Adjunct Professor of Energy Security; Founder and President, SVB Energy International
Expertise
- Energy Diplomacy
- Energy Security
- Energy Strategy
- Geopolitical Risk
- Geopolitics of Energy
Professional Experience
Dr. Sara Vakhshouri is founder and president of SVB Energy International, a strategic energy consulting firm with offices in Washington DC and Dubai. She is also an Adjunct Professor of Energy Security at The Institute of World Politics. Dr. Vakhshouri has about two decades of experience of working in the energy industry with extensive experience in global energy market studies, energy security, and geopolitical risk, and she has consulted numerous public and private sector energy and policy leaders.
Dr. Vakhshouri has been based in Washington, D.C. since 2009, where she has advised U.S. and European governments, investment banks, financial institutions, law firms, and international corporations on energy markets, trading and pricing, the geopolitics of energy, and investment patterns. She has published articles in numerous journals, including The Economist, Middle East Economic Survey, and Oil and Gas Journal. Dr. Vakhshouri has been the keynote speaker at many energy conferences, including Chatham House, Platts Oil and Middle East conferences, LNG Global Congress, and other international oil, gas, and energy conferences.
She is frequently quoted and has appeared on Bloomberg, the BBC, The Financial Times, Reuters, Platts, The Wall Street Journal, Energy Intelligence, Foreign Policy, Washington Post and Voice of America. She is the author of The Marketing and Sale of Iranian Export Crude Oil since the Islamic Revolution. She has also contributed chapters in different books and energy reports including World Energy Outlook 2018, published by the International Energy Agency. She also regularly does briefings for various energy think tanks and agencies including the International Energy Administration (IEA).
Dr. Vakhshouri has a Ph.D. in energy security and Middle Eastern studies. She has an M.A. in business management (international marketing) and another M.A. in international relations. Dr. Vakhshouri was also senior energy fellow at the Atlantic Council, and at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. Dr. Vakhshouri also has the experience of working in both public and private sectors of the Iranian energy industry.