James Sorensen

James A. Sorensen, SPE, is the director of subsurface R&D at the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) where he is responsible for developing and managing programs and projects focused on conventional, unconventional, and enhanced oil and gas production; the geological storage of CO₂; geothermal; and other energy and environmental research. His primary areas of interest and expertise are enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in unconventional tight oil formations, CO₂ utilization and storage in geologic formations, and tight oil resource assessment and development.

Since 2003, Sorensen has focused on the value-added use of CO₂ for EOR. From 2003 to 2015, as a Task Leader for the Plains CO₂ Reduction (PCOR) Partnership Program, he was a manager and principal investigator for regional characterization and field demonstration activities focused on CO₂ storage, including field-based projects in North Dakota, Montana, Alberta, and British Columbia. He has conducted a variety of research projects to develop an improved understanding of the Bakken petroleum system, including efforts to examine the potential to use CO₂ and hydrocarbon-rich gas for EOR in the Bakken. Sorensen holds a bachelor of science degree in Geology and a M.Eng in petroleum Engineering from the University of North Dakota (UND). He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, serves on the Alumni Advisory Committee of the Harold Hamm School of Geology and Geological Engineering at UND, and is an author or coauthor of over 30 published papers.