Our Story

PERM Inc.’s story begins in 1994 in Calgary, Alberta. Dr. Apostolos Kantzas founded PERM Inc. as a Special Core Analysis and R&D Laboratory for the oil and gas industry. PERM Inc. is also known as the Tomographic Imaging and Porous Media Laboratory (TIPM Lab), and it was located on the University of Calgary campus. In 2012, PERM outgrew the space at the University of Calgary and moved into a laboratory off-campus.

PERM Inc. specializes in conducting Special Core Analysis & Enhanced Oil Recovery Studies on core for the oil & gas industry. Whether it is doing full diameter corefloods at high pressures and temperatures or conducting complex relative permeability measurements while scanning, PERM Inc. routinely takes on complex projects.

PERM Inc. has worked with virtually all the major oil companies operating in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin (both domestic and international) and has also worked on various reservoirs from around the world.

More About PERM Inc.

PERM Inc. became known for utilizing non-invasive tools and sensors such as CT Scanners and NMRs, to help provide additional data and aid in understanding what is happening within the core during core experiments.

PERM Inc. has a lot of experience with heavy oil and bitumen (both oilsands and carbonates), as well as other unconventional reservoirs.

What makes PERM Inc. different than other core analysis companies?

PERM Inc. strives to improve and push the boundaries of what is possible. PERM Inc. exists to tackle the complex problems other laboratories are unable to. For this reason, we have created a multidisciplinary team with skills ranging from Chemical & Petroleum Engineering to Geology and everything in between. All of our staff hold Ph.D. or MSc degrees, and they are routinely tasked with finding solutions to complex problems.

Areas of Expertise

Advanced / Special Core Analysis (SCAL) 100

Chemical & Petroleum Engineering 100

CT Scanning & Magnetic Resonance 100

Corefloods (Full Diameter, High Pressure, High Temperature) 100

Our Mission

Unleashing reservoir potential with Special Core Analysis and Enhanced Oil Recovery.

Our Philosophy

From marginal to profitable through physics and technology.

Meet Our Team

Apostolos Kantzas, Ph.D., P.Eng.President & CEO

A professor from the University of Calgary, Dr. Kantzas has tremendous experience in leading advanced research of porous media, primarily dealing with petroleum reservoir engineering issues. He is an expert in Tomographic Imaging, Porous Media Physics, and Magnetic Resonance Sensor Technology.

Saeid Khasi, Ph.D.Manager of Digital Services

Dr. Khasi completed his Ph.D. in Petroleum Engineering in 2023 at the University of Calgary. He leads the Digital Core Analysis services, including Pore Level Modelling and Reservoir Simulation. He also leads Electrokinetics and Ultrasonic related projects. At PERM Inc., he is responsible for software development, modelling and simulation, preparing experimental designs, and conducting experiments.

Vahid Hematfar, Ph.D.Manager of Core Analysis Services

Dr. Hematfar completed his Ph.D. in petroleum engineering in 2015 at the University of Calgary and has broad experience in special core analysis with an emphasis in Thermal Operations. He leads the laboratory operations related to SCAL and EOR. His main areas of expertise include multiphase flow and transport phenomena in porous media, SCAL, heavy oil and bitumen recovery, mainly focused on thermal methods of steam flooding, SAGD, and its variant strategies.

Sahand Etemad, Ph.D., E.I.T.Research Engineer & Safety Chair

Dr. Etemad completed his Ph.D. in Petroleum Engineering in 2022 at the University of Calgary. At PERM Inc., he leads projects related to special core analysis and EOR. He is also the Safety Chair for all operations. His research focuses on foam, nanomaterials, fluid flow in porous media, and enhanced oil recovery. He has experience with core flooding, relative permeability measurement, CT scanning, and chemical/solvent EOR methods.

Ilia Kuznetcov, Ph.D.Research Engineer

Dr. Kuznetcov completed his Ph.D. in Petroleum Engineering in 2023 at the University of Calgary. He works on special core analysis, multiphase flow in porous media, development of electromagnetic sensors and electromagnetic reactors. Dr. Kuznetcov’s expertise spans electromagnetic measurements, imaging, and heating of emulsions, nanosuspensions, oil sands, kerogen, and various rock and colloidal materials. He is proficient in programming, automation, and CAD design for laboratory equipment and has considerable knowledge of chromatography methods for both liquids and gases.

Zoleikha Hajizadeh, Ph.D.Research Scientist

Zoleikha Hajizadeh completed her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry at the Science and Technology University (IUST) in Tehran, Iran. Her research focused on the synthesis and characterization of advanced nanomaterials, including nanocatalysts and functionalized magnetic materials, for catalytic and environmental applications. She worked on the synthesis of organic compounds and green chemistry methods. Currently, she is focusing on chemical engineering topics such as oil upgrading and energy storage systems. She has industry experience in research and development, with proficiency in advanced analytical techniques, including SEM, UV-Vis, TGA, IR, NMR, XRD, GC, and Sim-Dis.

Milad Arabloo, M.Sc.Research Engineer

Mr. Arabloo is responsible for the operation of special core analysis and electromagnetic projects at PERM Inc. He is also responsible for sensor development. Mr. Arabloo is pursuing his Ph.D. in Petroleum Engineering at the University of Calgary. With over seven years of industry experience as a reservoir engineer, he specializes in experimental design and advanced laboratory techniques, including core flooding systems, routine and special core analysis, enhanced oil recovery methods, and the dielectric properties of materials. Mr. Arabloo also focuses on modelling the interaction of electromagnetic waves with subsurface rocks and fluids, contributing to practical solutions for reservoir characterization and optimizing oil recovery processes.

Mojtaba Hasiri, M.Sc.Research Engineer

Mr. Hasiri is responsible for the operation of ultrasonic systems and analytical systems at PERM Inc. He is also developing sensors and specialty reactors. Mr. Hasiri holds a M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering and is pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Calgary. With expertise in unit operation design, process design, optimization, and sonochemical reactions, he has contributed to various projects, including digital rock analysis, heavy oil upgrading, desalination, catalyst strength testing, polymer gel degradation, and reactor design. His experience includes high-accuracy simulations, HAZOP studies, reaction kinetics, thermodynamics, and equipment specifications. He is an Engineer-in-Training (EIT) and focuses on integrating innovative technologies into practical engineering solutions.

Jihua Dong, M.Eng.SCAL Specialist

Jihua Dong completed a M.Eng. in Petroleum Engineering from the Southwest Petroleum University in China. He has over 30 years of experience in reservoir engineering and EOR research. Furthermore, he has experience with X-CT and NMR systems operation, image analysis, and NMR data interpretation.

Lilly Yu, M.Eng.Senior Technologist

Lilly Yu has completed an M.Eng. in Oil and Gas Engineering from the University of Geosciences in Beijing, China, as well as a B.Sc. in Applied Chemistry from the Southwest Petroleum Institute in Sichuan, China. She has experience working in SCAL, has strengths in NMR measurement and property testing for fluids, and has published more than 22 papers in more than 10 academic journals in the oil and gas industry.

Nandan RadadiyaResearch Engineer

Nandan Radadiya is currently pursuing a M.Sc. in Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Calgary. His research focuses on CO₂ and CO₂-polymer flooding in emulsified heavy oil systems. His work explores optimizing recovery processes, capillary interface movement, and applying dimensionless numbers in core flooding experiments. Alongside his studies, he has gained valuable experience in reservoir engineering and production optimization through internships with ONGC Ahmedabad Asset and Shelf Drilling, India.

Imelda Nicolas, M.Eng.Business Operations Manager

Imelda Nicolas completed a M.Eng. in Agricultural Engineering and a diploma certificate in Business Administration. She has over 25 years of experience and is in charge of financial management, project management, and the overall day-to-day operations of the company.

Ephrosyne KantzasBusiness Development

Ephrosyne Kantzas has completed a B.Comm. in Marketing from the University of Calgary. She has several years of experience with business development and marketing.

About Us