Sean McCoy
Positions
Associate Professor
Schulich School of Engineering, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
Contact information
Background
Educational Background
B.A.Sc. Environmental Engineering (Chemical Specialization), University of Waterloo, 2003
Ph.D. Engineering & Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University, 2008
Biography
Sean McCoy is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Calgary whose research focuses on the assessment of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction and carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies. Current research projects include life cycle assessment and techno-economic assessment of direct air capture, CO2 conversion technologies, and hydrogen production pathways, and energy systems analysis to evaluate the design of technology in potential future systems. He is the Principal Investigator for the CanCO2Re Initiative, which is a multi-institution, interdisciplinary effort to assess the future for CDR in Canada.
Prior to joining the University of Calgary in 2018, Sean was an analyst at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), a US Department of Energy laboratory, and the International Energy Agency (IEA). At LLNL, he collaborated with research scientists to evaluate the economic feasibility and environmental benefits of early-stage concepts and the State of California to develop rules for CCS under the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). While at the IEA, Sean collaborated both with IEA member and non-member governments to shape policies that advanced CCS technology. Sean was the author or a contributing author to three editions of IEA Energy Technology Perspectives (ETP), three editions of the IEA CCS Legal and Regulatory Review, the 2015 IEA Review of Canada's Energy Policy, and multiple IEA Insights Papers.
Sean maintains an adjunct faculty appointment in the Department of Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University. He is a member of the IEAGHG CCS Cost Network steering committee and of the Technical Program Committee for the 18th Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies (GHGT-18) Conference. He is a member of the CSA Standards’ Technical Committee that has developed a bi-national standard for geological storage and was a contributor to ISO TC 265, which is developing international standards for CCS.
Sean received his PhD in Engineering and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon in 2008. His PhD dissertation was on “The Economics of CO2 Transport by Pipeline and Storage in Saline Aquifers and Oil Reservoirs.” Prior to this, Sean received a bachelor's degree from the University of Waterloo in Environmental Engineering (Chemical Specialization).
Research
Areas of Research
Sean’s primary research interests are developing methods to support rapid and effective screening of related early-stage technologies, improving approaches used in scenario-based energy systems modeling, and incorporating the theory of technology innovation into into energy and environmental policy making. His current work includes life cycle and techno-economic assessment of direct air capture (DAC) and biomass carbon dioxide removal (BiCRS), development of a Canadian energy system model using the TEMOA framework to support technology assessment and innovation policy, and exploration of the economic and environmental trade-offs in process optimization.
Participation in university strategic initiatives
Courses
| Course number | Course title | Semester |
|---|---|---|
| ENER 400 | Engineering Design and Economics | Fall 2025 |
| ENEE 503 | Life Cycle Assessment | Winter 2025 |
| ENGG 212 | Fundamentals of Fluid Behavior | Winter 2024 |
| ENER 300 | Engineering Design & Energy Policy | Fall 2024 |
| ENCH 423 | Engineering Design and Economics | Winter 2023 |
| ENGG 201 | Behaviour of Liquids, Gases and Solids | Winter 2021 |
Projects
In this initiative, funded primarily by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), an interdisciplinary team of researchers is assessing the role for sustainable, equitable, cost-effective and rapidly deployable carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies in meeting Canada’s net-zero targets. We will identify and assess the cost, environmental impact and scalability of CDR technologies; ways in which CDR deployment will be shaped by (and shape) law and governance, stakeholder and community perceptions; and trade-offs inherent in developing supportive legislation and policies for CDR in Canada towards a 2050 net-zero goal.
Publications
In the News
- Is carbon capture a silver bullet?. Alberta at Noon with Judy Aldous, CBC Radio One. (2023)
- U.S. unveils plans for large facilities to capture carbon directly from air. ScienceInsider. (2023)
- This $1.5 billion startup promised to deliver clean fuels as cheap as gas. Experts are deeply skeptical.. MIT Technology Review. (2022)
- Oil patch sees carbon capture tax credit as the future. Opponents say it’s an unnecessary lifeline. The Globe and Mail. (2021)
- Air-scrubbing machines gain momentum, but long way to go. Associated Press. (2021)
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