Dr. Jude A. Okolie is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Bucknell University, where he leads the Sustainable Energy Transition and Decarbonization Research Group (SETD). He previously served as an Assistant Professor of Engineering Pathways at the University of Oklahoma. He holds a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Benin, Nigeria. During his undergraduate studies, he received several awards for his outstanding academic performance, including the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) scholarship, the Shell undergraduate scholarship, and the Delta State First-Class Award.
Dr. Okolie's research focuses on the thermochemical conversion of waste materials into green fuels and the utilization of hydrochar/biochar for environmental remediation. Additionally, his work includes the application of process simulation and artificial intelligence/machine learning to address challenges in climate change, environmental pollution, and sustainable agriculture. Dr. Okolie has been recognized for his significant contributions to the field of biomass-to-energy conversion, as reflected in his impressive publication record and peer recognition. He has received several prestigious local and international awards, including the George Ira Hanson Energy Award for his work on thermochemical hydrogen production and the USASK Service Award for his contributions to diversity and equity. In 2016, he was highly commended by the Estonian government for his research on converting waste biomass into sustainable fuels. He is also a two-time recipient of the Engineering Devolved Scholarship at USASK for his outstanding contributions to clean energy research. In 2018, he received the USASK College of Engineering Travel Award to present his work on lignin valorization at the Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference.
Dr. Okolie is a member of the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering, the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan (APEGS), and the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE). He serves as a Guest Editor for Fermentation journal and reviews for high-ranking journals from publishers such as ACS, Elsevier, RSC, Springer Nature, and Wiley. He has delivered several keynote lectures and oral presentations at national and international conferences. Dr. Okolie has published more than 35 peer-reviewed articles in Q1 journals and is the co-author of the book Biofuel. Additionally, he was nominated for Best Oral Presentation at the 68th Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference (Toronto, 2018). His work on the supercritical water gasification of lignin is among the first to demonstrate the significant role of lignin content in lignocellulosic biomass during thermochemical hydrogen production. His review paper on "Post-combustion carbon dioxide capture technologies using activated carbon" remains one of the most downloaded and highly cited articles in the Journal of Environmental Sciences since 2020. His research has been featured by BioFuelNet News, StarPhoenix, and the USASK Young Innovators website. In 2022, his proposal on "Developing innovative technologies and materials for recovering nutrients from wastewater" was selected for the prestigious Mitacs Elevate Thematic Call Fellowship.
Dr. Okolie is passionate about teaching and has been teaching in post-secondary settings for five years. He believes that every student is unique and that their learning pace varies. He makes a substantial effort to understand the strengths and weaknesses of all his students, regardless of class size. His students often describe him as someone deeply committed to their learning and always willing to help. He was nominated for the Sylvia Wallace Sessional Lecturer Award at USASK. He has a keen interest in entrepreneurship and aspires to start his own energy company in the future. He is the co-founder of the GreenTech Club in Estonia and has participated in several hackathons. Notably, he proposed a strategy to help low-income families cope with rising energy and food costs due to climate change, which reached the finals of the EcoHack hackathon at USASK. He is actively working on scaling up and assessing the economic viability of biomass-to-energy processes, with the goal of future commercialization.
Dr. Okolie is deeply committed to science outreach, community engagement, and improving adult literacy. He is a regular volunteer with Let’s Talk Science at USASK and is a two-time recipient of the Outstanding STEM Volunteer Award and the Graduate Service Fellowship at the University of Saskatchewan. He has mentored over 150 high school students and partnered with more than 20 families to improve literacy skills in Saskatchewan. He has developed over 15 hands-on experiments for kids and high school students. Dr. Okolie is also a strong advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion. He uses various platforms to facilitate and promote STEM-related workshops for underrepresented groups. Furthermore, he is an active volunteer with the Boys and Girls Club of Saskatoon, where he helps design hands-on science activities for their before- and after-school programs.