In this episode of The Energy Forum, host Michael Maher sits down with former CES Graduate Student Luke Min, who now works at ExxonMobil and current doctoral fellow Stan Kannegieter to discuss what it’s like pursuing a PhD through Rice University’s Baker Institute Center for Energy Studies (CES).

They explain how the program blends rigorous academic training with real-world application, and how working alongside policy researchers, industry experts, and global stakeholders builds not only technical expertise but also communication and credibility. The conversation explores career pathways beyond academia, how energy economists translate complex models into decisions companies trust, and why global perspective matters in modern energy systems.

Since 2006, CES has supported 47 PhD students and 8 postdoctoral fellows, and this episode offers a firsthand look at how that training turns research into impact across industry, government, and policy.

Artificial intelligence, data centers, and industrial growth are driving a new wave of electricity demand, while also placing growing pressure on water systems that underpin energy and infrastructure development.

In this special cross-posted episode from "Talking Under Water," hosted by Bob Crossen of Endeavor Business Media, Gabriel Collins of the Center for Energy Studies at the Baker Institute examines how water availability and cost are increasingly shaping decisions across energy and industrial sectors. The conversation explores data centers, oil and gas operations, power generation, and advanced manufacturing, with a focus on trade-offs among efficiency, resilience, and scale.

This episode appears on "The Energy Forum" feed as part of an ongoing partnership between the Center for Energy Studies and Endeavor Business Media, highlighting where energy and water challenges intersect — and why those connections matter for infrastructure planning and policy.

Oil markets are entering 2026 with rising geopolitical risk and an uneasy global supply balance. In this episode of “The Energy Forum,” Abhi Rajendran and Skip York break down what recent political developments in Venezuela and Iran could mean for crude oil production, prices, and long-term investment decisions.

This episode provides a timely look at where oil markets may be headed, what could tighten or loosen global balances, and why Venezuela could once again become strategically important for long-term supply portfolios.

Featured:

• Abhi Rajendran, https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/abhi-rajendran
• Skip York, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/harold-skip-york

This conversation was recorded on Jan. 12, 2026.

You can follow @BakerInstitute and @CES_Baker_Inst on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

Oil markets are heading into 2026 with more uncertainty than prices suggest.

In this episode of “The Energy Forum,” Abhi Rajendran and Skip York discuss why oil prices have remained resilient despite apparent oversupply. They examine OPEC+ supply discipline, non-OPEC production growth, China’s oil stockpiling, and what these forces mean for market balance.

The conversation also explores geopolitics, sanctions, and tightening refining capacity, raising the risk that today’s soft crude prices could give way to higher fuel prices and a sharper rebound later this decade.

This conversation was recorded on Dec. 12, 2025.

Featured guests:

• Abhi Rajendran, https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/abhi-rajendran
• Skip York, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/harold-skip-york

You can follow @BakerInstitute and @CES_Baker_Inst on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

In this episode of “The Energy Forum,” energy and transportation policy fellow Ed Emmett talks with Michael Graff, former chairman and CEO of American Air Liquide, about hydrogen’s past, present, and future. Together, they explore how this versatile fuel fits into today’s energy transition and what it will take to make it a truly global solution.

This conversation was recorded on Oct. 29, 2025.

Follow Ed Emmett on X (@EdEmmett) and LinkedIn.

You can follow @BakerInstitute and @CES_Baker_Inst on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

Nonresident fellows Abhi Rajendran of Energy Intelligence and Skip York of Turner Mason & Co. joined “The Energy Forum” to examine the state of global oil markets in 2025. Drawing on themes from the Annual Energy Summit (Panel: 1:15:49 – 2:20:39) and the latest “Energy Insights” report, they discuss market flexibility, risk premiums, shale’s slowdown, and what to watch as prices test new lows heading into 2026. This episode was recorded on Oct. 20, 2025.

The energy sector is evolving fast, and so are the opportunities for the next generation. In this episode of “The Energy Forum,” Michael Maher, chief of research operations at the Center for Energy Studies, and Nicole Van Den Heuvel, associate dean of students and executive director of Rice University’s Center for Career Development, explore how students are preparing for careers across oil and gas, renewables, consulting, finance, and beyond. They discuss what employers value most, how recruiting has shifted in a digital world, and the skills that set students apart.

This episode was recorded on August 14, 2025.

Featured:

• Michael Maher, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/michael-d-maher
• Nicole Van Den Heuvel, https://profiles.rice.edu/staff/nicole-van-den-heuvel

You can follow @BakerInstitute and @CES_Baker_Inst on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

In this episode of “The Energy Forum,” Center for Energy Studies nonresident fellows Abhi Rajendran, director of oil markets research at Energy Intelligence, and Skip York, energy economist and industry strategist, explore why markets look more resilient today than a decade ago, how supply chains have adapted, and the signals to watch as we move toward 2026.

This year’s Energy Summit, which the Baker Institute Center for Energy Studies and Baker Botts will co-host on Oct. 7-8, will further examine resilience in global energy supply chains and the innovations shaping the industry’s future.

This conversation was recorded on Sept. 10, 2025.

Featured guests:

• Abhi Rajendran, https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/abhi-rajendran
• Harold “Skip” York, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/harold-skip-york

You can follow @BakerInstitute and @CES_Baker_Inst on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.