Faculty member Xie Baichen from the College of Management and Economics was nominated for the ENI Award 2016 as a candidate in the field of energy-saving and environmental protection. In October every year, approximately 200 nominees are selected internationally as candidates. The successful recipients are announced in May the following year.
The 2015 ENI Awards included the New Frontiers of Hydrocarbons Prize, with the award of two prizes: downstream and upstream. Other prizes included the Renewable Energy Prize, Protection of the Environment Prize, Debut in Research Prize, and Recognition at Innovation Eni.
The ENI Award is a prize awarded by the Italian oil and gas company ENI with the aim of encouraging better use of energy sources and increased environmental research. The strict award guidelines and the notable names on the selection committee (including Nobel laureates) make ENI a coveted award. List of ENI award winners include Nobel laureates like Harold W. Kroto and Alan Heeger. Some websites and magazines have called the ENI award the "Nobel prize of energy research". The scientific committee of the ENI award includes representatives from Stanford University, MIT, Cambridge, University of Stuttgart, Florida State University, University of Pisa, University of Texas at Austin, and others.
