Each year at the Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE), SPE honors members whose exceptional contributions to the Society and the petroleum industry have earned special distinction. Award recipients will be recognized at the Annual Awards Banquet on Thursday, 22 October 2026. All ATCE attendees are invited to join this special celebration of excellence and achievement. Seating is limited, so reserve your ticket today to ensure you don’t miss one of ATCE’s premier events. Register at: https://www.atce.org/registration.
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 awarded for outstanding service to SPE or in recognition of distinguished scientific or engineering achievement in fields encompassed in SPE’s technical scope.
Kishore Mohanty is the W.A. (Monty) Moncrief Centennial Chair Professor in Petroleum Engineering in the Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin (UT PGE). He previously worked at ARCO Oil & Gas Company R&D before joining the faculty at the University of Houston where he worked for 17 years. He joined UT PGE in 2009 and was the director of the Center for Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering from 2013 to 2019. His research interests are EOR, carbon capture and storage, hydrogen generation, and nanotechnology.
He is the recipient of the 2022 SPE John Franklin Carll Award for Distinguished Professionals Award, 2016 SPE International Distinguished Achievement Award for Petroleum Engineering Faculty, and 2013 AIME/SPE Anthony F. Lucas Technical Leadership Gold Medal.
He holds a BS from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, and PhD from the University of Minnesota, both in chemical engineering.
Ding Zhu is a professor and holder of the McCain Engineering Endowed Chair in the Texas A&M Petroleum Engineering Department. She is an author of more than 220 technical papers and a coauthor of three textbooks in production and completion engineering.
She was an SPE Distinguished Lecturer in 2011–2012 and 2018–2019 and is the recipient of the 2012 SPE Distinguished Member Award, 2010 SPE International Distinguished Achievement Award for Petroleum Engineering Faculty, 2016 SPE International Award for Completion Optimization and Technology, and 2024 SPE International Distinguished Service Award.
She has served on many SPE committees, including as chair of the SPE Austin Section, on technical program committees for ATCE, IPTC, HFTC, and IHFTC, on SPE award committees for completion technology and faculty achievement, on the SPE Book Development Committee and SPE Distinguished Lecturer Committee; and as a longtime SPE Journal editor.
She holds a BS degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Science and Technology, Beijing, and MS and PhD degrees in petroleum engineering, both from The University of Texas at Austin.
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.
Ram R. Ratnakar is a senior researcher, subject-matter expert in PVT and reactive transport, technical authority, and line-of-defense auditor at Shell. With more than 18 years of research experience, he contributed significantly to computational science, multiscale modeling, thermodynamics, hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, geothermal energy, and electrification to support Shell’s global energy transition initiatives.
He is an adjunct faculty member in the University of Houston Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Within SPE, he serves on the Reservoir and Data Science and Engineering Analytics advisory committees and on the 2026 ATCE Energy Transition Subcommittee.
He is an associate editor of the SPE Journal and chairs the 2026 SPE Cedric K. Ferguson Award Committee. He is the recipient of the 2026 SPE International Distinguished Member Award.
A dedicated SPE educator, he has delivered multiple SPE online education webinars on multiscale modeling and transport in porous media, helping advance technical competency across the industry.
Ratnakar has authored 80+ technical papers, holds seven patents, and has coauthored two books: Carbon Capture and Storage in the Oil and Gas Industry: Solutions for the Energy Transition and Applied Linear Analysis for Chemical Engineers.
He holds a PhD from the University of Houston and a BTech from IIT Delhi, both in chemical engineering.
Johana Dunlop has spent 35 years in the upstream oil and gas industry, 27 with SLB in risk management, HSE and sustainability leadership positions, followed by 3 years serving on the SPE Board of Directors as HSES Technical Director while running her own sustainability consultancy. In 2021, she joined the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (IOGP) as head of membership, driving growth and the value of membership to a global ecosystem of nearly 100 companies collaborating to raise industry practices in HSE, energy transition, and engineering.
In 2007, an SPE leader encouraged her to join, and she has since served on more than a dozen global conference committees, nominated many regional and international award winners, mobilized thousands of volunteers, founded the SPE Gaia Program and the SPE IOGP CEDEP Safety Leadership Academy, and is the recipient of the 2017 South, Central, and East Europe Regional Health, Safety, and Environment Award.
Her education in the classics and management science, along with a career-defining volunteer experience in post-Soviet Armenia, catalyzed her conviction that business is the greatest force for improving quality of life and is key to the future fitness of any industry, its members, and humanity’s ability to live within planetary boundaries. This conviction became her professional purpose.
Caili Dai is a national distinguished professor at China University of Petroleum (East China), specializing in oilfield chemistry and enhanced oil and gas recovery. With over 30 years of experience, she has led national R&D programs focusing on mature oilfield EOR, unconventional reservoir fracturing, and CCUS-related technologies.
She has published extensively in technical journals and has had over 30 patented technologies licensed to oilfield service companies, with wide application across 30 domestic and six international oil fields.
She has received numerous awards including the National Second Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress, National Second Prize for Technology, China Youth Science and Technology Award, Guanghua Engineering Science and Technology Youth Award, and the National Innovation Excellence Award. She is recognized as a highly-cited scholar by Elsevier and listed among Global Lifetime Impact Scientists.
She leads the Shandong Provincial Huang Danian-Style Teacher Team and has trained 156 graduate and postdoctoral researchers, including nine national-level talents.
She holds a PhD in petroleum engineering from China University of Petroleum.
Steve McCants is president of Rivercrest Oil and Gas LLC, where he provides consulting services to industry clients while pursuing independent oil and gas projects. He previously held positions with CC Energy Service Inc., Occidental Petroleum Corp., Altura Energy, and Amoco Production Co. His experience spans corporate reserves, subsurface management, waterfloods, and CO₂ floods. He has more than 46 years of oil and gas industry experience, with expertise in reservoir engineering, reserves and resources evaluation, and technical leadership.
Throughout his career, McCants has been deeply involved with SPE. His service to the SPE Gulf Coast Section has included developing new study groups and serving on its board of directors as treasurer, vice chairperson, and as section chair.
He has contributed to numerous SPE committees, including the SPE Oil and Gas Reserves Committee, where he held roles including chairperson, committee member, and training subcommittee chairperson.
He holds a BS in industrial engineering from Texas A&M 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.
Michael J. King is a professor, holder of the LeSuer Chair in Reservoir Management, and co-director of the Model Calibration and Efficient Reservoir Imaging Joint Industry Program in the department of petroleum engineering at Texas A&M University, which he joined in 2009. Previously he spent 27 years with BP America, where he was a senior advisor in reservoir modeling and simulations and worked in a variety of reservoir engineering leadership, research, and operational roles spanning the pore, core, laboratory, and reservoir scales.
King is the recipient of the 2013 SPE Distinguished Member Award and 2011 SPE Reservoir Description and Dynamics Award. He has served as an SPE Distinguished Lecturer 2006–2007 and has served on the SPE Cedric K. Ferguson and SPE Reservoir Description and Dynamics Award committees. King has authored many technical papers, is active at SPE conferences, and is coauthor of the SPE textbook Streamline Simulation: Theory and Practice.
He holds MS and PhD degrees in theoretical physics from Syracuse University and BS degrees in mathematics and physics from The Cooper Union.
SPE/AIME Anthony F. Lucas Gold Medal for Technical Leadership
The Anthony F. Lucas Gold Medal recognizes achievements that advance the techniques and practices used to find and produce petroleum.
Mojdeh Delshad is a research professor at the Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin). She has over 30 years of experience in multiscale modeling of chemical- and gas-EOR projects.
Prior to joining UT Austin, she was the assistant director and co-principal investigator of the DOE-funded Center for Frontiers of Subsurface Energy Security and served as vice president and later president and CEO of Ultimate EOR Services.
She is the recipient of the 2014 SPE International Distinguished Member Award and 2024 SPE IOR Pioneer Award. She has managed two SPE books and serves as a technical editor. Her reserach is reflected in 150 journal papers and 170 reviewed conference papers.
Delshad has led research tied to the oil and gas industry and geared toward better understanding and numerical models of multiphase flow, with emphasis on traditional and hybrid EOR methods. Her research is reflected in the recognition of UT's chemical enhanced oil recovery reservoir simulator (UTCHEM), as a mechanistic reservoir simulator for chemical EOR worldwide. Since 2020, she has expanded her interests to explore depleted oil and gas reservoirs for hydrogen, geothermal, and hydropower.
She holds a BS in chemical engineering from Sharif University and MS and PhD degrees in petroleum engineering from UT Austin.
SPE Lester C. Uren Award for Technical Excellence
The Lester C. Uren Award recognizes distinguished achievement in petroleum engineering technology by a member whose contribution was made before age 45.
Silviu Livescu is technical founder, CTO, and board director of Bedrock Energy, leading development of low-enthalpy geothermal drilling technologies transforming building heating and cooling. Previously, he was a tenured faculty member in Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, chief scientist for pressure pumping at Baker Hughes, a research engineer at ExxonMobil, and postdoctoral research fellow at Stanford University. His work spans subsurface, drilling, completions, and production engineering across geothermal and hydrocarbon applications.
Livescu served on the SPE Board of Directors as Data Science and Engineering Analytics Technical Director. He is an SPE Distinguished Member, editor-in-chief of SPE Journal, and former editor-in-chief of Geoenergy Science and Engineering. He has co-chaired inaugural SPE conferences and has edited and peer-reviewed more than 20,000 papers for SPE and Elsevier journals. He has authored hundreds of papers and patents and edited an Elsevier book.
He is a recipient of the 2026 Washington Award, jointly conferred by AIME, ANS, ASCE, ASME, IEEE, NSPE, and WSE, and the 2019 SPE International Distinguished Service Award.
Livescu holds a PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of Delaware and MS/BS in mechanical engineering from the National University of Science and Technology Politehnica of Bucharest, Romania.
SPE/AIME DeGolyer Distinguished Service Medal
The DeGolyer Distinguished Service Medal recognizes distinguished and outstanding service to SPE, the engineering and geosciences professions, and the petroleum industry.
Cameron Matthews is a principal engineering consultant and expert witness at Matthews Petroleum Engineering Services. He previously spent 37 years with C-FER Technologies as an applied researcher, consultant, C-FER Fellow, and senior technical specialist in the upstream oil and gas and geothermal sectors. His work focused on developing technologies and design methodologies to reduce risk and improve drilling, completion, and production operations. He holds five patents related to drilling and production processes.
An SPE member since 1990, Matthews has served in international, regional, and local leadership roles, including Canadian regional director on the SPE Board of Directors; SPE Canada Board member and chair; SPE Membership Committee member and chair; R&D Technical Section Board member; and Edmonton Section Chair.
He has organized and spoken at SPE conferences and workshops, authored/coauthored technical publications, taught SPE short courses, and mentored students and young professionals.
Matthews received the 2022 SPE International Distinguished Member Award and the 2004 Canada Regional Service Award. He is also a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal (Alberta).
He is a registered professional engineer in Alberta and holds BSc and MSc degrees in civil engineering from the University of Manitoba and University of Alberta, respectively.
SPE Cedric K. Ferguson Award Medal
The Cedric K. Ferguson Medal is presented SPE-member authors of an SPE peer-approved technical paper who were age 35 or younger on the date of peer approval.
Ahmed Adeyemi is a data scientist at EOG Resources, where he develops AI-driven reservoir-surrogate and data-science solutions for subsurface engineering and unconventional-resource development. Previously, he served as a reservoir simulation research scientist at Tachyus, reservoir simulation engineer intern at SLB, postdoctoral researcher at The University of Tulsa, and research scientist at CypherCrescent Ltd.
Adeyemi has been active in SPE for more than a decade. He served as president of the SPE University of Lagos Student Chapter 2013–2014. He has completed more than 50 technical manuscript reviews for SPE Journal.
He has authored peer-reviewed technical papers on deep-learning reservoir surrogates, reinforcement learning, history matching, and production optimization. His award-winning SPE Journal paper, “Accelerated Deep Reinforcement Learning in Subsurface Production Optimization,” demonstrated substantial acceleration of reservoir-production optimization using deep-learning surrogate models while closely reproducing high-fidelity simulation results.
He holds a PhD in petroleum engineering from The University of Tulsa and a BSc in petroleum and gas engineering from the University of Lagos.
SPE Cedric K. Ferguson Award Certificate
Coauthors age 36 or older who were SPE members on the date of peer approval receive the Cedric K. Ferguson Certificate.
Mustafa Onur is the McMan Endowed Chair Professor in the McDougall School of Petroleum Engineering at the University of Tulsa (TU) and director of the TU Petroleum Reservoir Exploitation Projects. He is also emeritus professor in the Department of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering at Istanbul Technical University (ITU), Türkiye. He previously served as department head at TU and ITU, held the Schlumberger Professorial Chair at Universiti Teknologi Petronas, and was a faculty member at King Saud University.
He serves as a technical editor for SPE Journal and an associate editor for Geoenergy Science and Engineering. He received the 2026 SPE Cedric K. Ferguson Certificate, 2010 SPE International Formation Evaluation Award, 2018 SPE International Reservoir Description and Dynamics Award, and 2014 SPE Distinguished Member Award.
His research focuses on inverse problems, mathematical optimization, and data science, with applications to reservoir management, history matching, uncertainty quantification, formation testing, pressure/rate/temperature transient data analysis, and hydrothermal and enhanced geothermal systems.
Onur holds a BS degree from the Middle East Technical University and MS and PhD degrees from The University of Tulsa, all in petroleum engineering.
SPE Distinguished Service Award
The SPE Distinguished Service Award recognizes exceptional devotion of time, effort, thought, and action to the Society that distinguishes a recipient's contributions from those of others.
Emad Al Shalabi is an associate professor of petroleum engineering at Khalifa University of Science and Technology. His research interests are focused on EOR, geological gas storage, reservoir modeling, and AI/ML.
Al Shalabi has coauthored more than 200 scientific papers and is an executive editor of SPE Journal and an associate editor 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 2025 SPE International Distinguished Member Award, 2023 SPE Middle East and North Africa Regional Distinguished Achievement Award for Petroleum Engineering Faculty, 2023 SPE A Peer Apart Award, 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.
Yuguang Chen is a principal reservoir engineer in Chevron’s Subsurface Reservoir Engineering Center of Excellence. She has more than 20 years of industry experience, with expertise in reservoir simulation, uncertainty quantification, and unconventional asset development.
A dedicated SPE volunteer, Chen served on the SPE Golden Gate Section Board (2007–2013), holding leadership roles as scholarship chair, program chair, and section vice chair. During that time, she co-led outreach initiatives in San Francisco Bay Area schools, encouraging students to pursue careers in energy and engineering.
Chen has made sustained contributions to SPE’s technical programs and publications. She has served as a technical editor, associate editor, and currently executive editor of SPE Journal. She has authored or coauthored approximately 60 technical papers. Her leadership roles include serving on the SPE Distinguished Lecturer Committee, co-chairing multiple technical themes for the Unconventional Resources Technology Conference, chairing numerous technical sessions, and serving on program committees for SPE Western Regional Meetings.
She is the recipient of the 2022 URTeC Best Paper Award, 2023 SPE Gulf Coast Regional Reservoir Description and Dynamics Award, 2024 SASE Professional Achievement Award, and the 2025 SPE A Peer Apart Award.
She holds MS and PhD degrees in petroleum engineering from Stanford University.
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 that service exceeds the requirements of employment.
Anthony Kunle Ogunkoya is the CEO of ABFO Strategic Investments Ltd. He previously held roles at Gulf Oil Company, Elf Petroleum Nigeria, SLB, TBFF Upstream oil and Gas Consulting Ltd., and Petro Congo SA and Congo Oilfield Services.
In 2022, he founded the Joshua Folabi and Sarah Ibidun Foundation, a charitable organization.
An SPE member for 49 years, he has served on several local and international committees and as secretary and chair of the SPE Angola and Congo sections. He also served on the SPE Membership Committee and the SPE Board of Directors from 2012 to 2015 as Africa Regional Director.
He received the 2007 SPE Africa Regional Service Award, 2019 SPE International Distinguished Service Award, 2019 SPE International Distinguished Member Award, and 2026 SPE International Public Service Award.
He holds an MSc in offshore engineering from Robert Gordon University and a higher degree from the Petroleum Training Institute.
SPE Giovanni Paccaloni Young Professional Service Award
The SPE Giovanni Paccaloni Young Professional Service Award recognizes a member younger than 36 for contributions to and leadership in SPE, the profession, the industry, and the public and community arenas.
Mani Bansal is a lead reservoir engineer at Reliance Industries Ltd. His career includes driving asset projects with Shell in the Gulf of Mexico and the Institute of Reservoir Studies, ONGC.
An SPE member since 2014, he has served as program chair of SPE ATCE Management Committee, a member of the SPE International Young Professionals Committee (YPC), and lead content creator for The Way Ahead. His committee service includes multiple years on the SPE Young Professionals Committee, SPE Regional Student Paper Contest Committee, and SPE Section Award Committee. He currently serves on the executive board of the SPE Asset Management Technical Section as membership chair, and and on the executive board of the SPE NextGen Early Career Lecture Program as lead evaluator for the Eastern Hemisphere.
He is the recipient of the 2021 SPE South Asia Pacific Regional Service Award and represented SPE at the 2024 Emerging Leaders Alliance Conference.
Beyond his technical achievements, he is deeply committed to global mentorship, Energy4me awareness, and publishing work on the energy transition, alongside providing free education to underprivileged children previously through Pertubuhan Kebajikan Yesuvin Mahligai Selangor, Malaysia.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad.
Fengyuan Zhang is deputy director of the International Affairs Office, associate department head for graduate education, and associate professor in the Department of Field Development Engineering at China University of Petroleum, Beijing.
He has served as executive editor of SPE Journal and associate editor for SPE Production & Operations and Journal of Petroleum Exploration and Production Technology. He has also contributed to SPE committees, including the ATCE Reservoir Engineering Subcommittee, SPE Distinguished Lecturer Award Committee, and SPE Section Award Judge Committee.
He received the 2021 SPE Outstanding Technical Editor Award, 2023 SPE Outstanding Associate Editor Award, 2024 SPE Northern Asia Pacific Regional Production and Operations Award, the 2024 The Way Ahead Energy Influencer Award, 2025 IPTC Young Professional Achievement Award, and 2025 SPE Northern Asia Pacific Regional Young Professional Member Outstanding Service Award.
He has published more than 50 technical papers and holds more than 10 patents in petroleum engineering. He has also provided leadership as a director, faculty advisor, and former vice chair of the SPE China University of Petroleum, Beijing Student Chapter.
He holds BSc and MSc degrees in petroleum engineering from China University of Petroleum, Beijing, and a PhD degree in petroleum and natural gas engineering from The Pennsylvania State University.
Emmanuella Agbo, PMP, APM PMQ, is a senior project engineer at Renaissance Africa Energy Company, with experience delivering oil and gas projects across the define, execute, commissioning, and startup phases. She previously served as a project engineer with Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria prior to its transition to Renaissance and has also completed engineering assignments with Nigeria LNG.
A passionate volunteer leader, she currently serves as diversity, equity, and inclusion lead for SPE Port Harcourt Section 103, having previously served as membership chair, young professionals (YP) chair, and YP co-chair. Through SPE, she has led initiatives that expanded access to quality education for underserved communities, empowered women and youth through STEM and leadership programs, and equipped YPs with technical, digital, and industry-relevant skills. She also pioneered initiatives that strengthened member engagement and professional development within the section.
She is the recipient of the 2025 SPE Africa Regional Young Membership Engagement Award and multiple awards at section level.
She holds a BEng in mechanical engineering from the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
Erika Johana Tovar Trujillo is regional manager HSE/SQ for Europe, Eurasia, and Sub-Saharan Africa at Halliburton, based in Stavanger, Norway. She has almost 15 years of international experience across Colombia, US, Romania (covering all Europe), Italy, and Norway.
An SPE member since 2012, she has served as officer and young professional chairperson of the SPE Romanian Section, communications and outreach chairperson of the SPE Stavanger Section, Career Pathway Fair advisor, Energy4me ambassador, and technical session co-chair. She was a founder of SPE Tech Days Romania, a flagship student event that connects more than 300 students with industry professionals.
She is the recipient of the 2021 SPE Europe Regional Service Award, 2022 SPE Tech Days Award, and the 2025 The Way Ahead Energy Influencer Award. She is author or co-author of seven SPE technical papers. Her contributions to SPE focus on mentoring YPs, supporting students, promoting diversity and inclusion, and strengthening engagement across international sections.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from Universidad de América, an MBA from Cerem Business School, and an executive master of management in energy degree through BI Norwegian Business School and IFP School.
Olaoluwa Temitope Adenuga is a production engineer with NNPC E&P Ltd., with more than 6 years of experience in production technology, petrophysics, and well reservoir and facilities management.
An SPE member since 2013, Adenuga has served across the Warri, Lagos, and Benin sections as Ambassador Lecturer Program (ALP) Lecturer, SPE Benin Section ALP Chair, Career and Technical Chair, and Young Professionals (YP) Chair. He also served as co-chair of the SPE Benin Section BTS 2026 Panel Session Committee, contributed to SPE Africa regional YP initiatives, and supported SPE Students Technical Symposium and Exhibition programs.
He is the recipient of the 2019 SPE Lagos Section Exceptional Young Professional Service Award and a three-time recipient of the SPE Benin Section Outstanding Service Award.
Beyond SPE, he is committed to service to humanity through community initiatives supporting schools and children in orphanages. His leadership and sustained service have strengthened young professional development, technical engagement, community impact, and the broader SPE community.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, and an MSc in petroleum engineering from the University of Ibadan.
Ghaida Ahmed Aljuhani is a petroleum engineer with Saudi Aramco, with experience spanning R&D, sustainability, and reservoir management of Safaniya, the world’s largest conventional offshore field. Her journey with Saudi Aramco began in 2016 through its undergraduate sponsorship program, and following her graduation, she began her professional career with the company as a petroleum engineer in 2021.
Aljuhani’s SPE journey began while pursuing petroleum engineering at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). Her SPE involvement continued professionally through leadership roles within the SPE Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) Section and international industry conferences, including IPTC, MEOS GEO, and ADIPEC.
She is the recipient of the 2025 SPE Middle East and North Africa Regional Service Award and 2024 SPE KSA Section Distinguished Volunteer Award.
Aljuhani is the lead inventor of multiple US patents and has authored technical papers presented at international conferences, such as SPE ATCE.
She graduated with first class honors and the University Medal, UNSW’s highest academic distinction. She is currently pursuing her master’s in civil and environmental engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, sponsored by Saudi Aramco.
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.
Jon Olson is the Cockrell Family Chair Emeritus in Engineering #17 in the Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin). He has spent 31 years on the UT Austin petroleum engineering faculty, including 8.5 years as department chair. Before joining UT, he worked for 6 years as a research engineer at Mobil Research and Development Corporation.
He is the recipient of the 2019 SPE International Completions Optimization and Technology Award, 2019 Southwestern North America Regional Distinguished Achievement for Petroleum Engineering Faculty Award, and 2016 SPE International Distinguished Member Award. He has also served as a Distinguished Lecturer for both SPE and AAPG.
He is the author of more than 100 scholarly papers, focused primarily on the applications of fracture and geomechanics to petroleum engineering and structural geology. He has supported and supervised over 40 PhD and MS/MA graduates. His professional society service history includes leadership positions for the Petroleum Engineering Department Heads Association and for the SPE Austin Section, as well as organizing committee membership for conferences, workshops, and special sessions for SPE, ARMA, and AAPG.
He holds BS degrees in both civil engineering and earth sciences from the University of Notre Dame and a PhD degree in applied Earth sciences from Stanford University.
SPE Asset Management Award
Shree Vikas is manager of global market intelligence and business analysis at ConocoPhillips, where he develops the company's perspective on E&P markets, oilfield services, industry pricing, and cost dynamics. Drawing on extensive experience across industry, consulting, and government, Vikas has helped organizations navigate complex decisions at the intersection of engineering, economics, risk, and strategy.
At ConocoPhillips, he pioneered enterprise frameworks and analytical tools for supply-chain economics, cost-escalation methodologies, tariff-risk analysis, and portfolio decision-making to strengthen strategic planning, procurement, and business performance. Previously, he led consulting engagements in market analysis, technology assessment, systems modeling, and policy development.
Beyond his corporate contributions, Vikas is an advisor, mentor, and community builder. He is passionate about helping students and early-career practitioners connect technical expertise with business judgment.
At SPE, he played a pivotal role in transforming the Asset Management Technical Section into a globally recognized discipline advancing upstream asset management principles. He has been recognized with distinguished honors, including ConocoPhillips' SPIRIT and Archimedes awards, Penn State's 125th Anniversary Fellows recognition, 2022 SPE Gulf Coast North America Regional Management Award, and USAEE Senior Fellow designation.
Vikas holds a PhD and MEng from Penn State University, BTech from IIT (ISM), and completed executive education at Rice University.
SPE Completions Optimization and Technology Award
Jianchun Guo is the president of Southwest Petroleum University, the director of the State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, and a National Distinguished Professor. He developed a full-domain propped fracturing technology; a deep carbonate reservoir 3D acid fracturing technology; an integrated viscosity-changing, salt-resistant and resistance-reducing fracturing fluid system; and an AI-based fracturing optimization technology.
He has authored or coauthored more than 350 journal and technical conference papers and holds more than 20 US patents and 170 Chinese patents. His technologies have been applied in 27 oil and gas fields in China and internationally, encompassing more than 4,200 wells.
He is the recipient of the 2026 SPE International Completions Optimization and Technology Award, 2023 SPE Northern Asia Pacific Regional Completions Optimization and Technology Award, two Second Prizes of the State Technological Invention Award, the National Innovation Excellence Medal, and the China Patent Silver Award.
He chaired the SPE Chengdu Section for many years and has been a committee member or chairperson for more than 30 national and international technical conferences, such as IPTC and ARMA conferences.
He holds bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in petroleum engineering from Southwest Petroleum University.
SPE Data Science and Engineering Analytics Award
Pradeepkumar Ashok is senior research scientist in the Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering and associate director of the RAPID Consortium at The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin), conducting research in drilling automation, data analytics, sensor design, and geothermal applications. He is also the CTO and cofounder of Intellicess Inc., guiding development of Sentinel RT, a leading Bayesian network-based drilling advisory software. He previously co-founded R5 Automation, commercializing a directional drilling control system later transferred to a topdrive manufacturer. He began his UT Austin research career as a graduate research assistant in the robotics research group.
Within SPE, he has served as technical director of the SPE Drilling Uncertainty Prediction Technical Section (DUPTS), chair of data quality assurance for the SPE Data Science and Engineering Analytics Technical Section, committee member of the SPE/IADC Drilling Conference and ATCE, and organizer/judge of student competitions for DUPTS and Drillbotics.
He has authored more than 100 journal and conference papers and holds multiple US patents.
He holds a PhD and MS in mechanical engineering from UT Austin, an MS in energy policy from the University of Sussex, and a BS in production engineering and management from the National Institute of Technology Kozhikode, India.
SPE Drilling Engineering Award
Baojiang Sun is a chair professor in China University of Petroleum (UPC) (East China) and a fellow of the Chinese Petroleum Society. His previous roles at UPC include professor, dean of the school of petroleum engineering, and department head of science and technology.
He has advised 68 master students, 53 PhD students, and eight postdocs. He is the founder, faculty advisor, and supporter of the SPE Golden Standard Student Chapter at UPC.
He received the ISEFC Outstanding Engineer Award, the 2024 SPE International Distinguished Member Award, 2024 SPE Northern Asia Pacific Regional Drilling Engineering Award, the Sun Yueqi Energy Grand Prize, and the 2009 Cheung Kong Scholar Chair Professor for his work at UPC. He was awarded two National Science and Technology Awards and one National Teaching Award.
He has published 400 journal and conference papers and five books. He has served as an editor for 10 journals and committee member of four national professional agencies.
He holds a bachelor’s degree from UPC and a doctoral degree from Peking University.
SPE Formation Evaluation Award
Wael Abdallah joined SLB in 2005 as a research scientist at DBR Technology Center in Canada. He currently serves as an SLB New Energy Advisor based in Houston. Previously, he established and managed SLB's North America New Energy Process Engineering Center, which focuses on developing innovative technologies for carbon capture, energy storage, critical minerals, and hydrogen. He was the managing director of the Schlumberger Dhahran Carbonate Research Center in Saudi Arabia, working closely with Saudi Aramco on reservoir characterization and production. In another role, he managed commercial studies investigating reservoir-fluid phase behavior and flow assurance at the DBR Technology Center. Abdallah was an instructor for reservoir fluids for NeXT.
Abdallah received the 2005 Alberta Ingenuity Award. He has coauthored more than 107 peer-reviewed conference papers and holds more than 43 granted patents across multiple technology areas. He holds a professional engineering status in Canada and is an active member of SPE.
He holds a PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Alberta and MSc and BSc degrees in chemical engineering from Jordan University of Science and Technology.
SPE Health, Safety, and Environment Award
Sivaneswaran Kamala Kannan is a chartered chemical engineer with more than 26 years of experience in the energy sector. He serves as vice president of the group process safety within the group health, safety, and environment (HSE) function at ADNOC in Abu Dhabi. He specializes in project delivery and process safety engineering, having led numerous offshore and onshore projects. Throughout his work in HSE risk management, he has developed and implemented safety frameworks and strategies for global energy corporations, enhancing their safety performance.
As a conference advisor for the 2024 and 2026 SPE International Health, Safety, Environment, and Sustainability Conference and Exhibition, he continues to contribute his knowledge and expertise to advancing safety and sustainability in the industry. Kannan also serves as vice chair of the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers Safety Committee and volunteers with the Institute of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) and the Energy Institute.
He holds a master’s degree in chem-polymer engineering and a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Technology Malaysia. He is a Fellow of the IChemE and the Energy Institute, and Chartered Engineer with the UK Engineering Council.
SPE Production and Operations Award
Muhammad Arsalan is global leader for advanced sensing for upstream at Aramco, based at the Upstream Advanced Research Center in Dhahran, where he manages R&D portfolios in multiphase metering, distributed fiber-optic sensing, downhole robotics, and AI-driven production intelligence. His previous roles include CTO and cofounder of VSM Technologies, NSERC Research Fellow at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, and adjunct research professor at Carleton University.
He is the recipient of the 2026 SPE International Production and Operations Award, 2024 SPE Middle East and North Africa Production and Operations Award, and 2022 SPE Middle East and North Africa Completions and Technology Award. He also served as a Distinguished Lecturer 2024–2025 and as a judge for SPE awards and scholarships.
He holds more than 70 granted US patents and has written more than 50 peer-reviewed journal articles among more than 130 publications.
He holds a PhD and MASc in electronics from Carleton University, Ottawa, and graduated first in his class from IIEE, NED University, Karachi.
SPE Projects, Facilities, and Construction Award
Eduardo Pereyra is a professor and the F.H. “Mick” Merelli/Devon Energy Chair Professor in the McDougall School of Petroleum Engineering at The University of Tulsa (UTulsa). He serves as associate director of Tulsa University Fluid Flow Projects and Tulsa University Horizontal Well Artificial Lift Projects, leading collaborative research in multiphase flow, artificial lift, flow assurance, and production optimization.
Before joining academia, he worked with PDVSA-Intevep and Chevron. He is actively involved in research conducted at UTulsa’s North Campus Research Facilities, supporting industry innovation and workforce development through modeling, experimental, and testing infrastructure.
He holds dual engineering degrees from the University of Los Andes and MS and PhD degrees in petroleum engineering from UTulsa.
SPE Reservoir Description and Dynamics Award
James Sheng is the Herald W. Winkler Endowed Professor at Texas Tech University, a US Fullbright Scholar, and an SPE Distinguished Member. He worked in the oil industry for more than 20 years before entering academia. His main research areas are enhanced oil recovery, formation evaluation, geoenergy development, including geothermal energy and hydrogen energy, and CO2 and energy storage. He is a pioneer of huff-‘n’-puff gas-injection technology.
He has coauthored more than 300 papers and holds 10 patents. He has published three EOR books. His publication citation ranking places him in the top among global petroleum professionals. He was ranked 2735th in Stanford’s system in 2024 and had more than 18,000 citations according to Google Scholar.
He is the recipient of the 2018 SPE International Distinguished Member Award, 2015 SPE Southwestern North America Regional Formation Evaluation Award, 2013 SPE Southwestern North America Regional Formation Evaluation Award, 2008 SPE Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering Outstanding Associate Editor Award, and 2005 Outstanding Technical Editor Award.
He holds a PhD from University of Alberta.
SPE Sustainability and Stewardship in the Oil and Gas Industry Award
Subhash Ayirala is a petroleum engineering consultant and focus area champion at Saudi Aramco’s Upstream Advanced Research Center. His areas of expertise include improved oil recovery, produced water management, with an extended R&D focus on CO2 mineralization and mineral recovery. He previously worked for Shell E&P and has more than 20 years of industry experience.
Ayirala has authored or coauthored 135 technical papers, 92 journal publications, and 70 granted patents.
He is a member of the SPE Reservoir Advisory Committee and the editorial board of SPE Journal. He also serves as the recovery enhancement program chair of the SPE R&D Technical Section and has served as executive editor of SPE Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering and as an SPE Distinguished Lecturer (2021–2022). He received the SPE Outstanding Technical Editor Award 12 times, the 2017 SPE A Peer Apart Award, 2019 SPE Middle East North Africa Regional Service Award, 2020 SPE International Distinguished Member Award, 2023 SPE Middle East North Africa Regional Reservoir Description and Dynamics Award, 2024 SPE International Distinguished Service Award, and 2025 SPE International Reservoir Description and Dynamics Award. He was elected a Fellow of the 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.