Yogashri Pradhan is an experienced petroleum engineer with more than 10 years’ experience in the oil and gas industry, specializing in production, completions, and reservoir engineering. She works as a lead production engineer at Chevron, a position she has held since January 2024. Prior to this role, she worked for Coterra Energy, Endeavor Energy Resources, Devon Energy, Texas Oil and Gas Institute, Statoil, and Hamilton Engineering Group.
An SPE member since 2015, she is the recipient of the 2020 SPE Southwestern North America Regional Reservoir Description and Dynamics Award, 2020 SPE Southwestern North America Regional Service Award, and 2018 SPE Giovanni Paccaloni Young Professional Service Award.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from The University of Texas at Austin, an MSc in petroleum engineering from Texas A&M University, and an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
In this interview with The Way Ahead, Pradhan discusses her thoughts on what the industry could do to be more inclusive, industry technology she’s most excited about, and more.
TWA: What advice would you give to young women or minorities who are interested in pursuing a career in petroleum engineering but may feel discouraged by the industry's historical demographics?
YP: I didn’t look at demographics before entering the industry or majoring in petroleum engineering. I wouldn’t say to ignore the historical demographics, but I would take it as an opportunity to understand how to incite change in the industry and understand your ‘why’ in pursuing a career in oil and gas. I was drawn by the technical aspects of oil and gas, which is my why.
TWA: What initiatives or policies do you think companies should implement to foster a more inclusive environment in the energy sector?
YP: Emphasize human performance principles. Understand that error is normal, assume positive intent, and focus on emotional intelligence in combination with advancing your technical skills.
TWA: How do you think the oil and gas industry can balance the need for fossil fuels with the push toward renewable energy?
YP: Understand that all types of energy will be contributors to energy independence. However, oil and gas continues to be the largest contributor to energy demand compared to renewable dues to the energy density. Oil and gas products are deeply integrated in our lives, such as through medical devices, clothes, plastics, etc. It will be difficult to peel away from oil and gas, and enforcing that education on the importance of this energy will develop that balance.
TWA: What innovations or technologies are you most excited about that could shape the future of petroleum engineering?
YP: Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS/CCS) advancements to make utilization and storage more economic, applying drilling and fracturing techniques learned in oil and gas into geothermal energy space, and applying large language models on petroleum engineering materials to grow capabilities of the industry efficiently and quickly.
TWA: As an adjunct professor at UT Permian Basin, what do you enjoy most about teaching petroleum engineering?
YP: I enjoy the technical questions and the career questions I get from the students. I enjoy the students’ work ethic to get a better understanding of oil and gas.
TWA: How has your diverse educational background, from petroleum engineering to data science and business administration, shaped your approach to problem-solving in the oil and gas industry?
YP: I spend more time investigating the problem from different perspectives before I pivot to solution mode. I think about technical and financial impacts, seek alignment from people of diverse professional backgrounds, and landscape the problem in order to develop an effective solution.
TWA: What’s a common misconception people have about working in oil and gas?
YP: You have to work long hours. It’s not how long you work, but what impact you make.
TWA: What skills, technical and soft, do you think are critical for the next generation of engineers?
YP: Working with cross-functional teams, networking, communication, influencing without having a fancy leadership title, coding in Python, understanding how commercial software works (the economic calculations embedded in an economic software, the derivations of the conservation of mass or the IMPLICIT method in reservoir simulation software, etc.)
TWA: What was your most rewarding experience as an SPE volunteer?
YP: Being able to teach younger generations why I love oil and gas.
TWA: How can students and young professionals maximize the benefits of their SPE membership?
YP: Attending SPE events locally, regionally, and internationally, reading OnePetro papers, volunteering for a leadership position in SPE.
TWA: Can you share with our readers what your experience was like serving on the TWA Editorial Board and any advice you have for those interested in contributing to TWA?
YP: Working with people from different cultures helps you learn how to communicate and influence others from various backgrounds. Learning about trending topics in different regions kept me out of my shale bubble.
TWA: What has been your most exciting day on the job so far?
YP: Being able to develop fluency in data analytics to field personnel and walk them through an analysis and justification to make systemic, operational decisions.