Penn State faculty receive top awards from Society of Petroleum Engineers

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) recognized two faculty members in the John and Willie Leone Family of Energy and Mineral Engineering (EME) for their exceptional service and contributions to the professional society.  They received their awards at the society’s annual technical conference and exhibition held in Houston, Texas, Oct. 20-22.

• Luis F. Ayala H., William A. Fustos Family Professor in Energy and Mineral Engineering and department head, received the Distinguished Service Award.
• Hamid Emami-Meybodi, associate professor of petroleum and natural gas, received aSPE Distinguished Member.

“I am honored to have been elected as a distinguished member of my professional society. This recognition is a celebration of the many people who have supported and inspired me along the way,” said Emami-Meybodi, who holds the Dr. Charles H. Bowman and Lynn A. Holleran Early Career Professorship in EME. “Seeing past awardees, I feel humbled to join their ranks and am grateful for the supportive Penn State community that has helped me excel in research, teaching and service.”

Emami-Meybodi was recognized “for his outstanding contributions to petroleum engineering education and research.” As director of  Subsurface Energy Recovery and Storage (SERS) JIP, “his leadership, prolific research in reservoir engineering, dedication to teaching and strong administrative roles have significantly advanced the profession and inspired a generation of students and engineers.”

The distinguished member honor is limited to 1% of the SPE professional membership. It recognizes members who have attained eminence in the petroleum industry or the academic world, or who have made unusually significant contributions to SPE. Emami-Meybodi is one of eight recipients selected globally for 2025.

“It is an honor to recognize Hamid for his commitment and dedication to the oil and gas industry with the SPE Distinguished Member Award,” said Olivier Houzé, 2025 SPE President. “SPE international award winners were nominated by their colleagues and selected by their peers for their achievement and contributions and it’s my pleasure to congratulate him on receiving this prestigious international award from SPE.”

Recognized for his exceptional devotion in service to SPE, Ayala believes the awards are not just an acknowledgment of individual achievements but shine a light on the department’s supportive community.

“I was truly honored,” said Ayala. “Having had the opportunity to impact my professional society and community positively is its own reward, but being recognized by your peers is always special. I am so thankful to SPE and Penn State, which have given me a platform to impact a community I care about and mold the next generation of petroleum engineers.”

Emami-Meybodi is the recipient of the 2023 Regional Distinguished Achievement Award for Petroleum Engineering Faculty, 2021 Regional Service Award, 2019 Cedric K. Ferguson Medal, and 2018 Regional Reservoir Description and Dynamics Award. He received his bachelor’s degree and master of science in chemical and reservoir engineering from the Petroleum University of Technology in Iran, and his master's and doctoral degrees in petroleum engineering from the University of Calgary.

Ayala was named an SPE Distinguished Member in 2022 and has received multiple honors, including several SPE Outstanding Technical Editor Awards and the SPE Eastern Regional Award for Reservoir Description and Dynamics. He is a Fulbright Scholar and recipient of the Fulbright-Colciencias Innovation and Technology Award.   

Ayala received the Faculty Advising Award and Charles Hosler Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Faculty Award from the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. He also received the Howard B. Palmer Faculty Mentor Award and was selected as an Administrative Fellow in Office of the Senior Vice President for Research at Penn State. In 2024, he was appointed department head of EME.

Ayala graduated summa cum laude with bachelor’s degrees in chemical and petroleum engineering from the University of Oriente in Venezuela. He earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in petroleum and natural gas engineering from Penn State.

SPE is a not-for-profit professional association whose members are engaged in energy resources development and production. SPE serves more than 107,000 members worldwide. SPE is a key resource for technical knowledge related to the oil and gas exploration and production industry and provides services through its publications, events, training courses and online resources at www.spe.org.