Beijing’s Tsinghua University presents honorary professorship to Shell’s Selda Gunsel

London, United Kingdom – Selda Gunsel, PhD, vice president of Global Commercial Technology at Shell, has been appointed as an Honorary Professor at the State Key Laboratory of Tribology (SKLT) at Beijing’s Tsinghua University, one of China’s most prestigious institutions.

Shanghai-based Gunsel will focus on providing the institution with key advice on nanotechnology in lubricants, manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. She will also work on the University’s science research programmes and co-supervise PhD students in the study of tribology, which looks at surfaces in relative motion and the application of friction, lubrication and wear.

Shell Lubricants announced a two-year research and development partnership with the SKLT in Tsinghua University in late 2011. The partnership is focused on deepening the understanding of lubrication on textured surfaces and gives SKLT access to Shell’s global lubrication technology expertise based in Shell technology centres in the UK, Germany, the USA and Japan. It also gives Shell the opportunity to work closely with world class lubricant scientists and tribologists to create innovative solutions that can benefit Shell customers.

Gunsel moved to Shanghai from Houston last year to lead the establishment of a new Shell Lubricants technical centre. The centre will be located at the Shanghai Zhangjiang Hi-tech Park and is anticipated to open early in 2014. It will help boost technology innovation and application development for Shell’s growing customer base in Asia Pacific.

Commenting on her appointment, Gunsel said “The State Key Laboratory of Tribology at Tsinghua University is a leading centre of research and education of tribology and micro/nano-manufacturing in China. My new role together with Shell’s existing partnership with Tsinghua University will, I hope, enrich the university’s research and development potential and will also help promote innovation in lubricants in Asia.”

When the partnership occurred, Professor Meng Yonggang of Tsinghua University said: “As a top university in China, we are pleased to partner with Shell, a global company with vast industry experience and years of working in the lubrication industry. We look forward to leveraging the technological expertise from both sides to create innovative solutions for the industry.”

Gunsel’s involvement with several trade associations (she has served as both the President of the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE) and as the Chairman of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Lubricants Research Award Board) and her writing of articles for scientific publications such as Tribology Transactions (USA edition) as well as her 10 year career at Shell (including many leadership roles) influenced her appointment by Tsinghua University.

(April 4, 2013)