Arts & Sciences Program

Faculty & Staff

Dr. Avin Pillay Professor of Chemistry Email: apillay@pi.ac.ae Phone:+971-2-607-5417 (Bu Hasa) and 607-5015 (Arzanah) Office: 2005 (Bu Hasa)/8268 (Arzanah)

Academic Qualifications

• Ph.D., Analytical Chemistry, London University, U.K., 1982
• M.Sc., Nuclear Physics and Analytical Chemistry, South Africa

Experience

2007 to present	Professor of Chemistry, College of Arts & Sciences, Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi
1998 to 2005	Associate Professor, Chemistry Department, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
1994 to 1998	Reader, Department of Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

Research Interests

Dr. Pillay is skilled in a wide range of instrumental techniques including Neutron Activation, XRF, Gamma ray Spectroscopy, ICP-MS, Atomic Absorption and UV-Vis Spectrophotometry. He is experienced in the area of analytical and environmental chemistry, and has supervised PhD and MSc students. He has lectured widely in these areas and in general chemistry, and is keen on promoting cross-disciplinary teaching and research. He has more than 120 peer-reviewed journal articles, and several conference presentations. He was Guest Editor and member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Environmental Studies between 2005 and 2009. He is presently member of the Editorial Board of the Open Hydrology Journal.

Teaching Interests

Dr. Pillay's academic career spans more than 25 years of which seven years were spent at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman where he assisted in initiating the MSc program in the Department of Chemistry. He has contributed to the proposal of the MSc program in the Chemistry Department at the PI

Selected Publications

1. B. Ghosh,  A. E. Pillay, B. Senthilmurugan, S. Kundu & S. Stephen, Application of ablative laser depth-profiling (ICP-MS) to probe diagenetic information linked to secondary mineral deposition in carbonate reservoir rock, (Part 2),  Canadian Journal of Pure & Applied Sciences, 4 (3), 1267-1274, 2010.


2. A.E. Pillay, M. Elkadi, F. Feghali, S.Fok, G. Bassioni & S. Stephen. (2010). Tracking chloride and metal diffusion in proofed and unproofed concrete matrices using ablative laser technology (ICP-MS), Natural  Science, 2 (8), 809-816.


3. M. Elkadi , A. E. Pillay, S. Fok , F. Feghali , G. Bassioni  and S. Stephen. (2010). Depth-profiling study (ICP-MS) study of toxic metal build up in concrete matrices: Potential environmental impact, Sustainability, 2, 3258-3269.  


4. Pillay, A. E., Fok, S., Stephen, S. & Abd-Elhameed, A. (2009). Monitoring interfacial degradation in metal coatings using laser ablation technology (ICP-MS), Canadian Journal of Pure and Applied Science, 3 (2), 821-825.


5. Pillay, A. E., (2010). Green energy and sustainable development, Research Journal of Chemistry & Environment, 4(1), 3-4


6. Pillay, A. E., Salih, F. M. & Maleek, M. I. (2010). Radioactivity in oily sludge and produced waste water from oil: environmental concerns and potential remedial measures, Sustainability, 2, 890-901,


7. Sengul, M., Francis, C. G., Elkadi, M. & Pillay, A. E. (2009). The contribution of CO2 emissions to environmental stress in the Middle East: challenges & potential solutions, International Journal of Environmental Studies, 66(6), 705-722.