Andrew (Andy) Hill
Andy Hill has spent his 43-year career working around the world in marine geophysical site investigation, the last 37 years with bp. He is bp’s Global Technical Authority for Marine Geohazards characterization and an Adjunct Lecturer at Texas A&M University Galveston. In role he maintains an overview of BP’s global activity set to ensure application of best practices and technology in the realms of hydrography and geophysical site investigation geophysics. He is a recognized industry leader in the field of marine geophysical site investigation and an instigator of some of the major technology advances in the field, notably the introduction of Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) technology - recognized as an industry game changer. He has been author, or co-author, of various industry guidance documents in site investigation rationale, published over 50 scientific papers, one book, and given numerous other keynote addresses, talks and posters at SUT, EAGE, SEG, AAPG, SPE, and OTC, events. He has been a member of the SUT OSIG Committee since 1990, founder of the Houston SUT OSIG Committee in 2008 and is the current Chair of SUT-US.
Prof. Fraser Bransby
Prof. Fraser is currently the Director of the Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems (COFS) at the University of Western Australia where he also holds the Fugro Chair in Geotechnics. His role involves managing research of interest to the offshore industry (and Fugro in particular) with a focus on offshore wind. This research encompasses a wide range of offshore geotechnics topics from site characterisation, geostatistics, pipelines and cables, to foundations and anchors. Since completing his PhD in 1995, Fraser has spent significant time both in industry and academia and has published more than 200 papers in journals and conferences.
Dr. Kazuya Okada
Dr. Kazuya Okada joined Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. in 1983 and played an active role in the operation of the Hishikari gold mine, exploration in the surrounding areas, and mineral exploration overseas. He has contributed not only to successful exploration but also to the advancement of exploration technology, especially in the areas of geophysical prospecting and remote sensing. In recent years, he served as President and Representative Director of Sumitomo Metal Mining's Peruvian subsidiary, General Manager of Hishikari Mine, and President and Representative Director of Sumiko Resources Exploration & Development Co., Ltd. In 2020, he was appointed as a director of the Ocean High Technology Research Institute, and also taught as a visiting professor at Kyushu University. Since 2023, he joined Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security and has been engaged in research work to promote offshore wind power in Japan at the newly established Offshore Wind Power Development Department. Dr. Okada has been an active member of EAGE since 1983. In recent years, he has contributed to various conferences and workshops hosted by EAGE, including the 2nd EAGE/SUT Workshop, as a member of the Science Committee.
Mr. Kim PyeongJoong
PyeongJoong Kim graduated from Inha University with a Bachelor's degree in Oceanography (1997) and a Master's degree in Physical Oceanography (2002). He is a Chartered Professional Engineer, and he has led several research and development projects, as well as marine related projects. He has published several papers on marine phenomena using numerical models and field data. Upon graduating he entered KIOST (Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology), formerly KORDI (Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute), and spent 5 years as a researcher. He also accomplished various Physical Oceanography related research and projects at a marine specialized company. From 2020 till 2023, he worked at UST21 as a MetOcean department Business Line Director. He currently assumes the role of Board of Director at FugroUST21 (a joint venture with Fugro) and Blue Group Director at UST21 providing integrated solutions to renewable energy, hydrography, and infrastructure markets.
Mr. Nick Ramsey
Nick has more than forty years offshore geotechnical experience, including numerous offshore renewable projects in Europe, Asia, and America. Nick has experience in numerous aspects of geotechnical design. However, his speciality is the development of reliable Geotechnical Engineering Models (GEMs) for foundation design via the integration of geological, geomorphological, geophysical, and geotechnical data. Nick is the lead author of more than a dozen international peer-reviewed papers relating to the interpretation of in-situ tests, advanced laboratory tests and developing GEMs – and he has contributed to two books and one encyclopedia. Nick is a Chartered Engineer in both Australia and New Zealand.
Dr. Nikolay Nenov
Dr. Nikolay Nenov is a site investigation geophysicist and geohazard expert with over 30 years of experience. He has successfully completed numerous projects for major international oil companies and is a member of AAPG and SEG. Dr. Nenov has published in international energy industry magazines and conference proceedings. He is also the founder and Director of Blackmore Management Solutions Ltd. (BMS), a company specializing in 3D HR and UHR Seismic data acquisition, processing, and interpretation. In 2020, he designed and led the development of the T-Boom 3D seismic acquisition system.
Prof. Shiao Huey Chow
Shiaohuey Chow is an Associate Professor in Geotechnical Engineering at the University of Melbourne. She is also the Director of the Australian Centre for Offshore Wind Energy (ACOWE), and a member of the Executive Committee for the Melbourne Energy Institute. Her research develops novel site-investigation and foundation solutions for offshore renewable energy applications, earning her multiple international best paper awards.
Mr. Akeshi Hiraide
Akeshi Hiraide joined OYO Corporation in 1984. Since 2017, he has been involved in geotechnical and geophysical surveys for offshore wind power generation. He has experience in over 20 locations across Japan, and is responsible for most of subsea ground survey of the Japanese central method. He’s also involved in the development of new technologies, such as Offshore microtremor array measurement, Suspension PS logging system for large-diameter boreholes, and 3D seismic survey using underwater speaker.
Dr. Shambhu Sharma
Shambhu Sharma is a Principal Engineer, researcher and technical expert in geotechnical site characterisation, with over 25 years of experience in offshore energy projects. His expertise spans all aspects of geotechnical site characterisation, including site investigation, laboratory testing, data interpretation, derivation of design parameters, and integrated ground modelling. He has led site characterisation activities for many offshore projects across Australia and globally. He currently leads site characterisation activities at NGI Perth. Shambhu has authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications on various aspect of soil behaviour and continues to contribute to advancing offshore geotechnics through research, leadership, and industry collaboration.
Sally Casey
Sally is the General Manager of XOCEAN Australia and has been closely involved in the innovative XOCEAN projects using Uncrewed Survey Vessels (USVs) to collect geophysical ocean data in Gippsland and around the Australian coastline. She has extensive experience in developing and introducing new technology, across many domains including spatial analytics, digital mobility, AI, IoT, machine learning, data analytics, telecommunications and cloud computing.
