Tad Patzek
Department Chair & Professor
Cockrell Family Chair in Engineering #11
Email: patzek@mail.utexas.edu
Phone: (512) 232-8368
Research Areas: Reservoir Engineering and Rock Mechanics; Process Control; Thermodynamics; Sustainability; Energy Policy; Field Pilot Design and Interpretation; Offshore Engineering; Unconventional Resources; Environmental Engineering; Hydrology; Contaminant Cleanup
Educational Qualifications:
M.S. ChemE, 1974, The Silesian Technical University, Gliwice Poland
Ph.D. ChemE, 1980, The Silesian Technical University, Gliwice Poland
PGE Courses Taught:
PGE 102 (Introduction to Petroleum Engineering)
PGE 379/383 (E4: Earth, Environment, Energy and Economics)
Research:
For the last four years, my research has emphasized the use of unconventional natural gas as a fuel bridge to the possible new energy supply schemes for the U.S. My work focuses on the producibility of mudstone formations and the interactions between hydrofractures and natural fractures. I am engaged in the studies of complex systems, focusing on the ultra deepwater offshore operations, ecology of large agricultural systems and biofuels systems.
Awards & Honors:
Full Professor, President of the Republic of Poland, April 12, 2012.
Member of the Ocean Energy Safety Advisory Committee for the Department of Interior's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE).
The Lois K. and Richard D. Folger Leadership Chair, 2011.
The Cockrell Family Regents Chair #11, 2008.
Highlighted Publications:
Blog, LifeItself - 60,000 views as of June 2013
"Drilling Down: The Gulf Debacle and our Energy Dilemma," a popular book co-written with Joseph Tainter
