About
Tadeusz
(Tad) Patzek is the Lois K. and Richard D. Folger Leadership Professor and
Chairman of the Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering Department at The
University of Texas at Austin. He
also holds the Cockrell Family Regents Chair #11. Between 1990 and 2008, he was a
Professor of Geoengineering at the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to
joining Berkeley, he was a researcher at Shell Development, a unique research
company managed for 20 years by M. King Hubbert of the Hubbert peaks.
More recently, Patzek has engaged in the studies of complex systems, focusing on the ultra deepwater offshore operations. He briefed Congress on the BP Deepwater Horizon well disaster in the Gulf, and was a frequent guest on NPR, ABC, BBC, CNN, and CBS programs. In January 2011, Patzek became a member of the Ocean Energy Safety Advisory Committee for the Department of Interior's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). He recently co-wrote a popular book with Joseph Tainter, "Drilling Down: The Gulf Debacle and our Energy Dilemma."
For the last four years, Patzek’s research has emphasized the use of unconventional natural gas as a fuel bridge to the possible new energy supply schemes for the U.S. He appeared in the Haynesville Shale documentary. Currently, Patzek teaches courses in petroleum engineering, hydrology, ecology and energy supply, computer science, and mathematical modeling of earth systems. Patzek is a coauthor of over 200 papers and reports, and is writing five books.
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Latest News
Video interview for The Nation, 2/22/2012, John Hofmesister - Tad Patzek debate, “The World Oil Supply: Looming Crisis or New Abundance?” 2/15/2012, at the University Of Wisconsin.
The peak coal study by Patzek and Croft has received a significant media coverage, see, for example, ASME, ASPO, National Geographic, the New York Times, Peak Oil, Green Car Congress, Planet Save, etc.