Professor Robert Perrons

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Program Lead

PhD in Engineering (University of Cambridge), S.M. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Bachelor of Engineering (McMaster University)

Prior to joining QUT in 2011, Rob worked in a wide variety of roles and locations for Shell International’s Exploration & Production division.  He started his career in Shell’s Strategy & Economics team in 1997, and then worked for several years as a production engineer in the company’s overseas operations (offshore and onshore). He then left Shell for three years to work as an Industrial Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge, but re-joined Shell again in 2004 to become the company’s Executive Coordinator of Global Research & Development in The Hague. He graduated summa cum laude with a B.Eng. in mechanical engineering from McMaster University in Canada.  He also earned a Master's degree in Technology & Policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a PhD in engineering from the University of Cambridge, where he was a Gates Cambridge Scholar.  He is a Fellow of both the UK’s Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and Engineers Australia, and is chartered as a Eur. Ing. in Europe.  Additionally, he serves as an adviser to Unearthed Solutions, EnergyLab, and several energy and resource sector technology startups around the world. Rob was named as a Fulbright Scholar in 2020, is a member of the United Nations Resources and Energy Expert Group, and serves the Australian Government on an ad hoc basis as a member of their Expert Network to advise on matters related to innovation and emerging technologies in the energy and resource sectors. He lives in the Brisbane area with his three sons.

Projects (Chief investigator)

Additional information

Experience

May 2011 – present           Queensland University of Technology             Brisbane, QLD, Australia   Professor of Technology Management & Strategy

  • Have served in several leadership roles within the university
  • Research and publishing in the field of technology management and strategy, mainly with an emphasis on the energy industry and resource sector
  • Lecturing and teaching in the area of technology management and business strategy
  • Concurrently linked to the University of Cambridge as an Affiliated Researcher

May 2019 – present                                    United Nations                          Geneva, Switzerland Member of Expert Group – Resources and Energy

  • Provide strategic and technical advice to policymakers and thought leaders from the resources and energy domain, including governments, companies, and academia
  • Offer provocative “what if?” scenarios to stretch strategic thinking about future of energy and resources
  • Gave keynote address at annual meeting at UN’s Geneva office in 2019

May 2015 – present                       Australian Government                       Canberra, ACT, Australia Member of Expert Network – Energy Industry, Energy Technologies, and Innovation 

  • Provide advice to government and relevant stakeholders about the energy industry and emerging innovations within the sector
  • Help to accelerate the commercialization of promising new energy technologies

Jan. 2010 – April 2011                Shell Exploration & Production Co.              New Orleans, LA, USA Manager – Learning & Development

  • Developed and deployed strategies for long-term capability development  within the company's Western hemisphere operations
  • Facilitated discussions with Shell’s high-level executives to align learning portfolio with business needs, and to determine how portfolio should be amended in the future

March 2006 – Dec. 2009                       Shell International E&P                   New Orleans, LA, USA Smart Fields Technology Consultant

  • Managed development and deployment of digital oilfield technologies
  • Led program communications and teaching

Sept. 2006 – May 2008                       Bear Stearns – Primary Insight               New York, NY, USA Subject Matter Expert (ad hoc basis)

  • Explained high-level technical oil & gas concepts to members of the Wall Street financial industry such as hedge fund managers, stock brokers, and investment analysts
  • Offered forward-looking projections as to how technologies are evolving in the upstream oil & gas industry, and put forward perspectives on the strategic implications of these developments

Oct. 2004 – Feb. 2006                        Shell International E&P                 Rijswijk, The Netherlands Executive Coordinator of Research & Development

  • Prepared executive-level presentations and speeches for internal and external audiences, frequently including VIPs such as senior government officials and CEOs of energy firms
  • Facilitated and organized meetings for senior managers within Shell E&P’s R&D organization
  • Orchestrated monthly and quarterly results reporting process from R&D division to higher levels of the organization

Oct. 2001 – Sept. 2004                               University of Cambridge                         Cambridge, UK Industrial Research Fellow & Lecturer

  • Provided consulting services to corporate clients, including several FTSE100 companies
  • Taught undergraduate and post-graduate classes and executive education programs

Aug. 1998 – Sept. 2001                      Shell UK Exploration & Production                     Aberdeen, UK Production Engineer

  • Managed long-term strategic and manpower planning for US$150 million/year facility
  • Optimized operations and environmental performance at Bacton gas processing plant
  • Led production operations and maintenance teams on the Cormorant Alpha platform in the North Sea, and completed training for shift supervisor position

Nov. 1997 – July 1998                          Shell International E&P           The Hague, The Netherlands Strategy & Economics Analyst

  • Worked with executive-level managers to develop future scenarios for energy industry
  • Developed and led operations for communications and media strategy