Sami Khan
Founder and CEO
Sami has in excess of 40 years of experience in the oil and gas and geophysical services industry in the Asia Pacific region. With his education in geophysics, his talents were in technical marketing. Over the years, his responsibilities have included all geoscience business lines including software development, sales and marketing as well as business development in new emerging markets.
In 2009 Sami was Founder/CEO of Quantum Geoservices, turned entrepreneurial vision into reality by building an innovative business focused on providing solutions combined with new technology applications. Having applied his knowledge and experience gained from the geoscience industry coupled together with a defined strategy across all core business functions including software development, sales and marketing and in turn generating high revenues and profitability.
Recent Major Achievements:
• Founded Quantum Geoservices in 2009, turning entrepreneurial vision into reality by building an innovative business focused on new technology applications in the oil and gas industry.
• In 2013 sold Quantum Geoservices as a highly profitable going concern to Dolphin Geophysical with a defined future business strategy.
• From 2014 and 2015 while as Vice President and country head at Dolphin Geophysical, increased sales from USD$150 million to in excess of USD$215 million thus contributing to in excess of 50% of the entire groups global revenues from the Asia Pacific region.
• In 2019 as Consultant VP Sales for Ikon Science, achieved within 6 months in excess of US$2.75 million in software sales and service work in Asia Pacific and in new emerging markets.
Sami holds a Diploma in Global Leadership Development Program from Rice University Business School, Houston, Texas and a first class BSC (Hons) from Karachi University with a distinction in Physics.
Dr. Sabry Mahmoud
Technical Advisor (Machine & Deep Learning)
Dr. Sabry has been working within large multinational E&P companies for in excess of 30 years across the exploration, development and production portfolio cycle of the oil and gas industry.
Dr. Sabry recently joined Azimuth GeoSolutions and is heading up the machine and deep learning technical team. He has previously worked at PETRONAS for 3 years in Kuala Lumpur as Senior Geoscientist (Geophysicist) in Exploration Technology Department at their research center. He has previously worked for ADCO in Abu Dhabi, UAE for 16 years and with GUPCO for 10 years in Cairo, Egypt.
Dr. Sabry key strengths and specialty is in seismic interpretation, well prognosis, sequence stratigraphic analysis, subsurface data integration, and special interest in Clastic and Carbonate reservoir characterization. Presently he is deeply involved in Machine Learning (ML) & Deep learning (DL) and has successfully built ML and DL models from seismic attributes that predicted any petrophysical parameters (lithology, density, resistivity, velocity, porosity) which generates pseudo logs for the whole seismic coverage. In addition to many technical publications presented at internal and external conferences. Dr. Sabry has a wealth of experience in proposing and planning of new drill sites (Onshore/Offshore). Following drilling operations from geophysical point of view and integrated data management, he has provided value add geophysical advice to the technical teams.
Dr. Sabry has strong data management, G&G technical skills including software applications of Landmark, Schlumberger (Petrel & Geoframe), VoxcelGeo, Hampson Russell and Jason software. Mentoring and coaching skills for technical staff coupled together with a team spirit and strong analytical problem solving and technical skills.
Dr. Sabry holds a PhD. in Geophysics “Seismic Attributes Characteristics Study in Carbonate Reservoirs” from Al Azhar University, Egypt,
MSc. in Geophysics “Geophysical Study Using AVO/AVA in Carbonate Reservoirs”, from Al Azhar University, Egypt,
Post Graduated Diploma in Computer Science, from Cairo University, Egypt,
and BSc. in Geophysics, from Cairo University, Egypt.
Publications:
• APGCE 2017, 43467 “Seismic Facies using Multi-Attribute Volume Classifier: Case Study from Malaysian Reservoirs
• EAGE 2017, Tu B4 05 “Seismic Multi Attributes Pattern Recognition: Case Study from Malaysian Hydrocarbon Reservoirs
• EAGE 2016, “Pre-carbonate Velocity Seismic Modelling and Imaging for Seismic Wave Scattering Study, Sarawak, Malaysia
• ADIPEC 2013, ID 33 “Seismic Acoustic Impedance Inversion Study for Enhanced Interpretation of an Onshore Upper Cretaceous, Oil Field, U.A.E
• SPE166015 “Seismic Attribute Utilization for FFDP Well Placement Optimization, Upper Cretaceous Fractured Complex Carbonate Reservoir, Onshore Oil Field, U.A.E.
• SPE EUROPEC 75th EAGE at Vienna, “Data-constrained Surface-consistent Amplitude Corrections
• SPE162342 “Characterization and Modeling of Fractures in Large Onshore Abu Dhabi Carbonate Field
• SPE161544 “Conceptual Structural Model of an onshore Carbonate Hydrocarbon Field in Abu Dhabi: Constraints and Implications
• SPE162387 “Azimuthal Seismic Analysis Yield New Insights for a Giant Onshore Oil Field, U.A.E.
• Schlumberger Oilfield Review, “Seismic Detection of Subtle Faults and Fracture
• SPE EUROPEC 73rd EAGE at Vienna, “A Dual Representation of Multiscale Fracture Network Modeling – Application to a Giant Carbonate Field, U.A.E.
• SPE137077 “Advances in Seismic Processing Yield New Insights for a Giant Onshore Carbonate Oil Field, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.
• IPTC13136 “Fluid Discrimination Applying AVA Potentiality for Carbonate Reservoir in U.A.E
• SPE 125383 “Fluid Discrimination Applying AVA Potentiality for Carbonate Reservoir in U.A.E.
• SPE117831 “A Modeling Feasibility Study Indicates Seismic AVO has Potential to Discriminate between Brine and Hydrocarbon in a Middle East Carbonate Reservoir
Sami ElKurdy
Machine/Deep Learning Geophysicist (Consultant)
Sami ElKurdy has over 40 years of exploration and development experience. He has worked in/on the Middle East, North and East Africa, Europe, New Zealand, South America, Canada and Malaysia. He worked globally at Qatar Petroleum, ConocoPhillips, Gulf Oil, Shell, KUFPEC and Union Oil and recently at PETRONAS Carigali, just to name a few.
Sami ElKurdy has recently joined Azimuth GeoSolutions as an ML and DL consultant and is a key and integral member of the machine and deep learning technical team. His ongoing efforts and knowledge in the ML and DL domain has brought to fruition the latest software and workflow solutions such as SEIS2LOG thus setting a new level and standard for advanced technology in the oil and gas industry.
Sami ElKurdy a good track record of play concepts development and prospect and lead generation within a technical teamwork environment. He has extensive experience in structural seismic interpretation in rift basins, overthrust belts, wrench controlled and salt structure areas using both 2D and 3D seismic. Over the years Sami ElKurdy has conducted presentations on all aspects of technologies providing solutions to management, partners, governments and farminees.
Sami ElKurdy also has seismic stratigraphic interpretation experience using both sequence stratigraphy and trace attributes to identify both clastics distribution and reservoir anomalies, generating structural and stratigraphic maps, isopach and time thickness maps, velocity maps and depth conversion utilizing geostatistics and mapping systems.
Sami ElKurdy has strong G&G technical skills including software applications of Landmark, (Decision Space, Well Seismic Fusion & GeoProbe), Paradigm, IESX, SeisX and Winpics and including mapping systems such as Zmap+, Petrosys, GES and Surfer. His experience extends beyond tying synthetic seismograms and VSP’s to seismic, Time Lapse (4D) seismic interpretation and analysis.
Shelley Van Reenen
Technical Supervisor (Time & Depth Imaging)
Shelley has in excess of 30 years of seismic and depth processing experience in the oil and gas industry and has held various technical and management positions in many locations around the world, most recently 9 years in Malaysia, working with number of SE Asian clients and personnel, and 2 years based in Houston, Vietnam and India.
Shelley joined PetroSA (previously Soekor) as senior geophysicist in 1988, working and covering the full spectrum, from prospect identification, seismic exploration, drilling, production, managing the licensing rounds, and heavily focussed mainly on 2D and 3D marine projects. Following PetroSA, she worked for Schlumberger Geco Prakla in Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia as a senior geophysicist focussing predominantly on 3D land seismic processing.
In Malaysia, Shelley has previously worked for PGS and for Geotrace Technologies in a number of positions in technical as well as supervisory roles, which include 2D and 3D seismic imaging in both time and depth processing. In these technical roles her key responsibility was to coordinate all technical aspects of seismic processing, training, and supervise all projects and related personnel to ensure the projects stay within the acceptable technical parameters and timelines.
During the past 4 years Shelley has been involved with a number of 3D time and depth projects for AGT (Advance Geophysical Technologies) who are the technology partners of Azimuth GeoSolutions. Shelley has been hands-on working on a number of projects in Malaysia, India and Houston focussing mainly on high-end imaging and uniquely positioned elastic, acoustic, finite element and finite difference forward modelling techniques. Over the past 3 years Shelley has been fully hands-on and responsible for working on a number for 3D land and marine time and mostly depth processing projects. These projects include Q-Tomography, Kirchhoff depth, Reverse Time Migration (RTM) and Full Waveform Inversion (FWI).
Shelley holds a Bachelor of Science (Physics and Applied Maths Majors) with Honours from University of South Africa.
Jon Walker
Geophysical Engineer (Time & Depth Imaging)
Jon has in excess of 35 years of seismic and depth processing experience in the oil and gas industry and has held various technical and management positions in many locations around the world including Canada, Indonesia, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia and U.S.A.
Jon brings together a wide knowledge and wealth of experience in having worked on a large number of onshore and offshore basins worldwide including marine depth imaging projects in Brazil, Gulf of Mexico, Suriname and West Africa.
Jon joined CGG in 1983 as party manager in land acquisition and since 1985 was processing geophysicist responsible for a number of seismic processing projects. In 1995 Jon relocated to Muscat, Oman with CGG as technical supervisor for PDO in responsible for all data processing projects focussed predominantly on 3D data processing. Over the span of his career Jon has held a number of key technical and managerial positions with VeritasDGC, Kelman Technologies and ION Geophysical and since 1999 has spent most of his time on depth imaging projects.
Having held a number of key positions in technical as well as supervisory roles, which include 2D and 3D seismic imaging in both time and depth processing. In these technical roles his key responsibility was to coordinate all technical aspects of seismic processing, training, and supervising all projects and related personnel to ensure the projects and quality of data is delivered on time and based on the clients acceptable technical requirements and geophysical objectives.
During the past 10 years Jon has been heavily involved with a number of 3D depth imaging projects and has hands-on experience working on a number of projects and utilizing the latest depth imaging technologies. In recent years Jon has been responsible for working on a number for 3D land and marine depth processing projects. These projects include Q-Tomography, Kirchhoff depth, Reverse Time Migration (RTM) and Full Waveform Inversion (FWI).
Jon holds a Bachelor of Science in Geophysical Engineering with Honours from Colorado School of Mines, of U.S.A.
Duojun (Albert) Zhang
Senior Geophysicist
Albert has in excess of 25 years of industry experience in various technical positions with a number of multinational companies globally. Albert has authored and co-authored more than 6 technical papers some of which are listed below. His experience and geophysical knowledge expands across all disciplines of geoscience.
Albert joined CNPC in 1993 as a Senior Geophysicist in China focussing in the area of exploration and production and was involved in a new hydrocarbon discovery in the Bei-Bu Wan Basin in China. In 2006 utilising his wide technical experience and geoscience knowledge lead Albert to work with Veritas Geoservices, Occidental Petroleum and spent over 9 years with WesternGeco in both Canada and U.S.A.
Albert possesses extensive experience in velocity model building and tomography updating for depth imaging. Analysing anisotropy parameters for depth velocity model building. Additional experience in rock physics study, AVO analysis, and spectral decomposition. Albert has competencies in developing software for 3D velocity analysis and other processing purposes based on theoretical and mathematical research using a number of programming languages.
Publications:
2012, Anisotropic model building in complex media – Three successful strategies applied to wide-azimuth data from Gulf of Mexico: EAGE Conference
2010, Effects of heavy oil cold production on Vp/Vs ratio: SEG, Heavy Oils: Reservoir Characterization and Production Monitoring, Chapter 19
2008, Collaborative methods in enhanced cold heavy oil production: The Leading Edge, 27
2006, The robustness of Vp/Vs mapping: The Leading Edge, 25
2006, Two issues about the application of Vp/Vs ratio: CSEG Convention
2005, Vp/Vs characterization of a heavy-oil reservoir: The Leading Edge, 24
Academic Achievements:
Master of Geophysics, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada in 2007 – Thesis: Application of Vp/Vs and AVO modelling for monitoring heavy oil cold production
Master of Geophysics, University of Petroleum, Beijing, China in 1993 – Thesis: 3-parameters Velocity Analysis for 3D Seismic Processing
Bachelor of Geophysics, University of Petroleum, Shandong, China 1990 – Awarded scholarships for academic study ranked first grade