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Fahd Saghir

Director of Artificial Intelligence Occidental Oman

Fahd Saghir, SPE, is director of artificial intelligence at Occidental Oman. He holds a PhD degree in petroleum engineering from the University of Adelaide and a BS degree in electrical engineering from the University of Houston. Saghir has 20 years of experience in diverse digital roles across the energy, utilities, and natural resources sectors, with the past 9 years focused on the Internet of Things, applied ML, and data analytics. In his previous role with a national oil company, Saghir worked as a data scientist and digital-transformation enabler, collaborating with engineers, data scientists, and technology specialists. He is an active member of SPE, having served as chairman of the Integrated Digital Solutions Subcommittee (2020–22) and as a committee member for various SPE forums.

  • Unlike traditional AI approaches that rely primarily on historical data, physics-based AI integrates physical laws, engineering expertise, and operational constraints directly into the learning process. Three recent SPE papers illustrate how this paradigm is transforming the industry through intelligent condition monitoring, virtual sensing, and autonomous production …
  • The accelerating deployment of machine learning and automation is changing the artificial lift landscape. By embedding intelligence into the control loop, operators now can move from reactive decision-making to proactive, continuous optimization.