Ghent University

Department of Geology
Campus Ufo, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 33, 9000 Gent, Belgium

Ref: PhD position in Hydrogen storage

Dear Sir/Madam

I am expressing my strong interest in the Research Assistant position at Ghent University. As a highly
motivated and dedicated individual with a Bachelor's degree in Petroleum and Natural Gas
Engineering (from Near East University) and a Master's in Sustainable Environment and Energy
Systems (from Middle East Technical University NCC), I am confident I possess the necessary
academic background, research experience, and passion for the referenced position.
Growing up in Zimbabwe, l realized that more than 60 % of Zimbabweans do not have access to basic
electricity, and the privileged 40 % use coal-generated electricity. So, during my academic career, I
have been fascinated by the intersection of resource engineering, energy systems, and sustainability.
My undergraduate studies in Petroleum and Natural Gas provided me with a solid foundation in the
technical aspects of resource engineering and the energy sector. My graduate studies in Sustainable
Environment and Energy Systems allowed me to explore the complex social, technical, economic, and
environmental factors that shape the development and implementation of sustainable energy solutions.
Renewable energy system integration into power grids is still expensive and is poor in dispatchability,
reliability, efficiency, and capacity compared to fossil-fuelled systems. So, to contribute to
Sustainable Development Goals 7 and 13, my Master's thesis evaluated the feasibility of integrating a
solar-gas hybrid power system into Zimbabwe's power grid to help curb power poverty and facilitate
energy transition simultaneously. The solar-gas hybrid generated electricity from gas and solar cycles
during high solar irradiance. However, during low/no irradiance, the hybrid generated electricity from
the dispatchable gas cycle. Techno-economic and environmental results support the adoption of the
solar-gas hybrid over using Zimbabwe's coal-fuelled power plants. Moreover, the solar potential from
the multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) uncovered that Zimbabwe has enough solar resources to
shift to clean energy, considering the application of solar technologies with heat and energy storage
systems (e.g., hydrogen storage). However, significant greenhouse gases can be avoided from fossil
fuel-renewable energy systems (RESs) hybrid and typical fossil-fuelled power plants. An increase in
RES's percentage on a hybrid facility, including thermal energy storage, electrical energy storage,
carbon capture and storage technologies, hydrogen storage, etc., among other technologies, can be
used to reduce the release of GHGs into the atmosphere.
Alongside my thesis, l have published one paper in Natural Gas Industry B Journal and one in
Heliyon. The thesis work has provided skills in geology, energy system modeling, reservoir modeling,
techno-economic and environment assessment, journal writing, power plant modeling, and
programming.
Various tools were implemented to meet thesis objectives, including ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, EBSILON,
NREL's System Advisor Model (SAM), MS Office package, Stratgraphics, and RETScreen Expert.
Given my educational and research background, l hope to contribute to the Department of Geology
through a position in Hydrogen Storage at Ghent University. I believe that the expertise of the
professors at Ghent University, coupled with the resources available at the institute, will provide me
with the ideal platform to develop my research skills and contribute to advancing knowledge in
sustainable energy resources. I believe l am a quintessential candidate for the referenced position. My
MSc thesis covered a solar-gas hybrid system similar to the solar-hydrogen hybrid system. So, l am
familiar with most of the processes involved in evaluating the feasibility of the hybrid system. I have
experience with laboratory experiments, geochemical analysis, journal publishing, reservoir
modelling, numerical modelling, decision-making (specifically the MCDA), renewable energy
systems, geographic information systems (specifically ArcGIS Pro and QGIS), and techno-economic
and environmental analysis.
Furthermore, I was a Lab assistant (from September 2021 to January 2023) responsible for many
duties, including teaching and assisting in core plug preparation, core cleaning, saturation
determination, sieve analysis, brine preparation, porosity and permeability determination, rock
strength experiments, core electrical tests, and microscopy. I am convinced that this research will
significantly influence how sustainable energy systems develop in the future. For this reason, this is a
position that I would like to occupy, and I would be honored if you would consider me for this
position.
I hope to be an expert in sustainable development (specifically in the environmental and energy
domain), involved in academia, teaching and mentoring, networking and building relationships with
other professionals, and exploring various paths within the field. Ultimately, I hope to contribute to a
sustainable future in all the different career paths.

I appreciate your consideration. I am looking forward to the opportunity to further discuss with you
about my application.

Sincerely,