Karan Sotoodeh holds a PhD in Safety and Reliability in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Stavanger. Previously, Karan was the Senior / Lead Engineer in valves and actuators for Baker Hughes, one of the world's largest oil field services company. He was responsible for engineering and delivering valves and actuators in subsea manifolds, working with valve suppliers, R&D activities, and maintaining the company's valve database. He also worked for AkerSolutions, NLI Engineering, and Nargan Engineers as a senior specialist in piping and valves, assisting with many projects around the world. He is the author of Prevention of Valve Fugitive Emissions in the Oil and Gas Industry and Subsea Valves and Actuators for the Oil and Gas Industry, both published by Elsevier. Karan earned a Master of Research in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters in Oil and Gas Engineering, both from Robert Gordon University of Aberdeen, and a Bachelors in Industrial Engineering from the Iran University of Science and Technology.