BDO USA LLP said April 19 that renowned energy economist Edward Hirs has been appointed as a Natural Resources Fellow at the accounting and advisory firm.

In this new role, Hirs will serve as a strategic adviser to BDO’s Natural Resources practice and work in close collaboration with the national and global practice leaders, Clark Sackschewsky and Charles Dewhurst.

Edward Hirs (Photo: Business Wire)

“We are very excited to begin working with Ed as a Natural Resources Fellow. Ed is a well-known voice in the Houston oil and gas market and a prominent energy economist,” Clark Sackschewsky, national leader of BDO’s Natural Resources practice and tax managing principal for BDO’s Houston office, said in a statement.

Hirs brings a wealth of direct industry experience to his fellowship with BDO’s Natural Resources practice. As a current managing director of Hillhouse Resources LLC, an independent E&P company with a portfolio of onshore conventional oil and gas discoveries and prospects, Hirs is engrained in the day-to-day realities of the U.S. oil and power markets, the BDO press release said.

“Ed is at the cutting edge of the international energy market. Beyond mastering today’s geopolitical complexities, Ed has an eye on the future,” Charles Dewhurst, global leader of BDO’s Natural Resources practice, added. “Ed will be a valuable advisor to BDO, as the Natural Resources practice continues to help clients anticipate future challenges and address them head on.”

Prior positions in the energy industry include serving as partner and CFO of DJ Resources, a Houston and Denver-based independent oil and gas company. Hirs began his career at Mobil Oil and later worked at the U.S. Department of Energy at the Office of Conservation and Solar Energy. He also ran Hirs & Co., a corporate finance advisory firm, where he focused on mergers and acquisitions.

Hirs teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in energy economics at the University of Houston where he is also a fellow with the UH Energy Initiative. Over the course of his career, Hirs has also taught classes at Rice University, and Yale University where he founded and chairs an annual energy conference.

In collaboration with the Yale Graduates Energy Study Group, Hirs frequently publishes research papers on the Social Science Research Network. His energy economic analyses, including insights specific to investment and private equity, regularly appear in national and industry trade publications.

Hirs received his MBA, Master of Arts in Economics and Bachelor of Arts degrees from Yale University. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.