Dr. Birol Dindoruk is George and Joan Voneiff Professor of Petroleum Engineering at Texas A&M University at College Station. Previously he was AADE Endowed Professor of Petroleum Engineering & Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at University of Houston, and before that he was the Chief Scientist of Reservoir Physics and the Principal Technical Expert of Reservoir Engineering in Shell.
His technical contributions have been acknowledged with many awards during his career, including Society of Petroleum Engineering (SPE) Lester C. Uren Award (2014), Cedric K. Ferguson Medal (1994), and Distinguished Membership. In 2017, and finally the highest society award: SPE Honorary Member award in 2023. Recently he received 2026 Improved Oil Recovery (IOR) Pioneer Award by the SPE.
He was elected as a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) for his significant theoretical and practical contributions to EOR & CO₂ sequestration in 2017 and later on in 2025 elected to the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).
He was one of the Distinguished Lecturers of SPE for 2010-2011 term.
Dr. Dindoruk was Data Science and Engineering Analytics Technical Director of the SPE and a member of the Advisory Committee of the SPE Reservoir Dynamics and Description Technical Discipline. He has been active in various editorial positions under SPE and also Elsevier. Currently he is the Editor In Chief for all SPE Journals.
Dindoruk is the only individual in the entire world serving as an editor-in-chief for the first three most cited oil, petroleum and natural gas journals on Google Scholar.
Dr. Dindoruk is well-known for his extensive work on thermodynamics of phase behavior/EOS development, miscibility assessment and experimental work, interaction of phase behavior and flow in porous media, enhanced oil recovery and CO₂ sequestration, and correlative methodologies.
Recently, Dr. Dindoruk has also been working in the area of data analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning and focusing on effective incorporation of data sciences into the oil and natural gas industry practices and energy systems. In recent years, he has authored/co-authored various articles for hydrogen, geothermal systems and adsorptive storage.
Dindoruk has 28 years of industrial experience, holds a BSc Degree from Technical University of Istanbul in Petroleum Engineering, MSc Degree from The University of Alabama in petroleum engineering and also a PhD from Stanford University in Petroleum Engineering and Mathematics, and an MBA from University of Houston.
Dr. Dindoruk currently serves as Director of the Interaction of Phase Behavior and Flow (IPB&F) Consortium at the Texas A&M University.
Education
- M.B.A., Finance, University of Houston, Houston, TX
- Ph.D. in Petroleum Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
- M.S. in Petroleum Engineering, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL
- B.S. in Petroleum Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Türkiye
Research Interests
Professor Birol Dindoruk studies reservoir dynamics with a focus on the fundamental interactions of phase behavior and fluid flow in porous media. His research interest(s) include:
- Interaction of phase behavior and flow in porous media
- Equation-of-State (EOS) Development
- Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR)/Improved Oil Recovery (IOR)
- PVT and phase behavior of hydrocarbon fluids (experimental/upscaling and numerical modeling)
- Gas storage and CO₂ Sequestration
- Reservoir Simulation and Modeling
- Field scale modeling, scale-up and reservoir/field performance management
- Experimental Studies of Flow in Porous Media
- Correlative Methodologies and Data Analytics
- Machine learning and data analytics applications in Petroleum Engineering problems
Certifications & Memberships
- Member of Science Council – Chief Scientist of Reservoir Physics, Shell
- The Cougar Chairs Leadership Academy (CCLA) Program, University of Houston – 2020-2021
- Consulting Professor, Stanford University – 2013-Present
- Distinguished Member, Society of Petroleum Engineers – 2017
- Distinguished Lecturer, Society of Petroleum Engineers – 2010-2011
- Editorial Board Member, Journal of Gas Engineering and Journal of Geoenergy Science and Engineering
- Member of SPE Board, Technical Director of Management and Information
- Editor in Chief, Elsevier’s Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering (JPSE) – 2008-2014
- Editor in Chief, Elsevier’s Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering (JNGSE) – 2017-2021
Awards & Recognition
- SPE IOR Pioneer Award – 2026
- George and Joan Voneiff Endowed Professorship, Texas A&M University – 2026
- Teaching Excellence Award for 2024-2025, for excellence in teaching, and service to the students of the college, UH, Cullen College of Engineering
- Member of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) – 2025
- Editor in Chief for all Society of Petroleum Engineers Journals – 2025
- TX Governors (GURI) Recognition and Appreciation for Outstanding Achievement & Research Excellence in TX Higher Education – 2024
- Honorary Member, Society of Petroleum Engineering (Highest international award) – 2023
- Member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) – 2017
- Lester C. Uren Award, Society of Petroleum Engineers – 2014
- Shell Executive Vice President Award (EVP Award) – 2008
- Cedric K. Ferguson Medal, Society of Petroleum Engineers – 1994