The University of Tulsa is proud to announce that two faculty members in the McDougall School of Petroleum Engineering have received prestigious 2026 International Awards from the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), reflecting the international impact of UTulsa faculty and the university’s longstanding leadership in petroleum engineering education, research and industry engagement.
Mustafa Onur, Ph.D., McMan Chair in Petroleum Engineering and director of Petroleum Reservoir Exploitation Projects, received the SPE Cedric K. Ferguson Award Certificate.
Eduardo Pereyra, Ph.D., F.H. “Mick” Merelli/Devon Energy Chair Professor in Petroleum Engineering and associate director of Fluid Flow Projects and the Horizontal Wells Artificial Lift Project, received the SPE Projects, Facilities, and Construction Award.
“These prestigious international awards are a testament to the extraordinary caliber of Professors Onur and Pereyra and to the strength of petroleum engineering at The University of Tulsa,” said Andreas A. Polycarpou, dean of the College of Engineering & Computer Science. “Their scholarship is advancing the profession, addressing important challenges facing the energy industry and creating exceptional opportunities for our students. Having two faculty members recognized by SPE at this level in the same year speaks volumes about the quality, impact and international reputation of the McDougall School of Petroleum Engineering.”
SPE’s International Awards recognize individuals who have made significant technological and professional contributions to the petroleum engineering profession and the global oil and gas industry. The recipients will be honored Oct. 22 during the Annual Awards Banquet at the 2026 Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition in Houston.
For Onur, the recognition underscores the importance of research collaboration and mentorship in advancing petroleum engineering.
“Receiving the SPE Cedric K. Ferguson Certificate is a tremendous honor and is especially meaningful because it recognizes the most outstanding technical paper published by the Society of Petroleum Engineers each year. I am particularly proud that this recognition celebrates the research conducted with my former doctoral student, Ahmed Adeyemi, who received the Cedric K. Ferguson Medal for our award-winning paper,” Onur said.
Onur credits UTulsa’s collaborative research environment, along with his students, colleagues and collaborators in the College of Engineering & Computer Science, for their scholarship and support. The award also illustrates the important role that faculty-student research plays in the McDougall School, providing graduate students opportunities to work alongside internationally recognized scholars on research with direct relevance to the energy industry.
Pereyra said his award reflects his field of expertise and the university’s longstanding commitment to excellence in petroleum engineering.
“This award represents the highest honor in my technical discipline and reflects the long-standing excellence of the School of Petroleum Engineering in production engineering, as well as The University of Tulsa’s outstanding culture of teaching, research and innovation,” he said.
Pereyra also expressed gratitude to his family for their unwavering support and inspiration and to his mentor, Professor Cem Sarica, Ph.D., for his guidance and encouragement throughout his career.
The two international honors build upon the McDougall School of Petroleum Engineering’s longstanding tradition of connecting fundamental engineering research with challenges of direct importance to industry. Through faculty-led research projects, collaboration with industry and opportunities for students to participate in advanced research, the school has developed an environment in which education, scholarship and professional practice reinforce one another.
That combination also provides an important advantage for UTulsa students. They learn from faculty whose scholarship influences their disciplines while gaining exposure to research questions and professional challenges confronting the energy industry. The recognition of Onur and Pereyra demonstrates how faculty excellence can translate directly into opportunities for students, research partners and the profession.
“These awards are also a reflection of something larger than individual achievement,” Polycarpou said. “They demonstrate the culture of excellence we seek to sustain across the College. Our students have the opportunity to learn from and conduct research alongside faculty who are recognized internationally for shaping their fields. That intersection of exceptional faculty, meaningful research, outstanding education and close engagement with industry is a defining strength of engineering at UTulsa.”
The dual recognition further strengthens UTulsa’s position as a leader in petroleum engineering and energy research. Through internationally recognized faculty, industry-connected research and the education of the next generation of engineers, the McDougall School of Petroleum Engineering continues to contribute to the advancement of the profession and the global energy industry.