Dr. Sunil Kumar Khare

With an illustrious career spanning 25+ years, Prof. Sunil has excelled in academia, research, administration, and diverse sectors including policymaking, consulting, and technology development. He holds expertise in areas like upstream consulting, IT product development, and oilfield services. Notably, he secured the prestigious DST SERB CRG grant in 2023 for groundbreaking geochemistry research. Prof. Sunil is a respected authority in energy transition, sustainable development, and digital transformation of the energy sector. Drawing insights from global oil and gas giants, he champions equality, diversity, and optimal performance. His extensive research portfolio includes 25+ journal papers spanning petroleum engineering, earth sciences, and sustainable development. He also holds three patents, reflecting his contributions to oil and gas technological advancements. Prof. Sunil remains steadfast in his pursuit of impactful research for societal and national transformation.

Dr. Sunil's journey began in 1997 as an oil and gas field engineer, marking the inception of his distinguished career. His tenure at Schlumberger, spanning from 2001 to 2013, saw him excel as an exploration and production field engineer and geologist, contributing extensively to the global operations team. His expertise extended across diverse regions like the USA, the Middle East, Africa, the South China Sea, and Southeast Asia. Before his UPES tenure, he held significant roles at Wipro Technologies and Accenture, notably as an upstream oil and gas managing consultant and vice president. Notably, he served as the agile product owner for an international oil field services company's IT account, showcasing his dynamic and versatile capabilities.

Dr. Sunil's research interests span Earth's origin, lithogeochemistry, and plate tectonics, while delving into upstream challenges like drilling engineering, enhanced oil recovery, and digital transformation. He's dedicated to energy transition, SDGs, and employs AI, ML, and data analytics to revolutionize the upstream sector. His work exemplifies a multidisciplinary drive towards shaping a sustainable and innovative energy future.

Prof. Sunil's teaching philosophy reflects teaching as an art requiring adept communication and dedication. He prioritizes comprehensive learning for all students, blending emotional intelligence with intellectual intelligence. Interactive classes foster a deep understanding and intrinsic motivation, empowering students to engage independently with the subject matter.

Prof. Sunil has instructed undergraduate petroleum engineering students in offshore drilling, production operations, and petroleum engineering introduction. His postgraduate courses include well intervention, drilling engineering, upstream data analytics, and geochemistry. Furthermore, he imparts knowledge to undergraduate geology students on igneous and metamorphic processes.

Prof. Sunil's remarkable achievements include securing the DST SERB grant of INR 27 lakhs for a comprehensive geochemical and metallogenic study of the central Indian craton in 2023. His dedication to research is underscored by his ongoing efforts in establishing a government-funded laboratory for experimental work. Adding to his national responsibilities, he has been a pivotal member of the Enhanced Oil Recovery Committee under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Govt. of India since 2019, as well as a member of the Digital Task Force formed by the same ministry since 2021. Prof. Sunil's influence extends to academic collaboration, as a valued member of the Board of Studies at Bikaner Technical University. He has also undertaken consultancy projects, including a significant one for CAG of India valued at INR 5 lakhs in 2020-21, and played a substantial role as a knowledge partner and consultant for Accenture, contributing INR 7.5 lakhs to their oil and gas competency development. Prof. Sunil's impact reaches beyond borders as a nominated Visiting Professor at Central University of Nairobi, Kenya. His journey includes a tenure as a CSIR research scholar (JRF and SRF) from 1993 to 1997, reflecting his long-standing commitment to scholarly pursuit.

Prof. Sunil is highly active in intellectual and scholarly pursuits. He serves as the faculty advisor of the UPES Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) student chapter and the SPE North India section. Under his guidance, three students are pursuing their PhD. He has been invited as a keynote speaker at several national and international conferences. His research contributions are reflected in the publication of research papers and book chapters covering topics in sustainable development, energy transformation, digital technologies, petroleum engineering, AI, ML, machine vision, mineral chemistry, and geochemistry.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-sunil-kumar-khare-3ba1a323/

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sunil-Khare-2

https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=lFf30sYAAAAJ&hl=en

skhare@ddn.upes.ac.in