Our Team

Ranjith Narayanasamy comes to the PTRC from a senior management position at SaskPower. He has been working in the utility industry since 2005 in Canada, and has over 20 years of versatile experiences in SCADA Cyber Security, Engineering and Operations, Corporate Finance, Business Transformation, Green Field Hydro Electric Development and Indigenous Business Development. He has also worked on SaskPower’s Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Mobilization to India Initiative to build partnerships with Indian thermal utilities. He successfully created more than $350 million dollars of new indigenous economy by implementing an Indigenous Procurement strategy at SaskPower and won the Premier's Award for Public Service Excellence in 2019. Ran was chosen that same year as a CBC Saskatchewan Future 40 Finalist. 

In December 2022, Ran received the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal from the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan for his contributions to the Province and to Canada.  The Jubilee medal recognizes outstanding contributions from individuals of all ages and walks of life who have built and continue to build a strong and vibrant Saskatchewan/Canada through their service, contributions and achievements.

In 2023, Ran completed the Directors Education Program at the Rothman's School of Business. He has strong board governance experience and has served on the Board of Gradworks Inc (Crown Investment Corporation) as vice-chair and as a Board member for Government of Saskatchewan’s Community Investment Fund (CIF). He has also served on boards for non-profit organizations including as President of the India Canada Association of SK and President of the Regina Hindu Temple. At present he is serving on the Computer Engineering Technology - Program Advisory Committee for Saskatchewan Polytechnic, and on the University of Regina's Engineering Advisory Board.  Ran was elected to the Board of the province of Saskatchewan's largest credit union - Conexus - in March of 2022.

Ran has a Masters in Electronic Systems Engineering and a Masters in Business Administration from University of Regina, as well as a Masters Certificate in Project Management from York University’s Schulich School of Business. He is a registered professional engineer with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan (APEGS), and is a graduate of the Directors Education Program at the Rothman School of Business at the University of Toronto.

Erik Nickel graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a degree in Geology in 1994 and obtained his Master of Science in geology from the University of Regina in 2008.  After a 5 year tour as a wellsite geological consultant, Erik spent 15 years as a research geologist with the petroleum geology branch of the Saskatchewan Geological Survey.  His research interests, while there, were primarily in the Mississippian carbonates of southeast Saskatchewan, performing some of the original Midale reservoir characterization for PTRC’s Weyburn project starting in 2001.  Erik also studied many other aspects of Saskatchewan’s petroleum and natural gas resources, most notably an extensive body of work on the geology of Bakken tight oil reservoirs.  Erik joined the PTRC in 2014 and is primarily responsible for the management and delivery of enhanced oil recovery research programs, including STEPS and HORNET, as well as managing the Centre’s carbon capture and storage project (Aquistore).

Matt has over 24 years of experience in engineering and management, energy research, GHG emissions management, as well as environmental and energy-related policy and regulatory development.  He studied Industrial Engineering at the University of Massachusetts and completed his Master of Science in Petroleum Systems Engineering at the University of Regina. Matt also completed the Professional Training Program in Sustainability at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.   For the past 17 years, his work has been mainly focused on sustainable development of energy resources, GHG emissions reductions, carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS), and CO2 applications in petroleum production.  Matt has also been actively involved in the development of Canadian and international CCS standards since 2009.  Matt works closely with the Standards Council of Canada and is a member of the Strategic Steering Committee for Natural Resources at the Canadian Standards Association, the CSA Group.  Matt is also chairing the ISO Technical Committee (ISO/TC-265) developing the international standards for CCS.

Mars has over 25 years of diverse research and work experience in petroleum engineering & geology, chemical engineering, and polymer science. His major areas of technical expertise include enhanced oil recovery technologies for conventional light/medium/heavy oil reservoirs and unconventional tight/shale oil reservoirs, geological evaluation on CO2/hydrogen storage, and renewable energy development. In his past 16 years of work experience as a research engineer, he constantly expands his knowledge horizons to different areas in the traditional fossil energy and sustainable energy development sectors. He has led over 55 research projects, given over 40 presentations at technical conferences, and published over 45 papers in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings. He is a registered professional engineer and professional geoscientist with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan (APEGS), and is an adjunct professor at University of Regina.

Zeinab graduated from the University of Regina with a degree in Petroleum System Engineering. She is responsible for coordinating the PTRC’s Aquistore CO₂ Sequestration Project’s measurement, monitoring and verification program as well as the Heavy Oil Research Network projects. Zeinab is registered as a professional Engineer with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientist of Saskatchewan (APEGS) in Canada. 

Marziyeh joined PTRC in January 2023 and started her internship with the company as a part of her postdoctoral work. She is studying the subsurface for geothermal modeling to extract geothermal energy from a binary system for district heating purposes. She is so passionate about contributing to carbon zero emissions, especially assisting in development of CCUS. She finished her PhD studies in the Petroleum Systems Engineering program at University of Regina on fabrication of polymer microstructures carrying renewable energy via a microfluidic system, applicable in EOR. Marziyeh has a MSc and BSc in Chemical Engineering. She enjoys sharing her experience and knowledge gained through the years of studies with others and she really liked her instructing experience. 

As Business Development Officer with PTRC Sustainable Energy, Brittney has a robust background in project management and strategic development, previously working at the University of Regina's Vice President (Research) office. There, she lead initiatives that advanced the university’s strategic goals. At PTRC, Brittney focuses on managing stakeholder relationships, identifying and advancing projects, and exploring new funding opportunities to drive sustainable energy initiatives. Her leadership in management consulting, community development, and research advancements enables her to foster business growth in the sustainable energy sector and create impactful, forward-thinking solutions.

Brittney has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing and a professional certificate in Project Management from the University of Regina. Brittney completed a certificate in Nonprofit Lifecycle Consulting from the Nonprofit Lifecycles Institute and is part of IEAGHG's International CCS Summer School Alumni. Recently, Brittney completed a Master’s Certificate in Indigenous Nation-Building from the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy and the First Nations University of Canada and has worked with Indigenous communities to support different Nations’ energy security and economic development pursuits. With over a decade of experience in developing and leading community programs, Brittney is expanding her board governance experience on the Board of Directors for the Al Ritchie Community Association.

Norm has been Director of Communications at the Petroleum Technology Research Centre (PTRC) in Regina, Saskatchewan since 2008.  Over the past years he has managed communications for the IEAGHG Weyburn-Midale CO2 Monitoring and Storage Project, the Aquistore deep saline CO2 storage project, and has worked with PTRC’s Heavy Oil Research Network (HORNET).  Norm has an MA in English from the University of Alberta in Edmonton and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. He is an accomplished writer, and his fiction, poetry and journalism have appeared in various newspapers and magazines.  His poetry collection, Garments of the Known, has been published by Nightwood Editions.

Haley is responsible for the day to day financial activities at the PTRC, as well as the administration and execution of contracts. She received a diploma in office administration and comes to the PTRC with seven years of administrative experience. She is currently completing her contracts management certification from Mount Royal University in Calgary.

Wanda joined PTRC in 2022 from the Regina Catholic School Division.  She provides assistance in administrative and communications duties.  She convocated from the University of Regina in 1996 with a BA, and brings with her 13 years of office managerial experience.  In her spare time she enjoys watching and contributing towards her kids' sports activities.

Bart has over 30 years of experience in Enhanced Oil Recovery and CO₂ sequestration research. Working as a technologist, along with teams of engineers, scientists, and other technologists, he provides innovative, practical, and cost-effective solutions to challenges encountered during the execution and evaluation of laboratory experiments.

Originally graduating with a diploma in environmental science, Bart has a passion for nature and considers energy efficiency to be the guiding standard when developing laboratory projects for clients and stakeholders. While participating in or leading a wide array of laboratory energy research projects, including EOR coreflooding and modeling, Bart has utilized a variety of test designs and control systems. Examining EOR technologies has given him insight into achieving results with the additional goal of environmental sustainability.

Zafar Iqbal has extensive experience specializing in Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) techniques, including polymer and surfactant flooding. He has expertise in designing coreflood experiments, studying fluid phase behavior, and conducting rheology, viscosity, and interfacial tension testing. Zafar is skilled in assessing fluid-rock interactions, analyzing polymer performance under various conditions, and conducting PVT measurements on light oils, while ensuring safety and developing operational procedures.  He comes to PTRC after extensive experience in such testing at the Saskatchewan Research Council.

Zafar holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, with a major in Textile Chemistry, from the University of Engineering and Technology at Lahore, Pakistan, and a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Punjab.