News

Four Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering faculty members received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) in February as part of a $20 million effort to accelerate the natural subsurface generation of low-cost, low-emissions hydrogen. This is the first time that the U.S. government has competitively selected teams to research this kind of technology.

Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering (UT PGE) Research Professor Mojdeh Delshad has received the 2024 Pioneer Award. It is presented annually by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) to individuals who have made significant advancements in improved oil recovery (IOR) technology. Dr. Delshad will accept the award at the annual SPEIOR conference in April.

Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering (UT PGE) Assistant Professor Wen Song was selected as a Scialog Fellow in Negative Emissions Science, organized by the Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA), Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and ClimateWorks Foundation. As part of the program, she has been awarded research funding by the Sloan Foundation and is one of 20 scientists on seven cross-disciplinary teams across the United States and Canada to receive funding.

As we head into 2024, we’re celebrating all that UT PGE has accomplished this year. A quick look at our top 10 moments of 2023 makes one thing clear — our longstanding history of innovation and excellence in the energy industry continues unabated.

Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering (UT PGE) graduate student Ibrahim Gomaa (PhD PE 2024) has won the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) 2023 Henry DeWitt Smith Fellowship. The fellowship is awarded annually to a student pursuing a graduate degree in petroleum engineering or a related field.

Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering (UT PGE) doctoral candidate Tarek S. Mohamed (PhD PE 2024) has been selected as a 2023–2024 Distinguished Speaker for the Society of Petrophysicists and Well Log Analysts (SPWLA). The distinction is given to authors of the top technical papers presented at the annual SPWLA international symposium. Among the 10 researchers awarded the distinction this year, Mohamed is the only student among industry experts and academic professionals.

The Energy Emissions Modeling and Data Lab (EEMDL) — a $50 million initiative specializing in improved greenhouse gas emissions accounting across energy supply chains — held its first-ever conference in October at The University of Texas at Austin’s J.J. Pickle Research Campus. Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering (UT PGE) Research Associate Professor Arvind Ravikumar co-directs EEMDL with Dave Allen, a professor in the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering.

Professor Larry Lake announced this month that he is retiring after 45 years in the Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering (UT PGE). Even as Dr. Lake slowly scales back his teaching load over the next three years, his legacy in the department and the industry will remain ever present.

Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering (UT PGE) Associate Professors Nicolas Espinoza and Silviu Livescu are key team members of a new $5 million grant from the Mining Innovations for Negative Emissions Resource Recovery (MINER) program run by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E).

Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering (UT PGE) Associate Professor Zoya Heidari has won the 2023 Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Formation Evaluation Award. The international award is given annually to one recipient for outstanding achievements or contributions to the advancement of petroleum engineering in the area of formation evaluation. Dr. Heidari will be honored at SPE’s Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) in San Antonio in October.