UW Welcomes New Leader of Department of Petroleum Engineering

The University of Wyoming Board of Trustees has approved the appointment of Vamegh Rasouli as the new LeNorman Endowed Leadership Chair of Petroleum Engineering in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences.

Rasouli becomes the first-ever LeNorman Chair of the department.

“The competitive pool of applicants for this position speaks very well of our petroleum engineering program,” says Cameron Wright, UW College of Engineering and Physical Sciences Carrell Family Dean. “Vamegh Rasouli brings an innovative, industry-driven approach to student development and a strong belief in academics. We are thrilled with the direction he will take petroleum engineering at UW.”

Rasouli got his start in the petroleum industry more than 18 years ago as a full-time academic faculty member as well as a geomechanics consulting engineer for Schlumberger, the largest oil and gas service company worldwide. This combined experience helped inspire him to bridge the gap between academia and industry by bringing the practical aspects of diverse petroleum engineering topics into the education setting. The results created the development of advanced teaching and research laboratories and education of many students with strong ties to the industry in Australia and later in the United States.

“My commitment to the use of modern teaching resources and project-based course offerings that are in line with industry demands will provide the best preparation for our students in obtaining internship and job opportunities,” Rasouli says.

During his career, Rasouli has served as the deputy head and head of petroleum engineering programs in Iran, Australia and the United States. Since July 2017, Rasouli has been the director of the Jodsaas Center for Engineering Leadership and Entrepreneurship in the College of Engineering and Mines at the University of North Dakota.

His research focuses on geomechanics characterization of unconventional reservoirs. He has delivered a number of industry short courses for Schlumberger’s Network of Excellence in Training program.

Before his most recent position, Rasouli served as the department chair for the University of North Dakota’s petroleum engineering department. He received his Ph.D. in rock mechanics from Imperial College London in 2002.