Casey Brown has taken an unusual career path for a physics major — a testament to just how versatile a degree from this small but growing program at CMU can really be.
“My original goal was to work for NASA but at the time of my graduation NASA's budget was going away while oil and gas was heading into a boom,” Brown said. “So, my first job was in oil and gas, and it was a good opportunity for me. Thanks to my studies at CMU, I know the equations and can do the math of course, but I also went in with the ability to confidently speak up in any room where big-picture solutions were being discussed.”
Brown’s tenure at Halliburton included instructing global courses on torque and drag, a subject he and two colleagues, John McCormick and Ana Nunez, published a technical paper on. Titled “Improving the Decision-Making Process between Drilling and Completion Using Real-Time Torque and Drag Modeling”, the paper was published by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition in Amsterdam in October 2014.
After earning his graduate degree from Rice University, Brown left Halliburton to manage a private equity merger of oil and gas companies.
“I put that MBA to the test. It was challenging and I love a good challenge,” Brown said. “Just because you major in physics doesn’t mean you have to be ratholed in some New Mexico dungeon studying UFOs. I enjoy science, interacting with people and working with financial predictions and things like that. It’s great to get to combine all three into my everyday work.”
Today, Brown continues to put his multi-faceted background to good use serving Evolve Houston as executive director and president. The non-profit organization’s mission is to make clean air and clean transportation a reality in the city of Houston, Texas.
Brown credits the small class sizes and opportunities for hands on learning at CMU with his initial success and confidence to progress so successfully in the energy industry.