Jan de Jager studied geology at the University of Utrecht. In 1979 he completed a PhD on the relation of turbidite sedimentation and tectonics in the Northern Apennines, following which he joined Shell as an exploration geologist. He had overseas assignments on many continents and in a variety of positions. In his last years with Shell he was senior advisor to Shell global management on Exploration opportunities, manager of the Exploration Excellence Team and Principle Technical Expert for Risk & Volume assessment for exploration.
In 2010 he retired from Shell and took up a part-time position as professor petroleum geology in the Netherlands (Shell chair) and as visiting professor at the University Malaya in Kuala Lumpur. After the summer of 2015 these university commitments came to an end and currently he keeps himself busy with consultancy to several companies, providing courses on exploration-related topics (Play-based exploration, Prospect Maturation, Risk & Volume assessment) and occasional university lectures.
VU University of Amsterdam