DOE’s Dan Soeder Announced as Energy Resources Initiative Director at SD Mines
RAPID CITY, S.D. (Jan. 30, 2017) – Daniel J. Soeder has been hired as the inaugural Energy Resources Initiative director, the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology announced today. He will join SD Mines at the end of April after departing from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
A research scientist, hydrologist and geologist, Soeder has been a researcher and technical project coordinator with the DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory in Morgantown, W.V. since 2009, where his focus was on shale gas, tight oil, and geological sequestration of carbon dioxide.
He previously worked as a hydrologist for the United States Geological Survey at its Maryland-Delaware-Washington, D.C., Water Science Center and at the Yucca Mountain Project branch in Nevada. Prior to joining the USGS, he investigated unconventional gas resources at the Gas Technology Institute in Chicago.
SD Mines announced plans for its Energy Resources Initiative (ERI) in 2014, when a Petroleum Systems minor was approved by the South Dakota Board of Regents. Fundraising efforts have since resulted in over $3 million from industry and alumni supporters.
“Dan is a great fit to lead our Energy Resources Initiative,” said SD Mines President Heather Wilson. “Mines is committed to working with industry in the region to prepare graduates and also to advance knowledge about energy production.”