Eric Ney Smith, MBA

In addition to being the Associate Director of the Tulane Energy Institute, Prof. Smith teaches in the Master of Management in Energy (MME) program and in Energy Certificate programs open to all Freeman students. Professor Smith also authors topical reports and serves as a public face of the Energy Institute, responding to local and national media on energy-related questions.  

A 1967 Freeman MBA alumnus, Professor Smith, in 2004, was teaching an undergraduate finance class, part time, when Dean McFarland asked him to become the first employee of the new Tulane Energy Institute. He joined Tulane, on a full-time basis, to lend his practical expertise to the program. His experience was drawn from many years of service in the energy industry - both domestically and internationally. This skill set has morphed into an Energy curriculum focused on Experiential learning.  

In his work for Tulane, Professor Smith draws on over 30 years of experience in the downstream refining and petrochemical industry and in the international offshore drilling and construction sectors. He has worked with upstream service organizations such as Saipem, J. Ray McDermott, Global Industries, the CRP Group, and Torch Inc. He also worked with downstream petrochemical companies including Allied Chemical (now a unit of Honeywell) and with Ethyl Corporation (now known as Albemarle). 

 In addition to teaching, Professor Smith provides market analysis and economic research on issues affecting the energy sector, issuing topical reports on subjects such as the potential for exporting LNG, LPG and Light, Sweet Crude Oil, studies on the economic impact of unconventional shale oil and gas development, reports on the use of Petroleum Coke as a feed stock for power generation, and research into the use of lower carbon products as substitute fuels in the transportation sector.  

He has also been the author of several peer reviewed reports on both LNG and on the emergence of Guyana as a major participant in the Offshore Oil and Gas sector. Some of this was based on sponsorship by the US State Department. He is involved with the Louisiana Governor’s carbon reduction taskforce and is currently evaluating the use of deepwater wind power to support offshore oil and gas production. He has testified in Washington, DC for committees of both the House of Representatives as well as the Senate.