Muhammad Al-Saggaf, acting president of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals

Muhammad Al-Saggaf has been the acting president of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) since January.
Al-Saggaf received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from KFUPM. He also obtained both a master’s and Ph.D. degrees in geophysics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — and an MBA from KFUPM. He is also a graduate of Harvard Business School’s program for management development.
He joined Saudi Aramco in 1989 where he held several positions in the company, including direct operational roles in the Safaniyah and Shaybah fields. Before that, he worked as a graduate assistant at KFUPM.
Al-Saggaf assumed several roles related to research, energy development, technology and strategy. In 2009 he was the chief petroleum engineer, responsible for the reserves and development and management of Aramco’s oil and gas fields.
Before chairing KFUPM, Al-Saggaf worked for Aramco as its senior vice president for operations and business services. He was also chairman of Saudi Aramco Total Refining and Petrochemical (SATORP), Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare and Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures.
Al-Saggaf was president of the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC), an independent, nonprofit research institution researching energy economics, policy, technology and the environment, across all types of energy.
At Aramco, he managed the company’s strategic transformation office, whose main task is to achieve the giant company’s ambitious objectives and targets.