Portrait of the Dutch professor worried about the future of earth science students in the oil industry

After a distinguished production geology career in Shell and a period of academic life in Delft, Professor Koen Weber reflects on his life and his concerns. One suspects that Professor Koen Weber, now in his last academic year before retirement, retains the same enthusiasm for the earth sciences as when he first became entranced by the rock collection of his grandfather. Itís that enthusiasm which leads him to worry about the prospects of the next generation. In conversation, he expresses dismay at the direction in which oil companies are moving and the likely impact on future recruitment of geoscientists to the industry. 'The way it is at the moment I would not necessarily advise my best students to pursue a career in an oil company. They would probably do better, quicker with an MBA and some kind of management job in the financial world.'