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Global energy company, Chevron, has selected The University of Western Australia to join its prestigious worldwide university partnership program.

The three-year $6.9 million partnership program, including a $2.3 million commitment from Chevron and in-kind funding of $4.6 million from UWA, will fund a Chair in Natural Gas Process Engineering, two postdoctoral appointments and two PhD scholarships.

The University joined the likes of Stanford University, the Texas A&M University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States, the Imperial College London and Bandung Institute of Technology in Indonesia when it signed an agreement today to become part of Chevron's University Partnership Program.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Alan Robson said the partnership cemented the University's place as a leading international university of excellence and a world class centre in training engineers and earth scientists.

"This partnership is a great achievement for our University," said Professor Robson.

"We are pleased for the opportunity to work with Chevron, a company of international standing and vast experience in the oil and gas industries.

"Our relationship with Chevron and its industry and academic partners will enable us to produce more job ready graduates and allow Chevron to draw on our substantial research and teaching expertise."

Chevron's Energy Technology Company President Mark Puckett welcomed The University of Western Australia into the Program.

"This program is designed to help develop new technologies and people required to meet the world's growing energy needs," Mr Puckett said.

"It enhances local and global gas research and education and complements Chevron's existing alliances with other leading universities and research institutions."

Chevron recently opened a Global Technology Centre in Perth to provide value-adding research, development and technical support for the company's Asia Pacific and worldwide operations.

Roy Krzywosinski, Managing Director, Chevron Australia, said: "The University Partnership Program will strengthen the work of Chevron's Global Technology Centre in Perth as well as our involvement with the Western Australian Energy Research Alliance in identifying new ideas and research and development opportunities to discover and develop gas resources for domestic and international markets."

Chevron's University Partnership Program operates in 18 cities with UWA currently the only Australian university chosen to take part.  Universities are selected based on their excellent reputation, forward thinking and result-oriented education development.

Professor Mark Bush, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics at UWA said: "The Chevron Professor of Natural Gas Process Engineering and co-appointments will build on the university's existing expertise and provide the senior leadership to create a comprehensive, world class capacity in gas process engineering teaching and research.

"It is one of many exciting resources-based developments in the faculty, which has recently appointed a Director for its Centre for Petroleum, Fuels and Energy research."

The partnership will focus on gas processing, providing professional development to meet industry needs and complementing the work of the Western Australian Energy Research Alliance, the Chevron Energy Technology Centre and the Australian Gas Centre.

Media references

Professor Alan Robson (UWA)  61 8  6488 5563
Professor Mark Bush (UWA)  61 8  6488 3704
Adrian Kwintowski (Senior Consultant PPR WA for Chevron)  61 8  9388 0944
Janine MacDonald (UWA Public Affairs)  61 8  6488 5563  /  0432 637 716