from coal - a review, Journal of Fullerene Science & Technology, 1999, 7 (6), 941-971
• Structure of molecular weight fractions of Bayer humic substances. I. Low temperature products, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 1999, 38 (12), 4663-4674
• Fullerene blacks and cathode deposits derived from plasma arcing of graphite with naphthalene, Fuel, 2000, 79 (1), 47-56
• A real time approach to process control, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Chichester, England, 2000.