He earned a M.S. in civil engineering from Sharif University of Technology and his Ph.D. in petroleum engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He has about 10 years combined experience in applied engineering, research and consulting. He is a registered professional engineer and the associate editor of ASME journal of Energy Resources and Technology. He has some peer-reviewed publications and four patent applications in the field of drilling and completion. In 2014, he received the Distinguished Achievement Award for Petroleum Engineering Faculty from the Society of Petroleum Engineering (SPE). He is currently conducting research in reservoir geomechanics, hydraulic fracturing, wellbore integrity, drill bit mechanics and poroelasticity.