Derek Rice of Rice Energy Named as Distinguished EAS Alumnus


Derek Rice of Rice Energy Named as Distinguished EAS Alumnus
Presentation Occurred at Sheriff Lecture Nov. 17

Derek RiceDerek Rice (M.S. ’09, Geology) was honored as the 2014 Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Distinguished Alumnus at the Sheriff Lecture on November 17.

Following completion of his bachelor's degree at Tufts University, Rice began his master’s degree at the University of Houston under Assistant Professor Julia Wellner, as well as Janok Bhattacharya and Professor Henry Chafetz. He studied the depositional patterns of a modern shale in the Brazos Delta, a topic that played an instrumental role in his future career as a shale exploration geologist.

In 2009, Rice graduated from UH and moved to Pennsylvania to start an oil and gas exploration and production company with his two brothers. In five years, he and his brothers have taken their company from a small start-up with three employees, to a top 30 producer of natural gas in the United States.

Earlier this year, the brothers took their company public on the New York Stock Exchange at a valuation of $2.7 billion. They continue to run the company out of their headquarters in Canonsburg, Pa., where they employ more than 270 people.