Profile picture

Iraj Ershaghi

Omar B. Milligan Chair in Petroleum Engineering and Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science

Education

  • 1972, Doctoral Degree, Petroleum Engineering, University of Southern California
  • 1968, Master's Degree, Petroleum Engineering, University of Southern California
  • 1965, Bachelor's Degree, Petroleum Engineering, University of Tehran

Biography

Iraj Ershaghi is the Omar B. Milligan Professor and Director of the Petroleum Engineering Program at USC. He is also serving as the Executive Director of CiSoft and the Director of Ershaghi Center for Energy Transition Research Center. His research areas include low carbon engineering, GHG monitoring, well test modeling of complex reservoirs, pattern recognition techniques for monitoring water floods and EOR processes, reservoir characterization, unconventional resources, and soft computing concepts in digital oilfield design and operations.

He worked for SIRIP, Signal Oil and Gas, CA State Lands Commission, and has served as a consultant to U. S. Dept. of Justice, U. S. Dept. of Interior, Chemical Research Laboratories, McFarland Energy, National Bureau of Standards, CRC and many others.



Research Summary

Low Carbon Engineering
GHG Emission Monitoring
Smart Oilfield Technologies
Naturally Fractured Reservoirs
Pressure Transient Modeling
Reservoir Characterization and Compartmentalized Systems
Characterization of Unconsolidated Reservoirs

Awards

  • 2023 USC Director of E-CET
  • 2022 Petroleum History Institute Col Edwin L Drake Legendary Oilman Award
  • 2018 Orange County Engineering Council James E. Ballinger Engineer of the Year Award
  • 2017 Society of Petroleum Engineers Legion of Honor
  • 2014 USC Viterbi School Senior Researcher Award
  • 2014 National Academy of Engineering Member
  • 2012 AIME-SPE Honorary Member AIME-SPE
  • 2010 Society of Petroleum Engineers John Franklin Carll Award
  • 2010 USC Viterbi School of Engineering Viterbi Service Award
  • 2007 Society of Petroleum Engineers Reservoir Description and Dynamics
  • 2006 Society of Petroleum Engineers Technology Transfer Award for Development of the Smart Oilfield Technology Curriculum
  • 2005 Society of Petroleum Engineers Western North America Distinguished Service Award
  • 2004 USC Executive Director of CiSoft
  • 2003 Orange Council of Engineers and Scientist Outstanding Educator Award
  • 2003 American Association for Advancement of Engineering Outstanding Educator Award
  • 2002 Fellow Institute for Advancement of Engineering
  • 1996 Society of Petroleum Engineers Distinguished Member Award
  • 1996 Fellow of the Society of Petroleum Engineers
  • 1996 Endowed Chaired Professorship
  • 1996 USC School of Engineering Distinguished Service Award
  • 1983 Society of Petroleum Engineers Distinguished Faculty Award
  • 1983 Tau Beta Pi Teaching Award
Appointments
  • Dir-Center, Director of Ershaghi Center for Energy Transition
  • Dir-Acad Prog, Director of the Petroleum Engineering Program
  • Dir-Center, CiSoft
  • Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Office
  • HED 316
  • Hedco Pertroleum and Chemical Engineering Building
  • 925 Bloom Walk, Los Angeles, CA 90089
  • USC Mail Code: 1211
Contact Information
  • (310) 991-1337
  • ershaghi@usc.edu
Links