PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (January 31, 2022) A shared vision and conversation between Magesh Rajan, vice president for the Division of Research & Innovation at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU), and Haibin Xu, general manager, Shell Research Alliance (Global Academic Partnerships), has become the PVAMU-Shell Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) Research Program.  This joint commitment will impact climate change for generations. 

The January 2022 ceremonial signing by Ruth J. Simmons, president of PVAMU, and Gretchen Watkins, president of Shell Oil Company and executive vice president Global Shales, took place on the PVAMU campus.  The five-year, $6 million program focuses on research, innovation, and agriculture.    

“This agreement marks a significant landmark in our relationship, paving pathways for Prairie View faculty and students to involve in interdisciplinary research and innovation activities with Shell research and development team solving global challenges,” said Magesh Rajan, vice president, Research & Innovation.  “This is the 1st partnership for PVAMU under our elevated Carnegie Classification as Research 2 institution, as a doctoral-degree granting/high-research campus.” 

Xu states, “This important milestone moment will start a new chapter between the long tradition of collaboration between our two organizations.  We expect to see a sustained and frequent flow of people and ideas between our two great organizations for years to come, and in the process nurturing the next generation of talent who will make a profound impact on our society and future.” 

PVAMU-Shell NBS will give rise to a new state-of-the-art facility on the 700-acre farm located on the university campus.  $1 million of the funding will be invested in PVAMU’s infrastructure and developing a diverse pipeline of students into the workforce. 

With the NBS, “PVAMU will expand its research portfolio and expertise.”, said   Ramaswamy Krishnamoorthi, PVAMU director of Research Advancement.  With Shell’s collaboration and hence access to its research expertise and resources, PVAMU faculty will be able to submit more competitive grant proposals to funding agencies.  That, in turn, will result in more research expenditure and recruitment of doctoral students.” 

“This collaboration will enable PV researchers to focus on solving significant climate and energy-related issues with a serious commercial partner who understands the value such solutions have for the world economy.” Said Bobby Melvin, executive director of the PVAMU Innovation-Commercialization-Entrepreneurship-Economic Development Center (ICEED). 

Shell’s commitment to resources provides the university with added opportunities to showcase its research capabilities and a path for the commercialization of innovative nature-based solutions to decarbonization.   

Krishnamoorthi served as co-lead with Xu over the past twelve months to ensure the initiative continued moving forward while facing a global pandemic.  With this agreement, “PVAMU faculty and Shell researchers will pool their resources and expertise to work on one of the most challenging problems—effective utilization of carbon dioxide, carbon sequestration, and utilization of renewable energy sources.”, said Krishnamoorthi. 

Krishnamoorthi goes on to say, “The collaboration will provide opportunities for student-training and a pipeline for workforce development for corporations, including Shell.  Student-researchers will have the satisfaction of working on a global problem.” As a result, we expect to see significant research and innovation output from researchers and students. 

Xu adds, “My team has a singular mission, that is to help Shell build purposeful, strategic, and inclusive partnerships, to power progress.” 

 

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Karen B. Cotton