KFU and French Petroleum Institute Launch Joint PhD Course in Oil and Gas Technology

The first enrolment is planned for September 2019.

This March marks the end of the previous cooperation agreement, signed by the two institutions in March 2015. During this time, several major projects have been accomplished in physical chemistry, modelling, thermal analysis, and other areas, and several dozen joint publications have emerged. A joint master program – Complex Data Analysis in Petroleum Geosciences – started in January 2016. Details of further cooperation were discussed during IFP’s visit on 21st – 22nd March.

Vice-Rector Danis Nurgaliev mentioned viscous oils and gas hydrates as two prospective areas of cooperation. However, the list doesn’t end there. The guests shared some new tasks that they are currently working on. They cover a wide range of disciplines, such as chemoinformatics, data management, biofuels, physical chemistry, and environmental protection – 9 major scientific challenges in total.

IFP Project Manager Rafael Lugo noted, “Our cooperation stems from an ordinary scientific discussion at a conference several years ago. There, we got acquainted with Mikhail [Varfolomeev, head of EcoOil Unit]. Now, this acquaintance has become a real cooperation link between two big universities. And I am sure that this is just the beginning. We have to solve many tasks together, and great discoveries await.”

As was mentioned during the meetings, leading oil companies may soon join KFU-IFP programs.