Wanted: Good PhD students in Petroleum Management

 

Are you interested in studying for a PhD in Petroleum Management and Decision Analysis?  In the Petroleum Management and Decision Analysis program at the University of Stavanger, we use mathematical approaches to study decision making in the upstream oil & gas industry and to develop methods to help individuals, groups and organizations make better decisions. Our group is particularly interested in considering the impacts of uncertainty, value tradeoffs, and competition in decisions made by individuals and organizations in the upstream oil and gas industry.

Personally, I have found that I greatly enjoy working with good PhD students, and that collaboration with students can be tremendously valuable. Good students can use their emergent talents and skills to leverage a busy faculty member's research capabilities. All of the faculty in the petroleum engineering department are involved in interesting research that can benefit from collaboration with PhD students. Research topics that are currently of interest to me are development of models and processes for improved asset/project economic valuation and decision-making under uncertainty including real option valuation and the value of learning and flexibility, psychological (cognitive science) aspects of judgment and decision-making, relating shareholder (owner) value to corporate performance metrics and evaluation/decision-making processes and tools, and portfolio analysis, optimization and management. If topics like these interest you, I may be able to help you identify and develop a strong program of research.

But first you have to decide whether a PhD is for you. For those who are genuinely intellectually curious, research can be most rewarding! However, it is not for everyone. If you think you might be well suited and are interested in decision making, there are several alternatives. One possibility is to apply to the Petroleum Engineering PhD program here at the University of Stavanger. Click here for information about our program and our faculty (including links to their web pages). We prefer students who, in addition to their petroleum engineering skills, have a very strong mathematical/statistical background or interest, which is critical for success in the courses and kind of research we expect.

If you have questions, especially about the Petroleum Management PhD program at the University of Stavanger, please do not hesitate to contact me! Send email to me at reidar.bratvold@uis.no. I look forward to hearing from you.

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