Dr. Robert L. Hirsch

Senior Energy Advisor at MISI

FSN Energy Roundtable, February 2, 2008

Dr. Robert L. Hirsch is a Senior Energy Advisor at MISI and a consultant in energy, technology, and management. His primary experience is in research, development, and commercial applications. He has managed technology programs in oil and natural gas exploration and production, petroleum refining, synthetic fuels, fusion, fission, renewables, defense technologies, chemical analysis, and basic research.

Previous management positions include:

• Senior Energy Program Advisor, SAIC (World oil production)

• Senior Energy Analyst, RAND  (Various energy studies)

• Vice President of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI).

• Vice President and Manager of Research and Technical Services for Atlantic Richfield Co.  (Oil and gas exploration and production).

• Founder and CEO of APTI, a roughly $50 million/year company now owned by BAE Systems.  (Commercial & Defense Department technologies).

• Manager of Exxon’s synthetic fuels research laboratory.

• Manager of Petroleum Exploratory Research at Exxon. (Refining R & D).

• Assistant Administrator of the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) responsible for renewables, fusion, geothermal and basic research. (Presidential Appointment).

• Director of fusion research at the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and ERDA.

Hirsch has served as a consultant and on advisory committees for government and industry. He holds 14 patents and has over 50 publications in the energy field.  He is past Chairman of the Board on Energy and Environmental Systems of the National Research Council, the operating arm of the National Academies, has served on a number of National Research Council committees, and is a National Associate of the National Academies.  In recent years, he has focused on problems associated with the peaking of world conventional oil production and its mitigation.