Oil & Gas Group

About Us

The Oil & Gas Subcommunity consists of MIT Energy Club members who are interested in the petroleum industry. Our purpose is to use fact-based analysis to explore traditional energy development from various perspectives (technology, policy, and business).

The subcommunity was organized in 2007 and has since grown to more than 80 members. Notable program highlights include:

  • Petroleum 101 Lectures
  • Houston Energy Trek
  • Schlumberger Cambridge Research Facility Tour
  • National Oil Company Discussion
  • Total Energy Collaboration

 Leadership:

 

Anton Safronov, Chairman

As Chair of the Oil and Gas Group, Anton is responsible for the planning and organization of lectures on and events relevant to the exploration and development of traditional hydrocarbons. He is in charge of coordinating the Petroleum 101 lecture designed to provide the Energy Club community with a fundamental understanding of the Oil and Gas value chain and where the industry is headed in terms of policy, entrepreneurial opportunities, and technological innovation.

Anton is a dual MBA/MPA in Int'l Development candidate in the MIT/Harvard joint-degree program.

Prior to graduate school, he held multiple positions in supply chain and development finance in U.S., Canada, Djibouti, and across the Middle East. Anton spent the summer of 2010 interning at the Shell/Gazprom Liquefied Natural Gas joint venture in Russia, where he focused on supply chain strategy as part of the JV's transition from project development to LNG export operations. He earned his BA in economics and operations management in Moscow, Russia.

 

Maxim Beletskiy, Vice Chairman

Maxim Beletskiy is an MBA student at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. Throughout his professional career, he has held key positions in finance, logistics, and downstream commercial development for Occidental Petroleum and TNK-BP.

Maxim holds a BA in Finance from Tyumen State University in Russia. He is currently focusing on energy entrepreneurship and business development. As Vice Chairman of the MIT Oil and Gas Club, Maxim interacts with various stakeholders as well as organizes events with the leaders of the energy industry.

In summer 2010, Maxim interned at Gazprom Marketing and Trading in London, where he focused on commercial and development strategy as part of the expansion of GM&T’s core energy businesses (LNG, gas, and power). 

 

Donna Zhao, Steering Committee Member

Donna is an MBA student at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Prior to graduate school, she worked in wealth management at Citi Private Bank, focusing on the ultra high-net worth sector. Donna holds a BA in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to being an active member of the steering committee, she hopes to learn more about the oil & gas industry, especially as it relates to sustainability and corporate social responsibility.

 

Adam Cornelius begin_of_the_skype_highlighting     end_of_the_skype_highlighting, Steering Committee Member

Adam is currently an MIT Sloan MBA Candidate in the Finance track. He is interested in corporate finance in the oil & gas industry. Prior to coming to MIT, Adam worked for the IRS Office of Competitive Sourcing as a program manager, performing IT business process improvement and human resource management. He studied accounting at the McCombs School of Business, University of Texas (Austin) and has an M.S. in IT from the George Washington University. Adam received his B.S. at MIT in 2005.

 

Fuxian Song, Steering Committee Member

Fuxian is a PhD candidate in Reservoir Geophysics, with an interest in reservoir imaging and monitoring for oil & gas and geothermal reservoirs, enhanced oil and geothermal production as well as unconventional resources. He has worked for the Schlumberger Doll Research Center and Halliburton Energy Services. He is currently engaged in the MIT Natural Gas study, reviewing emergent technologies and providing recommendations on unconventional gas exploration and production.

 

Ning Wu, Steering Committee Member

Ning is a PhD candidate in the energy policy and regional economics at the Department of Urban Studies and Planning. He is presently focusing on China's coal and electricity sector as part of his dissertation research. His experience includes working with the World Bank and other institutions on oil & gas M&A and energy efficiency projects in the Middle East/North Africa region. Ning graduated from Beijing University and the University of Cincinnati with Bachelors and Masters in Economics and Geography.

 

Steven Shimizu, Steering Committee Member

Steven is an MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) Fellow pursuing a PhD in Chemical Engineering at MIT. His current focus is developing a theory for the rational design of solid carbon capture systems. Previously, he did research on material synthesis for energy-efficient LEDs, as well as studies measuring triplet lifetimes in organic solar cell materials. Steven holds a B.S. in both Chemical Engineering and Chemistry from the University of California, San Diego.