ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS
Prof. Umair Waheed
Umair bin Waheed is an Associate Professor of Geophysics and Program Leader for Data Analytics & AI at KFUPM. His research interests are broadly in the area of computational geosciences. Specifically, he is interested in automating and improving workflows through the use of smart algorithms for enhanced decision making in subsurface energy systems. Umair graduated from KAUST with a Ph.D. under the supervision of Tariq Alkhalifah in 2015. Prior to joining KFUPM in 2017, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Geosciences, Princeton University. Umair was the 2023 SEG Honorary Lecturer for Africa and Middle East on the topic of physics-informed machine learning. He also received the 2024 SEG Outstanding Educator Award.
Ziqin Yu
Ziqin is a Head of Digital Solutions, EDA in Viridien. He has a decade of experience in geophysics, covering various regions and geology. Recently he focuses on digital transformation, and applying AI in the geoscience domain. He has driven multiple initiatives in bridging domain expertise and AI, particularly in applying Large Language Models in geoscience document processing and agentic flow.
Dr. Haibin Di
Haibin Di is a Senior Data Scientist in Data & AI Platform at SLB. Since joining Schlumberger (now SLB) in 2018, he has been focusing on practical adoption of the state-of-the-art deep learning techniques into the subsurface domain to resolving various challenges in data processing, interpretation and integration. His current focus is on leading domain foundation model development, benchmarking and deployment.
Dr. Chao Song
Dr. Chao Song is a professor at Jilin University whose research focuses on scientific machine learning and seismic imaging methods. His work develops physics-informed and neural operator-based methods for wavefield simulation and inversion, with applications to large-scale subsurface imaging. He received the J. Clarence Karcher Award from SEG in 2024 and the Arie van Weelden Award from EAGE in 2025.
Prof. Yongchae Cho
Prof. Yongchae Cho is an Associate Professor in the Department of Energy Systems Engineering at Seoul National University. His research focuses on applied geophysics, seismic imaging and inversion, subsurface characterization, and the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning to energy and geoscience problems. Prior to joining Seoul National University, he worked as a Research Scientist at the SLB Geophysics Technology Center and Shell International Exploration & Production. His current work spans multiscale geophysical characterization, from rock and core-scale analysis to seismic interpretation and reservoir-scale modeling.
