Riyadh, September 13, 2014 – King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC) has announced that its Board of Trustees, chaired by His Excellency Ali I. Al-Naimi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has appointed Mr. Samer S. AlAshgar as the President of the Center. Mr. AlAshgar succeeds Dr. Muhammad M. Al-Saggaf, who led the Center during the critical establishment phase of the past two and a half years. Mr. Al-Naimi praised the efforts of the outgoing President, Dr. Muhammad Al-Saggaf, under whose leadership the Center has developed its capacity and established itself as a credible, independent, global energy research institution.
Mr. AlAshgar joins the Center from Saudi Aramco’s EXPEC Advanced Research Center (EXPEC ARC) where he has led Saudi Aramco’s upstream research and development efforts since early 2009, developing key upstream technologies for the exploration, development, and production of Saudi Aramco’s oil and gas reservoirs. He expanded the R&D business portfolio globally through the establishment of several research centers in North America, Europe and Asia, with many cutting-edge technologies in exploration and petroleum engineering translating into field applications during his tenure.
Mr. AlAshgar holds B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in chemical engineering and petroleum engineering from the University of Tulsa and Stanford University, respectively, and an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He has also completed several leadership and management programs.
King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC) is an independent, non-profit research institution dedicated to researching energy economics, policy, technology, and the environment across all types of energy. The mandate of the Center is to advance the understanding of energy challenges and opportunities facing Saudi Arabia and the world today and tomorrow, through unbiased, independent, and high-caliber research for the benefit of society. KAPSARC is located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
During its establishment phase, the Center has attracted fifty local and international researchers in the fields of energy economics and policy, and developed several young Saudi researchers through engaging them in the Center’s specialized research activities with experts in these fields. The Center has developed over twenty projects, serving the Kingdom and the world, conducted numerous international workshops, and published several papers. One of these papers discussed how Saudi Arabia can decrease its domestic oil consumption by a third without increasing end-consumer prices.
Mr. AlAshgar stated, “I am honored by the trust placed in me. I look forward to continuing the journey of KAPSARC and leading it towards becoming an internationally recognized energy research center, with a research focus that creates future value and prosperity for humanity, consistent with the vision of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin AbdulAziz.”
For further information about the Center, please visit www. KAPSARC .org or email us at media@kapsarc.org
