Woodside and TEX‑E to Collaborate on Early‑Career Energy Talent and Innovation in the US

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Woodside Energy and Texas Entrepreneurship Exchange for Energy (TEX‑E) today announced a collaboration designed to accelerate early‑career energy talent development and innovation in Houston, Texas.

The collaboration will include direct engagement with US university students, support for TEX-E energy and climate programs and the placement of a Woodside–TEX‑E Summer Fellow embedded at Greentown Labs in support of the Woodside–Rice Decarbonization Accelerator. Woodside will also establish a US Summer Internship Program and a corresponding Graduate Development Program, commencing in 2026 and 2027 respectively.

Under the agreement, TEX-E will work with Woodside to promote high‑potential student recruitment through curated internship pipelines, on‑campus programming and expanded visibility across the TEX‑E university network.

Woodside Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer International Daniel Kalms said the collaboration is a great opportunity to align the company’s early career pathways with the Houston innovation ecosystem.

"We’re seeing an evolution in the skills required to succeed and excel in the energy sector. Our work with TEX-E will facilitate development of those skills among the participants and support the growth of the high-calibre students within the program to meet those changing needs.”

TEX-E Executive Director Sandy Guitar said the organisation is focused on cultivating the next generation of energy innovators.

“We are proud to partner with Woodside to connect our students with their innovative leadership, internship pathways, and decarbonization initiatives. This Ambassador level partnership creates meaningful opportunities for students to gain real-world experience in the evolving energy landscape.”

The collaboration also builds on Woodside’s growing innovation presence in Houston, including its five‑year, US$12.5 million commitment to establish the Woodside–Rice Decarbonization Accelerator. Established in 2024, this initiative is focused on developing technologies which aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate lower‑carbon¹ solutions. The 2026 Woodside–TEX‑E Summer Fellow at Greentown Labs will directly support research and commercialization efforts connected to the accelerator’s plasma foundry build-out at Greentown Houston.

This new collaboration reinforces Woodside’s commitment to innovation, talent development and long‑term growth in the US market, while strengthening relationships across the broader Houston innovation ecosystem.

About Woodside Energy

Woodside is a global energy company. Driven by a spirit of innovation and determination, we established the liquefied natural gas industry in Australia in the 1980s. We provide the energy the world needs to heat homes, keep the lights on and support industry. Today, our strategy is to thrive through the energy transition with a resilient and diversified portfolio of oil, gas and new energy projects in Australia, North America and Africa.

About TEX-E

The Texas Entrepreneurship Exchange for Energy is a collaborative initiative between MIT, Prairie View A&M, Rice University, Texas A&M, University of Houston and the University of Texas at Austin, dedicated to cultivating the next generation of energy innovators. TEX‑E empowers student entrepreneurs and aspiring corporate intrapreneurs through curriculum, competitions, internships and direct industry engagement.

¹ Woodside uses this term to describe the characteristic of having lower levels of associated potential GHG emissions when compared to historical and/or current conventions or analogues, for example relating to an otherwise similar resource, process, production facility, product or service, or activity. When applied to Woodside's strategy, please see the definition of lower-carbon portfolio.