Meet the keynote speakers

The GeoTech 2024 Conference features keynote presentations from experts to share experiences in this field.

Alexander Calvert - TotalEnergies

Keynote: Seabed Distributed Acoustic Sensing for seismic reservoir monitoring: where are we and where are we going?

Alexander Calvert leads the Innovative Acquisition and Processing R&D team at TotalEnergies. He has a BA in physics from University of Oxford (1994) and a PhD in seismology from Cornell University (1999). Over the past 25 years, Alex has worked in geophysical R&D, seismic processing and subsurface integration with operators, a contractor, and academia. Alex began his career with BP (1999-2003) working to improve seismic resolution through dense acquisition and depth imaging. While at ION-GXT (2003-2010), he led development of their multi-component processing capability. Since joining Maersk Oil in 2010, which became part of TotalEnergies in 2018, Alex has worked on 4D processing and integration of 4D response predictions to constrain reservoir models. His current research is focussed on the application of fiber optic sensing to hydrocarbon and CO2 storage reservoir monitoring and industrialisation of a marine vibrator for improved seismic acquisition while reducing the impact on marine life. Throughout his career Alex has been an active collaborator with academia, most recently working part-time with the Technology University of Denmark (2022-2023) on CO2 Storage monitoring methods. Alex is a regular contributor to EAGE and SEG, receiving Honourable Mention Best Paper TLE (2003) and Top 30 Presentations of SEG (2008).

Paulo Johann - Petrobras

Keynote: Ocean Bottom Seismic Brazilian Experience: OBC, NODE and PRM

Paulo Johann is currently the Senior Advisor for Petrobras, based in Rio de Janeiro. Paulo has more than 40 years of technical and managerial experience in the petroleum industry. He graduated with a degree in geology from UNISINOS University, Brazil. Paulo received his D.E.A. and Ph.D. degrees in reservoir geophysics from Sorbonne(Paris VI) University, France. His career has encompassed activities in geophysical acquisition, geophysical interpretation, and reservoir geophysics. Paulo is also a frequent lecturer at Brazilian universities. Paulo became active in the BrazilianGeophysical Society - SBGf and SEG where he has served in many positions including its vice presidency. He has published and presented several technical papers at SEG, EAGE, SPE, OTC, and SBGf. Paulo was appointed the first Central & South America Honorary SEG Distinguished Lecturer. Paulo was distinguished with the SBGf 2021Award for his contribution in the Brazilian Petroleum Industry. He is an active member of EAGE, SEG, SBGf, ABGP, OTC and SPE.

David Kessler - SeismicCity

Keynote: Improving production drilling programs by getting the most out of seismic data: deep water sub-salt, onshore unconventionals and onshore CCS

Dr. Kessler serves as the President of SeismicCity since its incorporation in early 2000. He started his industrial career as a research Geophysicist developing algorithms for velocity estimation, model building and prestack depth migration and held a Senior Research Scientist position for Landmark/ITA (1991-1994) and a Senior Research Geophysicist position for Cogniseis Development (1994-1996). In 1996 Dr. Kessler moved his focus from research and development to production processing and became the Manager of Depth Imaging Services for CGG Americas (1996-2000). In early 2000, together with several other colleagues, Dr. Kessler founded SeismicCity with the objective of creating a technology leader in the development and implementation of depth imaging technology. Dr. Kessler holds a Ph. D., M. Sc. and B. Sc. degrees, all in Geophysics from Tel Aviv University.

Samantha Grandi Karam - Shell

Keynote: On Demand Ocean Bottom Nodes (OD OBN) for Low cost Reservoir Monitoring

Samantha Grandi Karam is a Senior Research Geophysicist working in R&D and Deployment of Reservoir Surveillance and CCS MMV technologies. Currently in the Hague, she has been with Shell for 16 years and has directly contributed to maturing technologies such as surface microseismic monitoring, DAS, onshore 4D seismic, and on-demand ocean bottom nodes. Before joining Shell, she worked for PDVSA in Venezuela as an Operations and Processing Geophysicist and obtained a MSc and a PhD in Geophysics from MIT.

Mona Hanekne Andersen - Equinor

Keynote: Subsurface Surveillance: Reflections and Considerations for the Transition

Mona Hanekne Andersen is a leading advisor in Geophysical Reservoir Monitoring (GRM). Started in Research with lithology and fluid prediction work, moved over to exploration to get seismic interpretation experience and then further to production assets. Worked with 4D seismic over three decades and was strongly involved in the piloting and full field installation of the first full field permanent seismic system. Since 2016 heading up a competence group in GRM to ensure experience transfer, competence building, standardizing of workflows, evaluation of seismic demand and monitoring strategies for field development and production assets across the entire company.

Tone Holm-Trudeng - TGS

Keynote: Supporting monitoring services while navigating the energy transition.

Reflections on past, present and future?

Tone Holm-Trudeng joined TGS in 2018 where she is currently serving as Director of Offshore Subsurface Solutions in New Energy Solutions. One of her key responsibilities is driving the success of TGS's high resolution seismic surveys offerings for subsurface mapping and monitoring for offshore Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and Wind Farm development purposes.Prior to joining TGS, Tone worked for around 10 years in Schlumberger and WesternGeco. Tone started her career at Schlumberger in Stavanger as a geophysicist working with seismic reservoir characterization projects. She later moved to Abu Dhabi serving as the senior geophysicist within amulti-discipline team working on Field Development Plan studies for companies in Middle East area.Tone went on to a role as the Seismic Reservoir Characterization Business Manager for Middle East, and later Business Lead for Europe & Africa. She holds a MSc in Petroleum Geophysics fromNorwegian University of Technology and Science. Her master thesis focused on geophysical monitoring of offshore CO2 storage sites.

Hilde Nakstad - ASN Norway

Keynote: Fiber optic sensing as an enabling technology for O&G operations: Production optimization and safety, infrastructure security

Hilde Nakstad is General Manager of Alcatel Submarine Networks Norway (ASN Norway). ASN Norway is the competence centre for fibre optic sensing in Alcatel Submarine Networks and holds product responsibility for the OptoWave PRM system and the OptoDAS DAS interrogator system. Hilde has been with ASN Norway (previously known as Optoplan) over more than 3 decades and involved in development, qualification, implementation and operation of fibre optic sensing systems for in-well sensing (PT gauge, flow and seismic), seabed and over the last years also the introduction of the OptoDAS system to several markets. She holds a MSc in Physical Electronics from NTNU Trondheim.

Harrison Moore - CGG

Keynote: Untangling the Strands: The challenges of DAS

Harrison Moore is a Supervisor in CGG’s Subsurface Imaging and Carbon Storage teams, leading various processing and research projects with fiber optic sensing. Following studying Astrophysics at Bristol university, he joined CGG in 2011 turning his attention away from the stars and into the Earth. Based in the UK, his key responsibilities started from contributing to conventional processing projects and progressed over 12 years into leading large scale projects which push technical limits. In this regard, he’s actively strived to develop and mature DAS processing and imaging in both surface and sub-surface settings, including 3D and 4D processing and imaging for conventional applications and the energy transition sectors