Dr. René Elms is currently an Associate Professor of Practice at the College of Engineering, Texas A&M University. In November 2015, Dr. Elms accepted a faculty appointment at Texas A&M University in the College of Engineering with the First Year Engineering Program. Her research interests and efforts pertain to process systems engineering with specific focus on application oriented topics related to the oil and gas industry, computer-aided design, biorefineries/biofuels, and water management. She also has a strong interest in utilization and instruction of process simulation in both industrial and academic contexts.
Previously, Dr. Elms was a Senior Consulting Engineer at Bryan Research & Engineering (BR&E) where she provided high level engineering, consulting, and technical support for leading operating and engineering companies in the Oil and Gas and Chemical Industries. During that time, she worked with over 500 individual engineers from over 100 operating and engineering companies worldwide on more than 200+ oil and gas processing and chemical facilities and units in part or whole. Her consultation activities included feasibility, design, operational support, and optimization of new and existing facilities related to oil, natural gas, refining, energy, carbon capture, and chemical production. During her time at BR&E, she also served as a regular guest lecturer for several classes in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University. Prior to joining BR&E, Dr. Elms obtained research and engineering experience in various academic, government, and private sector projects at NASA, NIST, Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center, and Texas A&M University.