Dr. Matthew Balhoff

Professor

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Biography

Dr. Matthew Balhoff is a Professor and Chair of the Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. His research focuses on geologic carbon storage, enhanced oil recovery, integrated reservoir characterization, hydraulic fracturing, reservoir geomechanics, reservoir engineering, unconventional resources, petrophysics, and pore-scale processes. He aims to model and understand the fundamental flow and transport behavior of subsurface fluids in applications related to hydrocarbon recovery, carbon sequestration, and groundwater remediation. Dr. Balhoff employs advanced mathematical and computational tools, including pore-scale models and reservoir simulations, to conduct his research. He categorizes his research into four specific areas: developing methods to simulate multiscale flow and transport processes in subsurface media; predicting and quantifying nonlinear flow behavior in porous media; modeling and characterizing non-Newtonian fluid flow in hydrocarbon recovery; and discovering new techniques for recovering unconventional hydrocarbons. He has received numerous awards throughout his career for excellence in engineering teaching and contributions to the field of petroleum engineering.

Research Interests

Awards

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Lockheed Martin Award for Excellence in Engineering Teaching

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SPE Lester C. Uren Award

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SPE Distinguished Member Award

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SPE Regional Reservoir Description Dynamics Award

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SPE Young Member Outstanding Service Award

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Regents' Outstanding Teaching Award

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Society Petroleum Engineers International Teaching Fellow Award

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ASEE Gulf Coast Southwest Outstanding Young Faculty Award

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PGE Departmental Teaching Award

Courses

PGE 310 Numerical Methods Programming PGE 312 Introduction Petroleum Fluids PGE 323M Reservoir Simulation PGE 392K Reservoir Simulation PGE 323K Reservoir Engineering: Primary Recovery PGE 323L Reservoir Engineering: Secondary Recovery

Requirements for University of Texas at Austin

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
GRE General
TOEFL
Total
Required:79
IELTS
Overall
Required:6.5
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution
Application Checklist
  • Online application
  • Application fee
  • Official transcripts
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • CV/Resume
Specialization Notes

General requirements for the Graduate School at UT Austin apply to all programs unless otherwise specified.