Eric van Oort is a professor and Richard B. Curran Chair in Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin). He began teaching at UT Austin in 2012 after a 20-year industry career at Shell.

He has coauthored more than 250 technical papers (including more than 150 SPE papers), holds 22 patents, is a former SPE Distinguished Lecturer, an SPE Distinguished Member, recipient of the 2017 SPE International Drilling Engineering Award, and the 2025 Lockheed Martin Award for excellence in engineering teaching at UT Austin.

He is a frequent SPE conference/workshop/forum co-organizer, chairman, and speaker. He directs the RAPID industry consortium dedicated to drilling and well construction at UT Austin and cofounded SPYPR Automation and Ultradeep Energy Co. He is the CEO of EVO Energy Consulting and the author of Managed Pressure Drilling: Fundamentals, Methods, and Applications.Dr. Eric van Oort’s prolific contributions span over 150 publications and decades of leadership in drilling technology. His research has advanced shale-fluid interaction, drilling automation, cementing, MPD, and geothermal well construction. A former SPE Distinguished Lecturer and recipient of multiple SPE awards, his innovative work continues to shape the future of drilling engineering.

He holds a PhD in chemical physics from the University of Amsterdam.