Each year during its Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE), SPE honors members whose outstanding contributions to SPE and the petroleum industry merit special distinction. Recipients will be recognized at the Annual Awards Banquet on Tuesday, 21 October 2025. https://www.atce.org/registration
SPE/AIME Anthony F. Lucas Gold Medal for Technical Leadership
The Anthony F. Lucas Gold Medal recognizes achievement in improving techniques and practices of finding and producing petroleum.
Eric van Oort is a professor and Richard B. Curran Chair in Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin). He began teaching at UT Austin in 2012 after a 20-year industry career at Shell.
He has coauthored more than 250 technical papers (including more than 150 SPE papers), holds 22 patents, is a former SPE Distinguished Lecturer, an SPE Distinguished Member, recipient of the 2017 SPE International Drilling Engineering Award, and the 2025 Lockheed Martin Award for excellence in engineering teaching at UT Austin.
He is a frequent SPE conference/workshop/forum co-organizer, chairman, and speaker. He directs the RAPID industry consortium dedicated to drilling and well construction at UT Austin and cofounded SPYPR Automation and Ultradeep Energy Co. He is the CEO of EVO Energy Consulting and the author of Managed Pressure Drilling: Fundamentals, Methods, and Applications.
He holds a PhD in chemical physics from the University of Amsterdam.
SPE Cedric K. Ferguson Medal
The Cedric K. Ferguson Medal is presented to young professional authors of an SPE peer-approved technical paper who are members of SPE and are 35 or younger on the date of peer approval. Coauthors 36 or older who were SPE members on the date of peer approval receive the Cedric K. Ferguson Certificate.
Abdelmalek Abes is a PhD student in petroleum engineering at the University of North Dakota (UND) and a research assistant at UND’s Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC). He has contributed to multiple EERC projects related to EOR and CO2 sequestration, with emphasis on laboratory experimentation and data integration.
His research focuses on reservoir engineering, specifically fluid mechanics in porous media, with particular emphasis on carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) applications in carbonate reservoirs and the associated physico-chemical interactions between the injected CO2 and the carbonate rock matrix.
He has authored two peer-reviewed journal articles and six conference papers, integrating experimental coreflooding, rock/fluid interactions, and geochemical modeling along with core-scale and field-scale numerical simulations to assess the dynamic reservoir performance throughout the CO2 injection. Abes and coauthor Andreas Michael received the Cedric K. Ferguson Medal for their paper Dynamic-Permeability Variations Induced During CO2-EOR Application in Carbonate Reservoirs: Upper Red River Formation, North Dakota.
He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in geology from the University of Science and Technology Houari Boumediene in Algeria.
Andreas Michael is an assistant professor at UND, serving also as the faculty advisor of the local SPE student chapter. His research interests span across all petroleum engineering subdisciplines. He has authored 18 peer-reviewed journal articles, 36 conference papers, and 18 magazine articles.
He teaches courses on drilling engineering, geomechanics, well completions, and advanced stimulation techniques. He previously was a postdoctoral research fellow at Colorado School of Mines, researching the stability of underground tunnel intersections. His PhD dissertation titled, “Fluid-Driven Fracture Initiation From Oil and Gas Wells Considering Lifetime Stresses,” received Louisiana State University’s (LSU) Distinguished Dissertation of the Year Award for STEM in 2020.
In 2020–2021 he served as editor in chief of The Way Ahead, SPE’s magazine for young professionals. At SPE’s 2019 Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, he captained LSU's PetroBowl championship-winning team and placed second in the International Student Paper Contest. Michael and coauthor Abdelmalek Abes received the Cedric K. Ferguson Medal for their paper Dynamic-Permeability Variations Induced During CO2-EOR Application in Carbonate Reservoirs: Upper Red River Formation, North Dakota.
Michael holds bachelor's and master’s degrees from The University of Texas at Austin and a doctorate from LSU, all in petroleum engineering.
SPE/AIME Charles F. Rand Memorial Gold Medal
The Charles F. Rand Memorial Gold Medal Award recognizes distinguished achievement in mining administration, including metallurgy and petroleum.
Ibrahim H. Al-Arnaout is senior vice president of unconventional resources at Aramco where he began his career in 1998. Since then, he has held various leadership positions including vice president of unconventional resources engineering, drilling, and completions; vice president of drilling engineering and chief drilling engineer; director of the unconventional reservoir engineering department; and he established and led the unconventional resources well completion operations and production engineering department. He previously held numerous positions managing production engineering, oil well services, and gas well completion units and divisions across the company’s southern operational area.
Al-Arnaout is a member of the board of directors for Aramco Gulf Operations Company and a member of the board of directors of the SPE Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (SPE-KSA) Section.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and has completed several leadership courses, including the Stanford Executive Program, the Aramco Management Development Seminar, and the Saudi Aramco Leadership Forum.
SPE/AIME DeGolyer Distinguished Service Medal
The DeGolyer Distinguished Service Medal recognizes distinguished and outstanding service to SPE, to the professions of engineering or geology, and to the petroleum industry.
Tao Yang is chief professional and senior specialist at Equinor ASA in Norway. He previously worked with Whitson AS and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. He is a member of the Norwegian Academy of Technological Sciences and the Royal Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters.
Yang has twice been selected as an SPE Distinguished Lecturer and received the 2011 SPE North Sea Regional Reservoir Description and Dynamics Award, the 2019 SPE Distinguished Membership Award, the 2023 SPE Lester C. Uren Award for Technical Excellence, the 2024 SPWLA Distinguished Technology Achievement Award, and the 2024 SPE Distinguished Service Award.
He has chaired committees, including the World CCUS Conference, SPE PetroWiki, SPE Complex Reservoir Fluids Workshop, EAGE Surface Logging Workshop, and has served as a member of technical committees for SPE Offshore Europe, SPE Europe Energy Conference, and the SPWLA Annual Symposium.
Yang served as a technical editor for SPE Journal and serves on the editorial board of Geoenergy Science and Engineering. He has coauthored 70 journal and conference papers, 15 patents, and three research disclosures.
He holds BS and PhD degrees in chemical engineering from China University of Petroleum.
SPE Distinguished Achievement Award for Petroleum Engineering Faculty
This award recognizes superior teaching, excellence in research, significant contributions to the petroleum engineering profession, or special effectiveness in advising and guiding students.
Caili Dai is a national distinguished professor at China University of Petroleum (East China), with over 30 years of teaching and research experience in oilfield chemistry and enhanced oil recovery. She has led more than 13 major national R&D programs related to water conformance control, unconventional reservoir fracturing, and CCUS. Her innovations in oilfield chemical fluids and EOR processes have led to over 30 patented technologies licensed to oilfield service companies, with wide application across 29 Chinese domestic and six international oil fields.
She is the recipient of awards including the National Second Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress, the China Youth Science and Technology Award, and the National Innovation Excellence Award.
Dai is recognized as a highly cited scholar by Elsevier and is listed among Global Lifetime Impact Scientists. She has cultivated 146 doctoral and master's graduates and postdocs, including seven national-level distinguished junior professors, and has published over 300 peer-reviewed articles in technical journals.
She is the first scholar in China to receive the SPE Distinguished Achievement Award for Petroleum Engineering Faculty.
She holds a PhD in petroleum engineering from China University of Petroleum.
SPE Distinguished Member Award
SPE Distinguished Membership, limited to 1% of SPE professional membership, recognizes SPE members whose achievements and/or service to the Society are deemed worthy of special recognition.
Ibrahim H. Al-Arnaout is senior vice president of unconventional resources at Aramco where he began his career in 1998. Since then, he has held various leadership positions including vice president of unconventional resources engineering, drilling, and completions; vice president of drilling engineering and chief drilling engineer; director of the unconventional reservoir engineering department and he established and led the unconventional resources well completion operations and production engineering department. He previously held numerous positions managing production engineering, oil well services, and gas well completion units and divisions across the company’s southern operational area.
Al-Arnaout is a member of the board of directors for Aramco Gulf Operations Company and a member of the board of directors of the SPE Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (SPE-KSA) Section.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and has completed several leadership courses, including the Stanford Executive Program, the Aramco Management Development Seminar, and the Saudi Aramco Leadership Forum.
Emad Al Shalabi is an associate professor of petroleum engineering at Khalifa University of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi. His research interests are focused on EOR, geological gas storage, reservoir modeling, and AI/ML. Al Shalabi has coauthored more than 180 scientific papers and is an executive editor for SPE Journal and an associate editor for Journal of Geoenergy Science and Engineering.
An SPE member since 2006, he has served in organizing events as a program chair/co-chair, steering committee member, technical committee member, moderator, session chair/co-chair, and judge. He is a recipient of the 2023 SPE Middle East and North Africa Regional Distinguished Achievement Award for Petroleum Engineering Faculty, 2022 SPE International Giovanni Paccaloni Young Professional Service Award, and 2021 SPE Middle East and North Africa Regional Reservoir Description and Dynamics Award.
Al Shalabi is a registered professional engineer in Texas, an ABET program evaluator, an SPE Certified Petroleum Engineer, and a Certified Project Management Professional.
He holds a PhD in petroleum engineering from The University of Texas at Austin.
Thomas Knode is a principal consultant for vPSI Group. He previously worked as VP of industrial safety for Quantum AI and spent 25 years at Halliburton with his last role as director of HSE standards and performance. He also worked with chemical and heavy equipment manufacturing companies as a director of HSE and an SSU consultant with Equinor.
He was the recipient of the 2015 SPE International Health, Safety, Security, Environment, and Social (HSES) Responsibility Award and the 2008 Gulf Coast Section Health, Safety, and Environment Award. Knode has co-chaired an SPE International HSES conference and five regional SPE HSES conferences. He has been a member of conference committees for nine international SPE HSES conferences, five regional conferences, and multiple workshops.
He has authored or coauthored over 20 technical papers and presented them at SPE conferences. He was on the JPT Editorial Review Board as the HSES representative for 6 years and coauthored eight editorials for JPT. He also participated in two SPE committees that produced technical reports. His other industry activities include participation in the US NIOSH NORA committee for Oil and Gas for over 10 years, chair of IOGP Safety Data Task Force, and an API committee to rewrite RP 76.
He holds a BS from Texas Christian University and an MS from The University of Texas at Arlington, both in geology.
Carolyn A. Koh is university distinguished professor and professor of chemical and biological engineering and director of the Center for Hydrate Research at the Colorado School of Mines (CSM). She was a Reader at King’s College, London University, before joining CSM. She has been a visiting professor at Cornell, Penn State, and London University.
She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). She is associate editor of the SPE Journal and was chair of the SPE Flow Assurance Technology Section in 2022. She has established internationally recognized research programs over the past 2 decades on gas hydrates in flow assurance and gas capture and storage. She has received several international awards, including the Young Scientist Award of the British Association for Crystal Growth, 2021 IChemE Guggenheim Medal, 2021 Yeram S. Touloukian Award, 2021 Gas Processors Association Donald L. Katz Award, and 2023 SPE International Projects, Facilities, Construction International Award. She has 245 publications and has advised/mentored 38 PhD, 17 MS, and 32 postdoctoral students.
She holds BSc and PhD degrees from the University of West London and postdoctoral training at Cornell University.
Hamid Emami-Meybodi is an associate professor of petroleum and natural gas engineering at The Pennsylvania State University. Formerly the chair of the university’s petroleum and natural gas engineering program, Emami-Meybodi’s area of expertise includes advancing technologies for enhanced hydrocarbon recovery, production data analysis, and the optimization of geological storage for CO2 and hydrogen.
With more than 20 years of professional experience in upstream research and technology development, he has published over 100 technical papers in the reservoir engineering discipline.
He holds BSc and MSc degrees in chemical and reservoir engineering from the Petroleum University of Technology and MEng, MSc, and PhD degrees in petroleum engineering from the University of Calgary.
Kozo Sato is a senior expert at the technical headquarters of INPEX Corp., specializing in carbon capture and storage (CCS) and is interested in applied mathematics for flow dynamics. He is an emeritus professor at the University of Tokyo.
Sato started his career at Teikoku Oil as a reservoir engineer, before joining the university as a professor in the school of engineering and as director of the Frontier Research Center for Energy and Resources. He has worked on EOR studies in UAE, Turkey, and Venezuela and fracturing projects targeting volcanics in Japan. His promoting of CCS deployment has led to two demonstration projects, earning him several honors, including the Cox Visiting Professor Award from Stanford University.
He served on the SPE technical committee for Reservoir Monitoring and Testing, Unconventional Gas Program, and Applied Technology Workshops. He was also a technical editor for SPE Formation Evaluation journal, awarded Outstanding Technical Editor, and served as a chief director of the SPE Japan Section.
His publications include 80 technical papers, five book chapters, and two reference books on complex analysis.
Sato holds a BEng degree from the University of Tokyo and MS and PhD degrees from Stanford University.
Siamack A. Shirazi is a professor of mechanical engineering, director of the Erosion/Corrosion Research Center, at The University of Tulsa (TU), and director of TU Sand Management Projects. He has contributed to over 700 publications and technical and invited presentations related to erosion/corrosion and multiphase flow.
Shirazi and his students and colleagues have developed models for predicting erosion and threshold velocities that have replaced the long-used API RP 14E for determining critical flow velocities to avoid damage in flowlines, tubing, expanders, reducers, chokes, and other flow equipment. These methods are in software called SPPS for Sand Production Pipe Saver (also known as “Tulsa Model”).
He is the recipient of the 2013 NACE Technical Achievement Award, 2008 ASME Fellow, 2015 NACE Fellow, 2018 SPE Mid-Continent North America Regional Projects, Facilities, and Construction Award, and the 2019 ASME-Petroleum Fluids Engineering Award.
Shirazi holds BS, MS, and PhD degrees, all in mechanical engineering, from the University of New Mexico.
Diane Wood has been the section manager for SPE Aberdeen since 2009. Previously, she worked for the Society of the Chemical Industry in London as the corporate business development manager and a researcher in a scientific institute prior to that. She is an author/coauthor of 12 published scientific papers. She recently was awarded an MBE by the King in the UK for charitable and voluntary services in Scotland.
She is the chairperson of the board of the Scottish charity Therapet and has been a trustee and area representative for 25 years. Wood is passionate about helping others and works for various charities including Breast Cancer Now, Brain Tumor Research, and was a Rotarian for numerous years, she is also a layperson of the Justice of the Peace in Scotland and volunteers in the high-security prison with her dogs.
She is passionate about SPE and works to make sure all the members feel they are part of a family when they join the Aberdeen Section.
She holds a postgraduate degree from the Royal Microscopical Society Oxford.
SPE Distinguished Service Award
The SPE Distinguished Service Award recognizes exceptional devotion of time, effort, thought, and action to the Society that sets them apart from other contributions.
Luis F. Ayala is department head and William A. Fustos Family Professor in the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering at Penn State.
Ayala has served as executive editor for SPE Journal and editor in chief of The Way Ahead. He has contributed to SPE committees, including the Reservoir Description and Dynamics Advisory Committee, Book Development Committee, and ATCE technical committees (reservoir engineering, recovery mechanisms, and flow in porous media). He received SPE Outstanding Technical Editor Awards, 2020 SPE Eastern North America Regional Reservoir Description and Dynamics Award, and the 2025 SPE Eastern North America Regional Outstanding Service Award.
He is an SPE Distinguished Member, Fulbright Scholar, and recipient of the Fulbright-Colciencias Innovation and Technology Award. At Penn State, he has received honors for outstanding teaching, faculty advising, and faculty mentoring and has been recognized with the Charles Hosler Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Faculty Award and the Howard B. Palmer Faculty Mentor Award.
Ayala holds dual engineering degrees in chemical and petroleum engineering from Universidad de Oriente, Venezuela, and MS and PhD degrees in petroleum and natural gas engineering from Penn State.
SPE Giovanni Paccaloni Young Professional Service Award
The SPE Giovanni Paccaloni Young Professional Service Award recognizes contributions to and leadership in the public and community arenas and SPE, the profession, and the industry by a member younger than 36.
Mohamad Yousef Alklih is a senior reservoir engineer at ADNOC Onshore. He is the recipient of the 2018 SPE Middle East North Africa Regional Service Award, 2021 SPE Middle East North Africa Regional Young Professionals Outstanding Service Award, and 2024 Middle East North Africa Public Service Award. Additionally, he was recognized as one of the 2024 Energy Influencers by The Way Ahead.
With over 30 publications to his name, he has participated in technical committees for prestigious conferences.
He has served as the chair of the SPE International Young Professionals Committee (2023–2024) and has been an executive board member of SPE Abu Dhabi Section since 2023 where he holds the position of technical program chair.
He holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in petroleum engineering from Khalifa University.
Natan Battisti is a petroleum engineer with a foundation in finance, driven by a passion for energy economics and the transformative impact of hydrocarbons. He joined Harbour Energy as an intern in Brazil and spent nearly 6 years at the company’s London HQ before relocating to Buenos Aires in 2025 where he now serves as VP of finance for Argentina at Harbour Energy.
Beyond his corporate role, he is committed to developing students and young professionals. As a STEM Ambassador and former chair of the SPE London Section, he led initiatives promoting STEM and energy education in schools. An SPE member since 2013, he has held leadership roles across Brazil and the UK and currently serves as administration chair for the SPE International Management Technical Section and on the Energy Education Advisory Committee.
Battisti also contributes to the Switch Energy Alliance Advisory Committee and Pragma’s Talent Committee. He is the founder of Até o Último Barril (“Until the Last Barrel”), a platform empowering young talent in Brazil’s energy sector.
Bebenimibo Ebifagha is a distinguished reservoir engineer with NNPC E&P Ltd., where he plays a critical role in ensuring optimal recovery from one of Africa's largest and most significant assets, OML 11. He previously served as a process engineer with Indorama Eleme Fertilizer and Chemicals Ltd.
He was honored as the 2009 Delta State Best Chemistry Student, an award sponsored by Chevron, and won five major scholarships from various energy companies while pursuing his degree. He is the recipient of the 2023 SPE Africa Regional Service Award. He serves as SPE Africa PetroBowl Coordinator, SPE Nigeria Student Programs Co-Chair, and SPE Warri Section Young Professionals Chair.
He holds a BSc in chemical engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.
Walter Egbueze is an environmental engineer at Chevron Phillips with experience across manufacturing, technology, and oil and gas sectors in advancing sustainability and compliance strategies. His career includes roles at ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Amazon, and Cummins.
He served as president of the SPE Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Student Chapter in 2015 and later as the 2024–2025 Young Professional Chair for the Permian Basin. He was also a 2024 SPE Regional awardee.
He serves on the board of the National Society of Black Engineers Houston Professionals Chapter as the 2025–2026 internal vice president. He is also an independent financial entrepreneur, dedicated to helping families across the US diversify their financial portfolios and build generational wealth.
He is the recipient of the 2024 SPE Africa Regional Young Professional Outstanding Service Award and a 2025 Marquis Who’s Who in America honoree.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from OAU, an MS in environmental engineering from Texas A&M University, and executive education in environmental sustainability from the Harvard School of Public Health.
Sodiq Kehinde is a well engineer at NNPC E&P Ltd., where he also serves as the technical assistant to the executive director of the central technical services division.
An SPE member since 2010, he has served as immediate past young professional (YP) chairperson of the Benin City Section, technical committee lead for the 2025 SPE Africa YP Workshop, organized Lunch & Learn events for more than 200 YPs, and assisted in key technical symposia.
He holds a bachelor's degree in petroleum engineering from the University of Ibadan and a master's in geosciences from the Pan African University.
Miral Tawfik is a lead reservoir engineer in the Chevron Technical Center in Houston. Prior to Chevron, she worked as a reservoir engineer in BG Group in Egypt and Tunisia.
Tawfik received the 2025 SPE Gulf Coast North America Regional Young Professional Member Outstanding Service Award, the 2024 Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce Houston Role Model Award, and the 2022 SPE Gulf Coast Section (GCS) Exemplary Volunteer Award. She served on multiple SPE committees, including as chair of the SPE GCS Data Analytics Study Group and deputy chair of the SPE Diversity & Inclusion Committee.
Tawfik holds a bachelor’s degree in petroleum and energy engineering from The American University in Cairo, and a PhD in energy and mineral engineering from The Pennsylvania State University.
SPE/AIME Honorary Member Award
Honorary Membership is the highest honor SPE confers upon an individual. It is limited to 0.1% of SPE’s total membership and is conferred on individuals for outstanding service to SPE or in recognition of distinguished scientific or engineering achievement in fields encompassed in SPE’s technical scope.
John Killough is professor emeritus of petroleum engineering at Texas A&M University. His more than 50 years in the petroleum industry included positions with Halliburton/Landmark, Exxon, and ARCO, as well as overseas assignments with Saudi Aramco, Sonatrach, and Total. He spent 10 years at the University of Houston department of chemical engineering and more than a decade at the department of petroleum engineering at Texas A&M University where he retired as the Hickox Professor in 2022.
His SPE awards include the 2013 SPE International Reservoir Description and Dynamics award and the 2016 SPE International Distinguished Member. In 1977 he was awarded the AIME Rossiter W. Raymond Award and the Alfred Noble Prize by the IEEE. He is the author of approximately 100 technical papers and has often presented his work at SPE conferences. He has served on SPE committees including as chair of the Reservoir Simulation Symposium and SPE ATCE reservoir engineering coordinator.
He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering, and PhD in mathematical sciences, all from Rice University.
SPE John Franklin Carll Award for Distinguished Professionals
The John Franklin Carll Award recognizes contributions of technical application and professionalism in petroleum development and recovery.
Tad Patzek is professor emeritus at King Abdullah University of Science & Technology, Saudi Arabia, and former director of the Ali I. Al‐Naimi Petroleum Engineering Research Center. He previously worked as the Lois K. and Richard D. Folger Leadership Professor and Chair of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin; professor of geoengineering at the University of California, Berkeley; Shell Western E&P in Bakersfield, California; and at Shell Development’s Bellaire Research Center in Houston.
Patzek is an SPE Distinguished Member and recipient of the SPE IOR/EOR Pioneer Award. With coauthors, he received the 2013 Cozzarelli Prize from the US National Academy of Sciences. Best known for his work on steam foam, shale, and diatomite reservoir production, he has coauthored over 400 technical papers and reports. In 2011, he joined the US Department of the Interior’s Ocean Energy Safety Advisory Committee.
He holds a PhD in chemical engineering and a BS in physics from the Technical Silesian University in Gliwice, Poland.
SPE Lester C. Uren Award for Technical Excellence
The Lester C. Uren Award recognizes distinguished achievement in petroleum engineering technology by a member who made the contribution before age 45.
Ali Alyousef is dean of the College of Petroleum Engineering & Geosciences at King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM). He has driven initiatives in student education, applied research, and entrepreneurship, strengthening ties with energy and mining sectors. Previously, he spent over 30 years at Aramco, most recently as upstream research manager, leading projects in reservoir engineering, IOR/EOR, water management, carbon capture and storage, CO2 mineralization, hydrogen, and geothermal energy. He is the inventor of the award-winning SmartWater flooding technology.
Alyousef has authored more than 167 publications, two textbooks, and 119 intellectual property contributions. His awards include the 2016 SPE IOR Pioneer Award, the 2020 SPE Distinguished Membership Award, and 2023 SPE International Distinguished Service Award. He received the 2015 and 2022 Saudi Aramco President and CEO Excellence Award, 2018 King’s Award for Innovation, 2020 and 2022 World Oil Awards, 2023 Hart Energy’s Special Meritorious Award for Engineering Innovation, and 2023 West Environmental Excellence Award. He was elected 2021 Fellow of the Energy Institute.
Alyousef holds a BS in chemical engineering from KFUPM, and MS and PhD degrees in petroleum engineering from The University of Texas at Austin.
SPE Public Service Award
The SPE Public Service Award recognizes distinguished public service to a country, state, community, or the public through excellence in leadership, service, or humanitarianism, provided the service is above the requirements of employment.
Diane Wood has been the section manager for SPE Aberdeen since 2009. Previously, she worked for the Society of the Chemical Industry in London as the corporate business development manager and a researcher in a scientific institute prior to that. She is an author/coauthor of 12 published scientific papers. She recently was awarded an MBE by the King in the UK for charitable and voluntary services in Scotland.
She is the chairperson of the board of the Scottish charity Therapet and has been a trustee and area representative for 25 years. Wood is passionate about helping others and works for various charities including Breast Cancer Now, Brain Tumor Research, and was a Rotarian for numerous years, she is also a layperson of the Justice of the Peace in Scotland and volunteers in the high-security prison with her dogs.
She is passionate about SPE and works to make sure all the members feel they are part of a family when they join the Aberdeen Section.
She holds a postgraduate degree from the Royal Microscopical Society Oxford.
SPE Technical Awards
These awards recognize outstanding achievements or contributions to the advancement of petroleum engineering in specific technical disciplines.
SPE Completions Optimization and Technology Award
Joseph H. Frantz Jr. is CEO of Frantz & Associates LLC, a consulting company working in the upstream oil and gas sector. He works with ResFrac and Deep Well Services where he is a senior executive advisor. He previously worked at Range Resources as the VP of engineering in the Marcellus, Upper Devonian, and Utica plays and then as VP of engineering technology at a corporate level. He started working on shale reservoirs in 1984 with Getty Oil and Texaco in California. He has been involved with completion and reservoir simulation projects in shale reservoirs for many decades.
Frantz also worked as a consultant for 16 years with S.A. Holditch and Schlumberger DCS where he managed offices in Pennsylvania and Oklahoma. He has authored or coauthored more than 60 publications and taught several industry courses.
He was awarded the 2001 SPE Eastern Regional Service Award, 2022 SPE Completions Technology and Optimization Award, and is a two-time SPE Distinguished Lecturer. He continues to serve on numerous technical committees within SPE and previously served as a regional director on the SPE Board for 3 years.
He holds a BSc in petroleum and natural gas engineering from The Pennsylvania State University.
SPE Data Science and Engineering Analytics Award
Pushpesh Sharma is director of product management at Aspen Technology, where he leads the strategy for Aspen HYSYS. Prior to AspenTech, he was a senior research data scientist at Inveniam Asset Management, where he developed data-driven tools for upstream asset evaluation and energy trading. He began his career at Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. managing complex refining operations and leading Six Sigma and energy optimization initiatives.
Sharma serves as chair of the SPE Data Science and Engineering Analytics Technical Section. He previously chaired the SPE Gulf Coast Section Data Analytics Study Group and served as membership chair for the SPE Geothermal Technical Section.
He is a recipient of the 2022 SPE North America Regional Young Member Outstanding Service Award, 2021 SPE Gulf Coast Section Service Award, and the 2022 SPE Outstanding Technical Reviewer Award. He received the AspenTech CEO Excellence Award in 2023 and 2024.
He has authored over 15 peer-reviewed publications and was named a 2020 Energy Influencer by SPE’s The Way Ahead.
Sharma holds a PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Houston and a BTech from IIT-BHU.
SPE Drilling Engineering Award
Junichi Sugiura is the VP and cofounder of Sanvean Technologies. He was formerly an SLB principal engineer in the UK.
Sugiura previously served as a session chair and drilling/completions program committee chair for the IADC/SPE Drilling Conference and the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE). In 2019, he served as an SPE ATCE vice chair in Calgary, and he was a 2020 SPE ATCE chair in Houston. He is an executive editor for SPE Journal and received the 2022 and 2024 SPE Outstanding Associate Editor Award and 2021 and 2022 SPE Outstanding Technical Reviewer Award.
He is the author/coauthor of 70 publications/presentations and holds 60 US patents (approximately 150 patents worldwide) in downhole technology.
Sugiura was a 2020 SPE Distinguished Member, SPE Distinguished Lecturer, and received the 2021 SPE North Sea Regional Drilling Engineering Award, 2022 North Sea Regional Service Award, 2023 SPE International Distinguished Service Award, and 2023 SPE A Peer Apart Award.
He is a Chartered Engineer, Chartered Petroleum Engineer, Chartered Energy Engineer, Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, and Fellow of the Energy Institute.
He holds a BS degree in electrical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
SPE Formation Evaluation Award
Susan Herron spent her 32-year career at SLB-Doll Research (SDR), where she applied her background in geology to pioneer the use of nuclear spectroscopy in the oil field. Her work included the investigation of the relationships between core chemical composition and formation properties, development of innovative applications for nuclear spectroscopy tools, and the management of the nuclear physics research group. In 2015, she retired from her scientific advisor role at SLB.
Her contributions were recognized with the 1986 Best of SPWLA Symposium Award and for two papers in 2015. She served as an SPWLA Distinguished Speaker in 1987–1988 and 2014–2015. She organized and co-chaired an SPWLA topical conference and a symposium short course, and she presented at other industry events.
She has coauthored more than 50 journal articles, two book chapters, and holds 12 patents.
She holds a BS degree from Tufts University and MA and PhD degrees from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
SPE Health, Safety, and Environment Award
Timi Oriaku is an environment advocate with 20 years’ experience in the oil and gas industry. She currently heads the environmental management unit of health, safety, and environment (HSE) in the Nigerian National Petroleum Company E&P Ltd. (NEPL), Benin, with expertise in the remediation of oil- and tar-contaminated sites.
She is a certified HSE practitioner in occupational health and safety, a certified project management professional, and initiator of the NNPC World Environment Day Outreach for NEPL host communities which have positively impacted over 15,000 students in 79 schools across onshore and riverine areas in Edo, Delta, and Rivers states.
She currently serves on the SPE Nigeria Council Technical Papers Review Committee and has been the co-chair of the SPE Technical Papers Committee for 2 years. She is the recipient of the 2023 SPE Africa Regional Health, Safety, and Environment Award and has authored and coauthored technical papers published in journals and presented at various conferences. She is a music composer, violinist, and a passionate youth director.
She holds a doctorate degree in petroleum geochemistry from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne.
SPE Management Award
Eric Bickel is a professor and director of the Operations Research & Industrial Engineering program at The University of Texas at Austin. He holds courtesy appointments in the department of petroleum and geosystems engineering and the department of information, risk, and operations management in the McCombs School of Business.
His research interests include the theory and practice of decision analysis and its application to corporate strategy, public policy, and sports. His work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Financial Times, and Sports Illustrated. He has published over 60 journal articles, including SPE publications.
Bickel joined Strategic Decisions Group in 1995, where he remains a partner. He has practiced decision analysis for over 30 years. He consults around the world in a range of industries, including oil and gas, electricity generation/transmission/delivery, energy trading and marketing, commodity and specialty chemicals, financial services, and metals and mining.
He is a Fellow of the Society of Decision Professionals and a past president of the Decision Analysis Society.
He holds a BS in mechanical engineering from New Mexico State University and MS and PhD degrees from the department of engineering-economic systems at Stanford University.
SPE Production and Operations Award
Baojun Bai is a Curators’ Distinguished Professor and the Lester R. Birbeck Endowed Chair in Petroleum Engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology (S&T), where he also serves as program head and director of the Preformed Particle Gel Conformance Control Consortium. He has nearly 30 years of experience in conformance control, EOR, unconventional reservoirs, CO2 storage, and geothermal energy.
Bai has authored approximately 300 peer-reviewed journal papers and over 160 SPE conference papers. He has supervised nearly 100 graduate students. His work has been cited more than 18,000 times as of 2025. He received the 2024 SPE IOR Pioneer Award, 2023 SPE Distinguished Achievement Award for Petroleum Engineering Faculty, and 2019 SPE Distinguished Member. He has served on SPE committees including the SPE International Awards, SPE ATCE, and SPE Asia Pacific Oil & Gas Conference. He is an associate editor for multiple petroleum engineering-related journals.
Bai holds a PhD in petroleum engineering from New Mexico Tech, a PhD in petroleum geology from China University of Geosciences, an MS from RIPED (PetroChina), and a BS from Daqing Petroleum Institute. He was a postdoctoral scholar at Caltech (2005–2006).
SPE Projects, Facilities, and Construction Award
Anh Tuan Do is R&D flexible composite manager and principal technology expert at TechnipFMC. He began his career at Institut Français du Pétrole Energies Nouvelles, contributing to the pioneering flexible pipes team. Later joining TechnipFMC, he has led programs aimed at advancing flexible pipe design, focusing on developing novel materials that withstand the rigorous demands of offshore energy production.
He has published numerous technical publications and presentations at conferences. Do is the named inventor on more than 25 patents.
He holds an MSc in mechanics and material sciences from Université de Technologie de Compiègne.
SPE Reservoir Description and Dynamics Award
Subhash Ayirala is a petroleum engineering consultant and currently the focus area champion at Saudi Aramco’s EXPEC Advanced Research Center. His areas of expertise include waterflooding, improved oil recovery, and produced water management with an extended R&D focus on CO2 mineralization and mineral recovery. He previously worked for Shell E&P and has 20 years of experience in the industry.
Ayirala has authored or coauthored 130 technical papers, 86 journal publications, and 65 granted patents.
He is a member of SPE Reservoir Advisory Committee and editorial board of SPE Journal. He served as a member of SPE IOR-EOR Terminology Review Committee, executive editor of SPE Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering, and an SPE Distinguished Lecturer. He received the SPE Outstanding Technical Editor Award 11 times, 2017 SPE A Peer Apart Award, 2019 SPE Middle East North Africa Regional Service Award, 2020 SPE Distinguished Member Award, 2022 Saudi Aramco Excellence Award, 2023 SPE Middle East North Africa Regional Reservoir Description and Dynamics Award, and 2024 SPE Distinguished Service Award. He has also been elected as Fellow of Energy Institute in 2025.
He holds master’s and PhD degrees in petroleum engineering from Louisiana State University. He also holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering from Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, and IIT, Kharagpur, India, respectively.
SPE Sustainability and Stewardship in the Oil and Gas Industry Award
Zhenhua Rui is a distinguished chair professor and associate dean of carbon neutrality future technology, director of the CCUS Research Institute at China University of Petroleum-Beijing (CUPB), and head of UNESCO Chair in Green Transition for Carbon Neutrality and Climate Change. He previously was a research scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s department of mechanical engineering.
He has served on SPE committees, including the Projects, Facilities, and Construction Advisory Committee; Health, Safety, Environment Advisory Committee; SPE Distinguished Lecturer Committee; AIME Hoover Medal Board; and AIME Engineering Solutions for Sustainability Committee. He was ATCE specialty coordinator, subcommittee chairperson, and National Capital Section program chairperson.
He is a member of United Nations Expert Group on Resource Management and cofounder of MIT A+B Energy Platform. He serves as editor in chief of ASME Energy Resource Technology and an associate editor for SPE Journal. He has published more than 120 journal and conference papers, four books, and 30 patents.
Rui is a recipient of the 2019 SPE Distinguished Member, 2021 SPE International Distinguished Service Award, and Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award.
He holds an MS degree in geophysics from CUPB and an MS degree in petroleum engineering and a PhD in energy and mineral engineering from the University of Alaska.