photo by: Courtesy University of Kansas

Jay Kalbas has been named as the new director of the Kansas Geological Survey at the University of Kansas.

A longtime executive of ExxonMobil will become the new director of the state’s top geological research center that studies everything from earthquakes to oil discoveries.

Jay Kalbas will become the new director of the Kansas Geological Survey — located on the University of Kansas campus — on July 25, KU announced Monday.

Kalbas has spent the last 16 years with ExxonMobil, one of the largest oil companies in the world. At ExxonMobil, Kalbas oversaw multiple projects, including efforts to find oil and natural gas off the coast of Guyana.

At KU, Kalbas will be responsible for overseeing a team of scientists and researchers who study all things related to the state’s geology. In addition to serving as director of the Geological Survey, Kalbas also will be designated as the state’s geologist and will serve as a professor in KU’s department of geology.

The Geological Survey is the keeper of much data about the state’s oil and gas industry, among other duties. In more recent years, the survey has been tasked with researching whether an increasing number of earthquakes in the state are tied to fracking or other types of oil and gas drilling operations.

Kalbas said he wants the survey to research ways to improve sustainability of the state’s natural resources.

“The research and service programs that the survey stewards provide an invaluable benefit to the people and industries of Kansas and the Midwest,” Kalbas said in a news release from KU. “Expanding those programs to maximize their impact while establishing new dimensions of research that will positively influence the sustainable use of Kansas’ natural resources presents an exciting challenge.”

Kalbas previously has served as an assistant visiting professor at Bucknell University, and has a doctorate in geology from Purdue University.

Kalbas replaces Rolfe Mandel, who has led KGS since 2017. Mandel is stepping away from his administrative role to focus on his research at KU in the department of anthropology and as a senior scientist at KGS.