Sushma Bhan

Board and Technical Director SPE Data Science and Engineering Analytics Technical Section

Sushma Bhan, SPE, is the Board and Technical Director of the SPE Data Science and Engineering Analytics (DSEA) Technical Section, championing SPE’s global AI4Energy initiative and driving digital transformation with measurable asset impact. Previously, she completed a distinguished 30-year career at Shell, serving as the chief data officer for subsurface and wells, where she architected enterprise-wide data governance and spearheaded multimillion-dollar digital value accelerators across assets in over 20 nations. A widely published author on data security and engineering analytics excellence, she serves on Rice University’s Professional Science Master’s Board of Affiliates and has previously guided AI-driven innovation on the board of Ikon Science (2021–2024). She is a recipient of the 2024 Hart Energy Influential Women in Energy award and holds an MS from the University of Delhi and an executive MBA from the University of Houston.

SPE News

Eyes, Ears, Hands: Why Robotic Hardware Is Nothing Without Digital Intelligence

Robotic and autonomous systems are transforming energy operations, but their full value emerges only when paired with data science, engineering analytics, and AI/ML to turn data into decisions. The transition of the SPE Robotic & Autonomous Systems Technical Section into the SPE Data Science & Engineering Analytics Technical Section helps bridge this critical technolo…

October 14, 2026 • Ardian Nengkoda • Journal of Petroleum Technology
Data & Analytics

Unlocking ROI From AI: From Metrics to Execution in the Energy Industry

A discussion at the inaugural executive breakfast convened by the SPE Data Science and Engineering Analytics Technical Section, held alongside CERAWeek by S&P Global and powered by Black & Veatch, tackled the challenge of value creation from artificial intelligence in the energy industry.

May 11, 2026 • Journal of Petroleum Technology
Data & Analytics

Adopting Data-Centric Culture for Digitalization Success

While digital-strategy implementation is at least superficially reliant on technical and architectural advances and vendor solutions, the narrow focus on technology has come at the expense of a data-centric digitalization approach.

July 1, 2020 • Sushma Bhan • Data Science and Digital Engineering