Rate My Professor Sam Xie

Associate Professor Sam Xie holds the position of Director of Research in the WA School of Mines: Minerals, Energy and Chemical Engineering within the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Curtin University. He earned his PhD in Subsurface Energy Engineering from China University of Petroleum (Beijing) in 2011, a Master’s degree in Subsurface Energy Engineering from Southwest Petroleum University in 2008, and a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Southwest Petroleum University in 2005. Xie’s professional journey at Curtin University commenced in 2015 as a Research Associate (Post-Doc), advancing to Research Fellow in 2017, Lecturer in 2018, Senior Lecturer in 2022, and Associate Professor since 2026. Previously, from 2011 to 2015, he served as a Reservoir Engineer at the Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development of PetroChina in Beijing. He also coordinated the Master of Professional Engineering course from 2021 to 2023.

Sam Xie’s research focuses on experimental, theoretical, and numerical studies of fluid-rock interactions and transport mechanisms at multi-length scales, applied to underground hydrogen storage and CO₂ geological storage in porous media, salt caverns, and lined rock caverns. Notable publications include “Most common surfactants employed in chemical enhanced oil recovery” (2017, Petroleum, 693 citations), “Geochemical reactions-induced hydrogen loss during underground hydrogen storage in sandstone reservoirs” (2021, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 324 citations), “Storage integrity during underground hydrogen storage in depleted gas reservoirs” (2023, Earth-Science Reviews, 175 citations), and “Toward a fundamental understanding of geological hydrogen storage” (2022, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 311 citations). His contributions have been recognized with the Australia International Hydrogen Fellowship in 2023, the Research Award for Industry Engagement and Impact from Curtin’s Faculty of Science and Engineering in 2022, nominations for Curtin Award for Research Excellence, and annual recognition as one of the top 2% scientists worldwide by Stanford University and Elsevier from 2021 to 2024. Xie serves as Associate Editor for Frontiers in Energy Research, Subtask Lead for IEA Hydrogen TCP Task 42 on Underground Hydrogen Storage, and has delivered invited presentations at the University of Edinburgh, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, AGU conferences, and others, advancing knowledge in clean energy storage.