Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering
Faculty Information


james russell

James E. Russell, P.E.
Professor Emeritus of Petroleum Engineering


Dr. James E. Russell taught in the departments of Petroleum Engineering and Geophysics at Texas A&M University from 1978-2005, and served as Head of Petroleum Engineering from 1992 to 1996. During his term as head, the department established its first Industry Advisory Board and was ranked tops in the nation in graduate programs by U.S. News and World Report and in undergraduate programs by The Gourman Report.

His previous experience included work for the Office of Waste Isolation, Union Carbide Corporation Nuclear Division; 8 years as Executive Vice President of RE/SPEC Inc., South Dakota; 10 years as Professor of Civil and later Mining Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology; and one year as Senior Research Engineer, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas. He has also served as a consultant to several major corporations and national laboratories.

 

Education
  • PhD, Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Northwestern University, 1966
  • MS, Civil Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, 1964
  • BS, Civil Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, 1963
Areas of Specialization
  • Rock mechanics
  • Numerical methods
  • Computer applications
  • Waste disposal
Research
  • Dr. Russell's primary research interests are petroleum engineering, rock mechanics, and analytical/numerical modeling:
    • drilling
    • numerical modeling of growth of diapirs (salt and shale)
    • high level nuclear waste disposal
Publication Topics
  • Material Models for Rocksalt
  • Fracture Propagation
  • Mechanical Anisotropy
  • Model Development for Rocksalt
  • Internet Use in Petroleum Engineering
Awards and Honors
  • Texas Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) Fellow, 1988
  • Halliburton Professor, 1985-86
  • Centennial 100 Alumni, SD School of Mines and Technology, 1985
  • Brockett Professor of Engineering, Texas A&M University, 1982-83
  • Outstanding Educators of America, 1974
  • Who's Who in Engineering, 5th and 6th ed.
  • Who's Who in the West, 15th ed.
  • American Men and Women of Science, 17th ed., 1989
  • Sigma Tau Honorary Fraternity
  • Who's Who in Computer Education and Research
  • Walter P. Murphy Fellow, Northwestern University, 1964-65
  • Who's Who in Technology

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