​Congratulations to Dr. Thomas Finkbeiner on being appointed a Research Professor, effective Jan. 1, 2021. Dr. Finkbeiner received his Ph.D. in Geophysics from Stanford University. He joined King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in January of 2016 in the Ali I. Al-Naimi Petroleum Engineering Research Center (ANPERC). His research focuses on rock and geo-mechanics, rock physics for oil and gas, and renewable energies.

During his previous role as a Senior Research Scientist, Dr. Finkbeiner was instrumental in the procurement and equipping of the ANPERC lab with rock- and geomechanics equipment. He also built strong liaisons and fostered many research projects with industry partners – primarily Saudi Aramco. Dr. Finkbeiner also initiated collaboration with international government institutions such as the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), government institutions (such as the Bahraini National Oil and Gas Authority, NOGA), and universities (e.g., TU Delft and MUL) on collaborative research projects, teaching courses, and promoting student internships.

In his new role, Dr. Finkbeiner will continue his research in the area of rock and geo-mechanics in the petroleum and renewable energy sectors. In this context, he continues his close and fruitful collaboration with ERPE and ErSE faculty as well as related research groups and KAUST's high impact research initiatives such as Circular Carbon Economy, geothermal energy, as well as Arabian plate tectonics and Red Sea geoscience. Further, he will lead ANPERC's industry liaison efforts for the energy sector with an emphasis on Saudi Arabia (e.g., Saudi Aramco). 

Prior to joining KAUST, Dr. Finkbeiner worked for over seventeen years in the petroleum industry, mostly in the field of geomechanics and related applications. From 1998 to 2008, he worked for GeoMechanics International (GMI), where he managed and technically directed all of the company's Europe, Africa, and Middle East operations. When Baker Hughes acquired GMI in 2008, he worked as Global Geomechanics Advisor. In 2011 he was awarded Baker Hughes' Subject Matter Expert for Geomechanics. From 2013 to 2015, Dr. Finkbeiner worked for OMV in Vienna (Austria) as Senior Geomechanics Expert and was responsible for fostering geomechanical understanding and application in OMV E&P worldwide. 

We wish Dr. Finkbeiner all the best in his new role.