The University of Tulsa's Petroleum Engineering Department

“The University of Tulsa” was the answer to the question: “Which school is the best petroleum engineering school”. That was in late 1959. By 1960 Amiel David enrolled in the School’s Petroleum Engineering Department. He graduated in 1964 with a BS in Petroleum Engineering, receiving the Society of Petroleum Engineers award as the “Outstanding Petroleum Engineering Student, Class of 1964” Amiel was offered the first scholarship awarded to an international student to continue his studies in the School’s graduate program. Unfortunately, he already committed to go to U of Pennsylvania, from which he earned an MSE in Chemical Engineering. He then earned a PhD in Petroleum Engineering from Stanford U.

Upon graduation he joined Gulf Oil, and was involved in steam and fire flooding research of heavy oil. His projects took him to Venezuela, Iran and Canada in addition to several projects in the US. He also received an MBA from the U of Pittsburgh, while working for Gulf. Amiel joined the Superior Oil Company, and worked there for three years as a reservoir engineer and engineering manager of the Property Administration Department. In 1981 he joined First City Bank as its Sr. Vice President and Chief Engineer. He was later one of the founders of the Energy Department of First Union, now Wachovia Securities. In 2001 he joined Duke Capital Partners (DCP) as Managing Director in the Houston office, generating and supervising mezzanine loans and equity investments in the industry. Earlier this year, he became President and COO of Dune Energy, Inc., which is active in exploration and production of oil and gas, mostly in Texas.

Amiel was Chairman of the Pittsburgh Section of the SPE; he authored over 25 papers on enhanced oil recovery and financing. He is active in the SPEE, and manages to also teach Petroleum Economics in the Graduate School of Petroleum Engineering at the U of Houston. Amiel is the 2004 recipient of the SPE’s Management and Information Award.

“It all started with attending the best Petroleum Engineering School – The University of Tulsa” he said. “The foundation that I received at the School was broad and allowed me to change careers without any fear of lack of information and knowledge. Thanks TU”