UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The 2025 Richard E. Tressler Lecture in Materials will be held at 3:05 p.m. on Thursday, April 24, in 101 Agricultural Sciences and Industries Building on the Penn State University Park campus. Faisal Mohammed Al-Faqeer, senior vice president of liquids to chemicals at Saudi Aramco, will deliver the lecture, “Oil and Gas Sector: Cutting-Edge Advanced Materials for Sustainable Energy.”
As a cornerstone of global energy, the oil and gas industry faces increasing demand for efficiency, sustainability and safety. Advanced materials have emerged as critical enablers in addressing these challenges, offering innovative solutions that enhance exploration, production and processing. In this lecture, Al-Faqeer will speak about the latest developments in non-metallics in oil and gas operations, including the potential of these materials to reduce carbon emissions and improve overall energy efficiency. explosions, or environmental damage.
Al-Faqeer’s experience in the petrochemicals and refining industries spans 30 years. In his current role at Saudi Aramco, Al-Faqeer leads the conversion of liquid hydrocarbons to chemicals.
Al-Faqeer previously served as the CEO of Sadara Chemical Company. In addition, he has overseen various functions at Saudi Aramco, including engineering consulting services, research and development and refining.
He holds both master’s and doctoral degrees in materials science and engineering from Penn State. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. In addition, he has participated in several leadership and management training programs, including the leadership program at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.
The R.E. Tressler Award will be presented to Al-Faqeer during the lecture. Named after Richard E. Tressler, who was an international leader in the development of high temperature materials and served as head of Penn State's Department of Materials Science and Engineering from 1991 to 2001, the award honors Tressler's significant contributions to the field.
The lecture is free and open to the public.