Industry Speaker
Dr. Selda Gunsel, Vice President of Global Commercial and Fuels Technology
Shell Lubricant’s Projects & Technology
Biography
Selda Gunsel is the Vice President of Global Commercial and Fuels Technology within Shell’s Projects & Technology organisation with responsibility for leading a global group of scientists and engineers in the delivery of innovation, R&D and technical services to Shell Lubricants, Retail and B2B businesses including Marine, Aviation, and Specialties. Selda is based in Houston, USA.
Selda was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in the USA in 2017 in recognition of her distinguished contributions to engineering, “for leadership in developing and manufacturing advanced fuels and lubricants to meet growing global energy demand while reducing CO2 emissions”. Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer.
In 2015, Selda was awarded the STLE International Award – the highest technical honor awarded by the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers. Throughout her career, Selda has received numerous other awards including STLE Fellow for outstanding personal achievement in lubrication science, R&D 100 Innovation Award, SAE International Excellence in Presentation Award, STLE Captain Alfred E. Hunt Best Paper Award, Penn State Outstanding Engineering Alumna Award and internal awards for both Innovation and Leadership in Diversity and Inclusiveness.
In January 2013, Selda was appointed as an Honorary Professor at Beijing’s Tsinghua University with whom Shell enjoys a partnership to deepen the understanding of lubricants. This coincided with Selda being based in Shanghai from 2012-2014 to oversee the development and launch of a new Shell Lubricants Technical Centre to serve the Asian market.
Before joining Shell in 2002, Selda was the Vice President of Technology Development and Innovations at Pennzoil-Quaker State Company. Subsequently, Selda’s roles in Shell have included Vice President of Fuels and Engine Vehicle Technology; General Manager of Global Products & Quality; General Manager of Lubricants Technology Americas; and General Manager of Global Lubricants Strategic R&D.
Selda received her BSc in Chemical Engineering from the Istanbul Technical University in Turkey and her MSc and PhD also in Chemical Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University, USA. While working in the industry, Selda has held sabbatical assignments at Imperial College, London in the UK.
Selda has published extensively in the field of lubrication science, received patents and is well known in the industry. She has served as the President of the STLE and the Chairman of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Lubricants Research Award Board. She is a member of the Industrial Advisory Board of Penn State University and has served on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Lubrication Science, UK, and Tribology Transactions, USA. She has chaired and delivered keynote addresses at many international conferences.