Meet Our Keynote Speakers!
Professor James Macnae, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
Keynote Title: Geological Interpretation of Near-Surface IP and SPM Effects in AEM Data
Macnae is a Gold Medallist of the Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists. He is an electromagnetic expert, responsible for the design of several novel compact, low-noise electric and magnetic sensors for ground, airborne and borehole operation. He has also developed algorithms for extracting from airborne data near-surface physical properties such as conductivity, induced polarization chargeability and super-paramagnetic susceptibility. Macnae’s publications have received nearly 3000 citations, along with 3 best paper awards. He is presently Professor of Geophysics at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia.
Dr. M.H. Loke, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Malaysia
Keynote Title: The Resistivity Renaissance and New Images of the Subsurface
I have a PhD in Earth Sciences from The University of Birmingham (U.K.). I have taught courses in physics, general geophysics and exploration geophysics for 25 years at Universiti Sains Malaysia. I am currently an editorial board member of Journal of Applied Geophysics and Near Surface Geophysics. I am a member of the SEG, EEGS, EAGE and ASEG, and a recipient of the 2019 EEGS-SEG Frank Frischknecht Leadership Award. I am presently a Director of Geotomo Software Sdn Bhd (Malaysia) which is a software company producing 2D and 3D inversion software for ERT surveys. The clients of the company range from universities and other academic institutions, engineering and environmental survey, groundwater and mineral resources exploration companies located in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia-NZ and Africa. My present research interests are in fast 2D and 3D inversion methods for geoelectrical data, optimisation of electrode arrays for 2D and 3D surveys, time-lapse inversion techniques, fast numerical methods and applications of parallel programming techniques in geophysical modelling.
Professor Jacques Marteau, Institut National De Physique Nucléaire Et De Physique Des Particules
Keynote Title: Muography Applied to Geosciences and Beyond
Presently Deputy Director of the IP2I (Institut de Physique des 2 Infinis) in Lyon, France, I spent my career in the field of High-Energy Physics (HEP). I started as a young researcher in theoretical physics, by computing the nuclear effects in the interactions of neutrinos (the elementary "ghost" particles) with matter. I defended my PhD on the subject in 1998 and moved for a permanent position as Associate Professor in the Lyon University on experimental neutrino physics. I spent a decade in this field, collaborating to the international OPERA, T2K and DUNE projects of long baseline neutrino oscillations experiments. In 2008, together with geophysicists colleagues, we initiated the first developments of tomography with atmospheric muons in France. The target was the active dome of the Soufrière of Guadeloupe volcano in the Lesser Antilles. Since a decade we developed the techniques of "muography" with various applications all around the world to image large structures like volcanoes, buildings, industrial complex, underground systems etc. My presentation will focus on the basic features and latest developments in the muography field.
Professor Alireza Malehmir, Uppsala University
Keynote Title: Smart Exploration Solutions for Deep-Targeting Mineral Deposits
Alireza Malehmir is Professor of Applied Geophysics at Uppsala University-Sweden and Vice-Chair of the Near Surface Geoscience Division of EAGE. He is the scientific coordinator of the H2020 funded Smart Exploration where 27 partners, including EAGE, from 9 EU countries are participating. He is an active member of EAGE, SEG, and EGU, serves on the editorial boards of Geophysical Prospecting and Nature Scientific Reports.
Professor Esben Auken, Geological Survey of Denmark and England
Keynote Title: Full 3D Imaging from High-Resolution Towed Transient Electromagnetic Data with Application to Surface and Groundwater Management
Esben Auken is a professor of geophysics at the Department of Geoscience, Aarhus University, Denmark. He gained an MSc (1991) and PhD (1996) in geophysics from Aarhus University. His research group, The HydroGeophysics Group (HGG), is 25 - 30 scientists all working with electrical and electromagnetic methods for high resolution mapping of the shallow subsurface with focus on surface and groundwater processes. HGG does high-level research on instrumental engineering, data processing and high performance 1D, 2D and 3D inversion algorithms. Hydrological modelling with extensive input from areal covering geophysical measurements is an integrated part of the research. The geophysical focus areas are surface Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), groundbased and airborne transient electromagnetic and surface and cross borehole direct current and induced polarization. In addition, Esben Auken teaches short courses for professionals and for undergraduate and postgraduate students. He is co-founder of SkyTEM Surveys Aps and Aarhus Geosoftware Aps, both spin-out companies from the research group.
Dr. Victor Mocanu
Keynote Title: Investigation of a Fast-Sinking Area in the Southern Carpathians Due to Over-Exploitation of Coal in an Old Mining Area
Victor Mocanu is a geoscientist with professional interests in both Physics of the Earth and Applied at the University of Bucharest in Romania. He has a MSc in Geophysics (1985) and a PhD in Geology (1996) from the University of Bucharest, with post-doctoral studies at Oregon State University in the US. With a deanship of 12 year in Bucharest and being a founding dean of the Postgraduate School of the Botswana International University of Science and Technology, he was also deeply involved in organizing and managing the higher education in Geosciences. President of the Romanian Society of Geophysics, Council member of SEG and EAGE and former Chair of the Global Advisory Committee of SEG, he strongly believe in collaborative activities between professional associations, tertiary education and industry as a key of success in advancing during these difficult time. Victor is a specialist in Geodynamics with long-term projects in Central-Eastern Europe, North and South America and SE Asia. Moreover, he is also interested in applying geophysical investigation and satellite geodesy tools on near surface subjects lice stability of dams, monitoring the over-exploited mines and archaeological investigations. Victor is teaching under- and post-graduate courses in theoretical and applied geophysics and is deeply involved into industry-academia partnerships.