Tony Podio is currently a petroleum engineering consultant specializing in artificial lift with a focus on technology applications for the optimization of well performance. Formerly, he was a professor in the Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering Department at The University of Texas at Austin where he taught and directed research in the areas of drilling and production. He was visiting professor at the Norwegian Institute of Technology where he lectured and directed research at the Division of Petroleum Engineering and Applied Geophysics, and was visiting professor at the Australian School of Petroleum of the University of Adelaide where he taught advanced production operations courses. He holds BS, MS and PhD degrees in Petroleum Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and a BS in Mining and Petroleum Engineering from the Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, Colombia.

He has been a distinguished speaker and technical editor for the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), has published numerous articles in international journals, holds seven U.S. patents, and is co-author of “The Beamlift Handbook” and “Acoustic Fluid Level Measurements in Oil and Gas Wells Handbook” published by the Petroleum Extension Service at The University of Texas at Austin (PETEX). He received the J.C. Slonneger Award from the Southwestern Petroleum Short Course of Texas Tech University and the Award for Exemplary Service and Contribution from the Artificial Lift Research and Development Council. He is a registered professional engineer in Texas, is an SPE Legion of Honor member, and received the SPE Legends of Artificial Lift award.