Khoshbakht Yusifzade

Biography

 Khoshbakht Yusifzade, the first vice-president of SOCAR, was born in 1930 in Pirshagi village of Baku. In 1952 he graduated from the faculty of oil and gas field geology and exploration of the Azerbaijan Institute of Industry (now Azerbaijan State Oil Academy) and started his career as a geologist and mining engineer in Baku office of the Oil Industry Ministry of USSR and later he joined the newly-opened office for offshore oil fields development as a senior engineer and head of section. In March 1954, Khoshbakht Yusifzade was appointed to the post of senior geologist in Neft Dashlary (Oil Rocks) and since he has been known as one of the first project managers in offshore oil field development. In 1958-1959, he worked as a senior geologist in central scientific research and production section in Neft Dashlary and in 1959-1960 as a section manager. He occupied the post of deputy chief and senior geologist in oil fields office from September 1960 till October 1963 and then was appointed to the post of deputy senior geologist and chief of geological survey department in offshore oil production association “Denizneft” where he worked till 1970. In 1970-1993, he worked as a deputy chief and senior geologist in production associations of the Caspian oil fields, Caspian oil and gas industry, Caspian oil and gas fields. He occupied the posts of the first vice-president of the National Group of Companies “Azerineft” and adviser to SOCAR President in 1992-1994 and SOCAR Vice President on Geology, Geophysics and Field Development in 1994-2004, SOCAR First Vice President on Geology, Geophysics and Field Development in 2004-2016. According to the Order issued by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in 2016, he was appointed to the post of SOCAR First Vice President.  In 1960, Khoshbakht Yusifzade received Ph.D degree in geology-mineralogy defending thesis on oil fields and horizons and useful exploration of oil facilities in south-western part of Neft Dashlary.  In 1987, he became Doctor of Sciences defending thesis on offshore oil and gas field development at the Moscow Institute of Geology and Energy Resources Development.  In April 2007, he was elected full member of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences. Yusifzade led the projects on development of more than 20 oil and gas fields in Azerbaijani, Turkmen and Russian sectors of the Caspian Sea, as well as world-renowned “Azeri”, “Chirag” and “Guneshli” fields and played important role in exploration of “Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli” block, “Ashrafi” (1998), “Garabagh” (1998), “Shah-Deniz” (1999), “Umid” (2010), “Absheron” (2011) fields.  Yusifzade is an author of 188 research works, 12 studies and 8 inventions which contributed to discovering and exploring oil and gas-condensate fields. He developed theoretical basis of offshore oil and gas field development. His research works jointly developed with the think tanks of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences were successfully practiced.  He worked at the Academy’s Oil Expedition and Deepwater Oil and Gas Field Problems Institutes elaborating the projects on estimation and development of offshore oil and gas resources. He was a member of the Technical Committee of the USSR Ministry of Gas Industry, Research Council of the Geology Institute of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences and in 1975-1988 led the state examination commission at the Azerbaijan Oil and Chemistry Institute (now Azerbaijan State Oil Academy).  He delivered reports on offshore oil and gas field exploration and development of the fuel and energy complex at the scientific conferences and symposiums held in Azerbaijan and other countries and successfully demonstrated the achievements of the Azerbaijani oil scientists.

Research Interest

 oil and gas field geology