Introduction     

The department of Petroleum Geology and Sedimentary Basins of Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz was established in April 2020. This department is unique among all the other Geosciences departments of Iran, since it provides a solid platform to conduct specialized projects directly related to petroleum disciplines. Over the years, a very effective cooperation has been established between this department and the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). This collaborative approach has given the department a winning edge to conduct important research projects.

The department of Petroleum Geology and Sedimentary Basins has a national research reputation and houses state-of-the-art laboratories and computing facilities. The department currently admits national and international students at Master's and PhD levels. This department has been a pioneer to educate the Master's students in Petroleum Geology throughout Iran since 2002. It is also the only department in Iran that offers dedicated doctoral programs in petroleum geology and geochemistry. The academic staff in this department, apart from the related departments like geology, include two professors and four assistant professors with different specializations covering:  petroleum geology, petroleum geochemistry, paleontology, sedimentology, sedimentary petrology, reservoir geophysics, and structural geology. The syllabus for the Master's students include (among others) courses like: petroleum geology, organic geochemistry, structural geology, reservoir engineering, subsurface geology, sequence stratigraphy, and well-log interpretation. There are currently 30 post-graduate students working on their Master's degree in this department. The PhD candidates are offered courses like: petroleum geochemistry, reservoir petrophysics, basin and petroleum system modeling, reservoir modeling, basin analysis, fractured carbonate reservoirs, biostratigraphy, clastic reservoirs, structural geology, seismic stratigraphy, sequence stratigraphy, and formation evaluation.

Research

Research in the department of Petroleum Geology and Sedimentary Basins is focused on the fundamental geological aspects of petroleum systems. This department houses a very sophisticated organic geochemistry laboratory that is particularly specialized at evaluation of petroleum source rocks, reservoir rocks, and seal rocks.  In addition, a highly-specialized team of researchers is established in this group for conducting basin and petroleum system modeling projects.

Some of the main current research areas in this department include the following:

• Microbial prospecting for oil and gas (surface geochemistry),
• Multi-dimensional basin and petroleum system modeling (BPSM),
• Organic geochemistry of source rocks and reservoirs,
• Biomarker fingerprinting for oil-family classifications and correlation studies (oil-oil and oil-source),
• Detailed geochemical investigations using biomarkers on surface oil shows and seeps,
• Application of organic geochemical tools for reservoir compartmentalization and enhanced oil recovery,
• Seismic inversion and reservoir characterization,
• Petrophysical and geophysical interpretation for seismic exploration and reservoir characterization,
• 3D seismic attribute analysis and machine learning for reservoir characterization, and
• Reservoir rock typing in carbonate reservoirs.