Xiuli Wang (2000 PhD ChE), vice president of technology for start-up company XGAS, didn’t have to pursue a Ph.D. in chemical engineering. When she decided to come to the University of Houston in 1995, she had already earned her master’s degree in the field from one of China’s most prestigious universities; had a career with Sinopec, one of the country’s largest petroleum companies; and was respected enough to hold teaching positions at the university level.

But Wang decided to leave her home country to earn her doctorate anyway—for professional reasons and out of a sense of curiosity. At the time, she said, the best path for young people in China to advance their careers took them outside of the country, and the American graduate education system intrigued her. “I wanted to get an education in the U.S. and find out how it was different from what was available in China,” she said.

As Wang sees it, the distinguishing qualities of American graduate education are also its strengths. At that time in China, graduate-level engineering studies were very narrow in scope, focused primarily on technical skills, and almost all learning took place in the classroom.

Technical skills, of course, are imparted at the UH Cullen College of Engineering and other U.S. institutions. In the U.S., however, graduate students learn many of the “soft skills” necessary to succeed, such as the abilities to work within a group and to communicate effectively. Just as importantly, Wang learned how to solve problems that one encounters at the highest levels of her discipline while pursuing her Ph.D.

These skills have served her well throughout her career. In her previous position with BP, Wang worked on multiple projects involving several different aspects of both the upstream and downstream areas of petroleum engineering. In her current position with XGAS, which she took only a few months ago, she oversees the engineering aspects of the company’s efforts to use compressed natural gas to bring to market stranded natural gas—gas that has been discovered but remains unused due to economic or physical reasons.

Wang’s work has earned the respect of her fellow engineers. She was named an Asian American Engineer of the Year by the Chinese Institute of Engineers for 2007 and was a participant in the Society of Women Engineers’ 2007 online Global Marathon, which was designed to encourage young women to enter engineering fields.

“I feel fulfilled,” Wang said. “I’m a Chinese-American woman engineer and I like to prove that I can deliver just as much if not more than others.”

• Inspiring Students—Bonnie Dunbar (1983 PhD BioE)
• Building Cleaner Engines—Feng Zhang (2005 PhD ME)
• Educating Engineers—Victor Zaloom (1970 PhD IE)
• Exploring Space—Patrick Fink (2002 PhD EE)
• Developing Energy Technology—Xiuli Wang (2000 PhD ChE)
• Serving the Community—Daniel Wong (1983 BSCE, 1985 MSCE, 1988 PhD CE)
• Consulting for Industry—Ven Pinjala (1981 MSChE, 1985 PhD ChE)