William Nelson - Office of Professional Practice - Purdue University

In 2009, Nelson became the executive consultant for Peregrine Petroleum LLC and currently works there today.

After graduating from Purdue University in 1975, Nelson accepted a position in Dallas with Atlantic Richfield Corporation’s (ARCO) research and development facilities. He used his computer programming background to create a workable model that predicted drilling hole temperatures for permafrost conditions. At this time, he began to focus as a petroleum engineer and relocated to Anchorage, Alaska, in 1978 to work on the development of the Prudhoe Bay Field. His interest began to shift to the economic aspects of oil and gas, and Nelson moved into supervisory and management positions.

After more than 25 years, Nelson became senior vice president of Exploration & Production with Hunt Petroleum Corporation in 2001 until 2008. 

Throughout his career, Nelson has lived in Anchorage, Dallas, Denver, Jakarta and London.

Purdue experience

Worked five co-op sessions with Mallinckrodt Chemical Company in St. Louis