DR. ED AWAD

Emeritus Director

Born in Haifa in 1931 Ed moved to the USA as a teenager and is now a USA citizen.  Ed graduated in 1958 with a B.Sc. in Chemistry from the University of Illinois, then in 1960 with an M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from Penn State University, and in 1965 with a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Washington.

In a career spanning some 55 years in the oil and petrochemicals business working at the highest levels of industry and government Ed has been responsible for some of the largest industrial and petrochemical projects ever implemented, including the Jubail and Yanbu industrial complexes.  He remains in close touch with all the companies and governments he served.  For the past twenty years Ed has advised governments, industry and contractors principally in the Middle East and Far East concerning petrochemical plant development. 

Ed has worked for Standard Oil in Indiana (Refinery Process Engineer, USA), Tee-Pak (Plastics Research Engineer, Chicago, USA), Rocketdyne Corporation (Senior Research Engineer, USA), Occidental Petroleum Corporation (Project Manager Ammonia/Urea, Saudi Arabia), and Petromin (Technical Director and Executive Director for Industrial Development, Saudi Arabia).  And more recently as an independent consultant for Hunstman Chemicals Corporation, Mitsubish Corporation, Shell Oil USA, Houston Natural Gas,  Gulf Oil, Chase Manhattan Bank, Fluor Inc, Chiyoda Corporation, Itochu Corporation, Chevron-Texaco Inc,  and SABIC.

Ed has now retired and resides in Newport Beach California but still actively contributes occasional advice and insights.