Colin P. North University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK

1. Perceptions, expectations, transparency and reputation:A view from across the pondAGI Leadership Forum – Sept. 2008Public-private Partnerships in the Geosciences Colin P. NorthUniversity of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK

2. Cause for concern? • GSA Sedimentology Division: Fall 2007 • Teaching of Sedimentology forum at “Seds and suds” icebreaker • How meet industry need for sedimentologists? • Where will they come from? US supply too small? • How build and support quality teaching? • What about the smaller colleges? • Perceptions – of duties, roles • Industry too passive? Academe too demanding? • Expectations – of funding, responsibilities • Entitlement, or required to be earned?

3. Perceptions & expectations • Industry comments: • We pay our taxes too ... it’s a Society problem ... • It’s not our business, shareholders don’t want it ... • Too many, too small colleges to be practical ... • Going to UK to get employees • University comments: • Not enough public money available ... • Good science (& teaching) deserves support ... • My thoughts: • So what do we do in UK? How overcome issues?

4. Outline • Aberdeen University - a window into UK hydrocarbon and mining industry interactions • Typical of major universities with vocational aims, e.g. Leeds, Manchester, Imperial College • What we do for industry • Training, research, public education • Why does it work? • Record of success? Is it sustainable? • When does it go wrong? • Threats and weaknesses • Generic lessons and observations

5. Aberdeen Glasgow Edinburgh London500 miles Aberdeen - where’s that?

6. University of Aberdeen • Over 500 years old • Geology taught since 1860s, Mineralogy bias • Steadily rising geology student numbers ~ 15 years • against background of falling science intakes • Petroleum industry links? • Petroleum Geology MSc since 1973, first oil 1975 • Ambivalent to petroleum industry until ~1987 • Now heavily linked at all levels • We had to work at it, it didn’t just happen • “Oil Capital of Europe” – we make good use of this but it is not itself essential to success • Companies follow excellence

7. Geoscience Products • Each year, we produce graduates: • 35+ BSc Petroleum Geology or Geoscience • 25+ MSc Integrated Petroleum Geoscience (IPG) • 16+ MSc Oil & Gas Enterprise Management • 10+ PhD in industry-relevant topics • 90% MSc and PhD output goes immediately to industry (mostly petroleum) • Some MSc to PhD; a few PhD stay in academia • Industry-relevant research activity • Basic and applied topics, publication crucial

8. Geoscience Products • US$ 8M annual research income • ~75% industry (e.g. JIPs), ~25% government (KTP) • Areas related to energy • Deep-water frontier group • Injected sands group • Terrestrial reservoirs group • Fluids: organic geochemistry, inclusions … • Non-destructive characterization of materials • Earth systems science: environmental change • Climate change and terrestrial erosion • Extreme events and meteorite impacts

9. Exemplar research theme: Injected sands group • Geological recognition of subsurface remobilisation of sand • Reinterpretation of core, logs, & seismic • Better reservoir modelling and more efficient engineering

10. Industry research success? • Have original ideas & vision, clear deliverables • Make industry aware of them !!! • Interactions throughout project life • Not just limited to funding and final report • Mutual understanding of needs, expectations • Much more time-consuming than if public funded • Defining problems – analysis of their data • Honest dialogue on business problems, potential(don’t over-egg the pudding) • Technology transfer • Testing ideas on their projects, training

11. One-year MSc in IPG • Tightly structured and prescribed, intensive • Developed, delivered just for this MSc program • Full-time, immersive ... life-changing ! • Taught components – 7 months • Instruction, practicals, fieldwork, teamwork • Geoscience plus industry-expected generic skills • Individual technical project – 4 months • Mostly placed with a company (some out of town) • Recruit best students we can get • Keep up quality by cap on class size & origin • Importance of reputation, studentships

12. One-year MSc in IPG • Focus on industry destination, needs • The nature of the oil industry, business awareness • Role of geoscientists in that industry • Dealing with uncertainty • Pragmatism or technical perfection? • Communication with related disciplines • Needs and vocabulary • Preparation for interviews, assessment centres • Ready for polishing through on-job experience • MSc students often outperform PhDs • Impression at interviews • Readiness for employment

13. Industry interactions • Studentships to our MSc IPG course • Industry direct to Department (~10) • UK Government advanced training (5 NERC) • Industry for specific persons (e.g. 3 Thai, 1 Brunei) • Overseas government schemes (3 PTDF Nigeria) • Yearly arrangements, not endowments • In-kind support • Software: Landmark, Kingdom, Petrel (>$10M) • Direct contributions, small and large: • Tutors, data, core store, exercises, projects • Catalyst for industry awareness of Dept.

14. Student centred training • Primary aim is shaping a human resource • Not about scientific output

15. Recipe for success? • Done best when: • Know industry’s needs ... • and have own vision, so a leader not a follower • Regular dialogue with industry: transparency • Work with industry on curriculum and delivery • Creates good reputation • Will survive economic cycles

16. Comes easily? • “You benefit from your location !!” • Perception? Envy? • Yes ... • e.g. drilling centre, core store • and no ... work hard to get all this support • And have to keep working at it every year • Depends heavily on personal contacts • Projects not automatic, studentships re-justified • Rotating staff, duties in companies • Depends on impressions created • Employability of graduates, quality of training

17. U.S.A. Masters • MS in N. America generally research degree: • One year mix of generic courses, & frame project • One year research and dissertation (mini-PhD) • Same model as most of Western Europe • But Calgary setting up UK-type version !! • Differences, from industry perspective? • Business understanding negligible or accidental • Varies with supervisor’s contacts, research topic • Students more mature (older !) • May know much more about some things • But lack breadth of knowledge • Two-years not guaranteed, often slips

18. PhD training • Three-year research degree: • No coursework, minimal transferable skill courses • Assessment by thesis (coherent single argument) • Writing may slip into year 4, but hard on longer • Govt. funding for PhDs denied if average >4 years • Often straight from BSc (age 21), finish by age 25 • Typically part of larger theme: • Project determined in advance, advert for students • Funding in place in advance, usually for 3 years • Full-time - rare teaching-assistant finance in UK • Industry relevance & skills gained highly variable

19. U.S.A. PhD • Typically 4 to 5 year research degree • Year 1 for project formulation, coursework • Can be more a collection of papers than thesis • Funding more piecemeal • But have teaching assistant scheme to get started • Differences, from industry perspective? • As UK, business awareness & skills very variable • Much more mature, often age 28-30 on exit • Deeper science knowledge, often have papers out • More polished, more experienced

20. Decision-makers ? • Interaction with public bodies • More limited, diluted in UK – public sector small • No explicit training for public sector geoscience • Professional registration still rarely needed • Government measures of • Research rating = overall institutional status • Affects Govt. funding (but not industry?) • Teaching quality = little effect on MSc and PhD • Government policy? • Routed through professional body - e.g. GSL • Indirectly influence through industry ‘friends’

21. Cultural differences • USA = personal responsibility paramount • Alumni much more likely to help • Europe = looks to society, government • History of state oil companies forced to fund • Altruism taken into account e.g. in licensing • State funding means alumni less active • Extreme case of industry funding: • Petronas Malaysia fund a whole university

22. How increase support? • Is this where AGI Societies have key role? • Networking, showcasing, facilitating? • Wrapped up with Q: “What are Societies for?” • Government has little money to give out • Universities are oil industry’s research labs • Highly dependent on personal contacts • No such thing as institutional reputation? • Get self and ideas known: • Conferences, papers - personal company visits • Events at institution: workshops, ‘open-days’ • Be in, or set up, industry-relevant meetings

23. Personal industry links: Society industry links:

24. Problems we face • PhD students (good ones) hard to recruit • Going to industry via MSc • Academic future not attractive • Post-doctoral researchers hard to find • Sucked into industry after PhD • Disillusioned by lack of faculty posts, lifestyle, pay • Faculty staff (good ones) hard to recruit & keep • Consequence of above, global competition • Industry-skilled ones drawn away • Institutional reputation and vision crucial

25. Lessons ? • Manage perceptions and expectations • Academe not entitled to industry funding • Not industry’s business to do fundamental training • But everyone benefits from sharing responsibility • Trust and respect • Openness and open-minded = transparency • Taking the time to understand each others needs • Importance of reputation, record of delivery • Have to keep working at it, this is time intensive • Does it require critical mass in academic units? • Strategic alliances with other institutions?

26. Thank you for listening

27. Reviewing • All journals struggling • Reviewing expected, but not respected (credited) by employers • So is what gets the push (or done badly) when time is tight • Real pain for editors, slowing up publication • Commonly have to approach at least 6 (often 8 or more) before get 2 signed up • Ultimately bad for everyone • Science inadequately checked

28. Background • Personal experience: • with BP (oil and coal) for 8 years • 18 years university research and teaching • teaching, supervision and curriculum adviser from BSc to PhD • 8 years as Director of the MSc in IPG • industry-funded research projects, both single and consortium (JIP) funded • convener industry-supported research conferences • involved with SEPM and AAPG; editor JSR 4 years