Professor Martin J. Blunt is a world-renowned authority in petroleum engineering and flow phenomena in porous media at Imperial College London. He currently serves as Chair in Petroleum Engineering within the Department of Earth Science and Engineering, a position he has held for over two decades since joining Imperial in June 1999. Prior to his appointment at Imperial, Professor Blunt was Associate Professor of Petroleum Engineering at Stanford University and a research reservoir engineer with BP in Sunbury-on-Thames. His academic foundation includes MA and PhD degrees in theoretical physics from Cambridge University, which provided the rigorous analytical framework for his groundbreaking contributions to reservoir engineering and fluid dynamics.
Professor Blunt has made internationally recognized contributions across multiple length-scales in reservoir engineering, pioneering innovative pore-network models that transformed the understanding of multiphase flow in porous media. His research has redefined the field of pore-scale modeling in geologic materials with significant applications spanning oil and gas recovery, geological carbon storage, and contaminant transport in polluted aquifers. With more than 200 scientific publications cited over 11,000 times, his work integrates experimental, theoretical, and numerical approaches to address complex flow and transport phenomena in porous systems. His influential book Multiphase Flow in Permeable Media has established itself as a seminal reference for researchers and practitioners worldwide.
As Director of the Qatar Carbonate and Carbon Storage Research Centre, a decade-long $70 million strategic collaboration between Imperial College London, Qatar Petroleum, Shell, and the Qatar Science and Technology Park, Professor Blunt leads one of the most significant research initiatives in carbon capture and storage technology. He serves as Editor-in-Chief of Transport in Porous Media and sits on the editorial boards of Water Resources Research and Advances in Water Resources, shaping scholarly discourse in his field. His exceptional contributions have been recognized with the EAGE lifetime achievement award, the 2011 Lester Uren Award for contributions to petroleum technology before age 45, and the 2012 Darcy Award from the Society of Core Analysts. Professor Blunt continues to mentor exceptional students and collaborate with international researchers, advancing sustainable energy solutions through fundamental understanding of fluid dynamics in subsurface environments.
