Dr. Ganesh Thakur, a 1970 Petroleum Engineering graduate of IIT (ISM), and currently chairman Emeritus of ISMAANA, has been elected to the rank of U.S. NAI (National Academy of Inventors) Fellow as he has demonstrated a highly prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on the quality of life, economic development, and welfare of society. This prestigious award is only given to a few prolific academic inventors every year.

About the NAI: The National Academy of Inventors is a member organization comprising U.S. and international universities, and governmental and non-profit research institutes, with over 4,000 individual inventor members and Fellows spanning more than 250 institutions worldwide. The NAI was founded in 2010 with a focus on recognizing and encouraging inventors with patents issued from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, enhancing the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encouraging the disclosure of intellectual property, educating and mentoring innovative students, and translating the inventions of its members to benefit society.

In February 2016, Dr. Thakur was elected to the NAE (National Academy of Engineering) for leadership in the implementation of integrated reservoir management techniques. Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature” and to “the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.

Dr. Thakur also served as the 2012 SPE International President and 2019-21 SPE Foundation President (the first person of Indian origin to serve in these capacities). He currently serves as a Board Member and Treasurer of TAMEST (Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology).

Dr. Thakur is a veteran of the oil and gas industry, serving almost four decades with Chevron Corp. and retiring as Vice President of Technology in 2014. Since 2016, he has been serving as Distinguished Professor of Petroleum Engineering and Director of Energy Industry Partnership at the University of Houston in Houston, Texas, USA, where he leads a team of researchers, scientists and professors in the areas of CCUS (Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage), machine learning and artificial intelligence, and management of oil and gas reservoirs.