Oxford announces Shell support for energy research

Oxford University has announced that Shell International Exploration and Production B.V. (Shell) has contributed a £5.9m boost to research into natural energy resources at the University's Department of Earth Sciences through support for a new research collaboration and state-of-the-art laboratory. This Shell-Oxford Research Partnership is designed to support more effective development of natural resources to meet fast-growing global demand for energy. It will also provide insights into the sequestration of greenhouse gases, which will be critical to the successful development of carbon capture and storage technology both in the UK and globally. The research programme will build on Oxford's world leading expertise in geochemistry and will address fundamental challenges relating to the physical and chemical characterisation and origins of mudrocks. These sediments are important as source rocks for conventional hydrocarbons, as reservoirs for unconventional hydrocarbons, and as seals for the geological storage of carbon dioxide. The new collaboration also underpins the establishment of the Shell Geoscience Laboratory at Oxford where researchers will develop novel techniques for the interpretation of huge geophysical and geochemical databases that are now available to analyse the geological processes that shape sedimentary basins around the world. This new initiative in natural energy resources, with support from Shell and other partners, will offer opportunities for graduates interested in working in this expanding area through the development of a structured programme of postgraduate training.