Name: Dr. Teresa Kho
Nationality: Malaysian
Status: Married (to a German national), one child born May 2004

Work Experience

March 2006 – present Engineering Consultant (freelance)
Working on ceramic membrane module concept and new membrane designs with Computational Fluid Dynamics.

June 2002 – April 2004 Process Engineer (Project Manager)
Lockwood Greene Petersen GmbH (Wiesbaden, Germany)
Though robust and reliable, conventional gas-gas shell and tube heat exchangers used in sulphuric acid plants are at a disadvantage especially in their weight and size. As a result, considerable efforts have been made to replace them with more compact options.

Took active part in the modernisation of a sulphur-burning acid plant. This involved process study for requested capacity increase and customer visits.

Design of a bioengineering plant for nutrient supplements and pharmaceutical purposes. Knowledge employed include that of photosynthesis, photobioreactor design, algae cultivation, illumination and membrane technology, biofouling prevention, pilot plant construction and scale-up operation.

May 1998 – July 2001 Process Development and Modelling Engineer,
Alfa Laval Copenhagen A/S (Copenhagen, Denmark),
Water Technology.
Process development and design of plate distillers. These distillation units operate under vacuum to produce clean water from seawater and/or wastewater for municipal and commercial use. Design of new concept plates and optimisation of existing plates and prototype units. These were undertaken both experimentally and computationally with Computational Fluid Dynamics packages in close collaboration with colleagues in Copenhagen and Alfa Laval Thermal, Sweden.

Performed feasibility studies of new research projects which included availability and cost investigation of new materials for plates, gaskets and vessel components. Responsible for research and development laboratory and, coordination of testing schedules and resources.

Jan. 1993 – Jan. 1994 Consultant,
Advanced Ceramics Corporation (USA).
Worked on densities of vapour-deposited materials. This was accomplished as part of Master program at Yale University.

Education

Nov. 2001 – April 2002 Intensive German courses with Europäische Zertifikat Deutsch Examination.
(Saarbrücken, Germany).

Oct. 1994 – April 1998 Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.),
University of Surrey (Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom),
Department of Chemical and Process Engineering.

Research topic: Effect of Flow Distribution on Scale Formation in Plate and Frame Heat Exchangers
The Ph.D. aims at preventing scale formation in commercial plate heat exchangers through better plate distribution designs. This involved the construction of an experimental rig to study real-life industrial problems involving Alfa Laval P01 and M3 plates. Flow simulations were also performed using a commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics package.

Jan. 1992 – June 1994 Master of Science,
Yale University (New Haven, Connecticut, USA),
Department of Chemical Engineering.

Special Investigation: Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) and Chemical Vapour Infiltration (CVI) of Titanium Dioxide

Courses include: Environmental Control Technologies, Energy & Mass Transport Processes, Applied Numerical Methods.

Feb. 1989 – Nov. 1991 Bachelor of Engineering with First Class Honours,
University of Auckland (Auckland, New Zealand),
Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering.

Research Project: Effect of Circumferential Heat Conduction on Boiling in Horizontal Tubes

Industrial Placements: Energy Conservation work at Weddel Crown Tomoana (Hastings, New Zealand) with Linnhoff March DMR Ltd. (Process Integration Consultants, Wellington, New Zealand). Dec. 1990 – Feb. 1991

Laboratory Technician at Sibu Municipal Waterboard (Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia). Dec. 1989 – Feb. 1990

Additional Skills

Computing: Regular user of Microsoft Window programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and the Internet. Familiar with Windows XP, Windows 2000, DOS, UNIX and Macintosh operating systems. Extensive experience with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) packages such as Fluent and CFX. Conversant with Fortran77 & 90, and GW Basic.

Languages: English excellent, German intermediate level, Chinese mother tongue, Malay good and Danish fair.

Management: Project management overseeing international and local suppliers and partners. Coordination of testing equipment construction, modification and optimisation and, experimental data collection.

Adaptability: Worked and studied in Germany, Denmark, United Kingdom, USA, New Zealand and Malaysia.

Teaching: Tutor for first year undergraduates in Chemical Process Principles on a weekly basis in a classroom environment. (Dept. of Chemical & Process Engineering, University of Surrey) Oct. 1994 – Dec. 1997

Courses: Participated in relevant international courses on heat exchangers and, multiphase and turbulence flow. Took part in Fluent CFD courses and several Alfa Laval in-house courses.

Others: Associate member of Institute of Chemical Engineers (United Kingdom).