(L-R) APPEA Chairman Zoe Yujnovich, Yazan Arouri and APPEA Chief Executive Dr Malcolm Roberts.

Two outstanding university students have been awarded prestigious scholarships by the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association.

The two scholarship – recognising innovative research by postgraduate students from Australian universities – were presented by APPEA Chairman Zoe Yujnovich at an APPEA event in Perth last night.

The winner of the 2018 KA Richards Memorial Scholarship was Yazan Arouri, a PhD student from the Australian School of Petroleum at the University of Adelaide.

Mr Arouri was recognised for his innovative research on optimisation of well control, placement and trajectory under geological uncertainty.  His research aims to provide the industry with a new tool for field development planning, whether green or brown fields, to maximise asset value.

The scholarship, totalling $10,000 per year over three years, recognises postgraduate students studying in the fields of petroleum engineering or petroleum geoscience.

The winner of 2018 Tony Noon Memorial Scholarship was Brennan O’Connell, a PhD student from the University of Melbourne.  She was awarded the $3,000 scholarship for her research on characterising the evolution of paralic tidal deposits.

The Tony Noon Memorial Scholarship provides a one-off grant for honours, Masters or PhD students from a range of disciplines, including geology, safety, engineering, economics, law or environmental management.

“Both these high-achieving university students were applauded by the judges for their ground-breaking research relating to Australia’s oil and gas industry – we wish them well in their future endeavors,” Ms Yujnovich said.

“The industry is committed to promoting excellence across Australia’s academic institutions.”

KeyFacts Energy Industry Directory: APPEA