The Impact of the Energy Transition on Petroleum Engineering Departments: The Faculty Perspective

Abstract

Abstract We live in a time where there are a lot of conversations regarding transitioning energy systems from a major dependance on fossil fuels towards more reliance on renewable energy sources. Such a transition, no matter the pace and shape it takes, has a direct impact on petroleum engineering education. In this paper, we share the results of a world-wide survey that targeted capturing the perspectives of faculty members regarding the impact of the current state of affairs on petroleum engineering education. We analyze those results under various contexts, which include observing the perspectives and impacts by region, age group, and sex. The questions probe the perception of the faculty members regarding how long fossil fuels will remain a major part of the energy mix, the impact this has on their ability to fund their research and publish their work, the impact on recruiting students and on strategic directions in the academic programs, and what the faculty need in order to maintain a curriculum that is relevant to the future careers of their students. The results reveal that the vast majority of faculty see in the energy transition an opportunity for change in petroleum engineering education. Over 95% of respondents support covering the topics of environmental sustainability, clean energy, and data analytics in the undergraduate petroleum engineering curriculum, with the majority suggesting data analytics be covered as a mandatory course, clean energy as optional electives, and environmental sustainability be included to supplement existing courses. Most faculty are willing to invest the time and effort needed to make the necessary changes to the curriculum, but many do not feel prepared to make some of those changes. The resources faculty identify as useful to be made available to them include well-designed in-person networking events with industry professionals and facilitated learning communities for petroleum engineering faculty. There is no overwhelming support for changing the name of the degree, and most faculty believe that the change should be a process of continuous improvement rather than undergoing a major disruption. There is variability by region in the impact the current challenges have had on industry support for academic research, and variability by age group regarding how long fossil fuels will remain relevant.