Maria Barrufet

Dr. Maria Barrufet is a Professor of Petroleum Engineering at Texas A&M University, holding roles as Assistant Department Head for Staff Administration and Director of Online Learning in Petroleum Engineering. She also serves as the Baker Hughes Endowed Chair and Affiliated Faculty in Chemical Engineering. Her research focuses on reservoir engineering, enhanced oil recovery (EOR), and CO2 capture/storage technologies, with expertise in multiphase flow and shale reservoir simulation.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University (1987)
• M.S. in Chemical Engineering, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Argentina (1983)
• B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Argentina (1979)

Research Interests:

• Integration of capillary pressure and thermodynamics for reservoir fluid analysis
• Simulation of near-critical fluids and compositional reservoirs
• Equations of state (EOS) modeling for multiphase equilibria
• CO2 storage and EOR mechanisms in unconventional reservoirs
• Flow assurance and leak detection in multiphase systems

Publications Trends: Her recent work emphasizes CO2 sequestration in shale reservoirs, molecular sieving phenomena in nanoporous media, and advanced EOR techniques for unconventional resources. Key themes include phase behavior modeling, reservoir simulation of complex fluid systems, and energy-efficient production strategies.

Awards:

• Charles Crawford Distinguished Service Award (2006, 2012-2013)
• Faculty Fellow, Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (2004-2005)
• Assessing Technology in Teaching Award (2004)

Advising & Teaching: As a leader in online education, Dr. Barrufet has pioneered distance learning initiatives in petroleum engineering. Her academic leadership includes staff administration roles and curriculum development for international programs.