The New Frontiers in Hydrocarbons – Upstream prize is to be presented in October in the presence of the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella. It was awarded to Professor Ballentine for his research which was a body of work published in Novel Tracers for Determining the Fluid Processes Controlling Subsurface Gas Origin and Behaviour. He will be receiving the award jointly with Emiliano Mutti from the Università degli Studi di Parma.
The coveted annual award comes from the Italian energy company ENI and was first awarded in 2007. It is given in recognition of internationally significant results in the research and development of technologies in the field of exploration and production of hydrocarbons.
The selection panel, which includes in its number Nobel Prize winners, receive a large amount of submissions to be considered for awards each year. The ENI is a strong supporter of scientific research and innovation that aims to promote better use of energy sources, as this award demonstrates. They aim to encourage new generations of researchers in the field. The official awards ceremony will take place in the Palazzo del Quirinale, Rome, on 20th October 2016.
Professor Ballentine has also been in the news recently for his work co-leading a team that made a vital new Helium discovery in Tanzania using a new exploratory technique. You can read more about the discovery here: https://www.st-hughs.ox.ac.uk/helium-reserve-discovery/
