A PhD in the oil and gas industry

Transcription

1 A PhD in the oil and gas industry Jeroen Jocker Senior petrophysicist with Schlumberger Postdoc Retreat 2013, Heeze, October 31 st 2013 PetroTechnical Services

2 My advise to you 1. Be realistic and honest to yourself What am I good at? What kinds of problems inspire me? 2. Encourage (force) yourself to leave your comfort zone often Try to balance in-depth knowledge with broad experience 3. Stay curious and never stop asking questions Put your analytic skills to use This is how you are trained, and this is one of your greatest assets as a PhD 4. Keep an open mind and formulate a goal You ll be surprised about the opportunities awaiting you outside the academia 2

3 Agenda My career so far Academia vs Industry About Schlumberger Schlumberger and science Technical careers About my job Job description Another day at the office Random pieces of advise 3

4 My career so far Academic 1999: MSc in Petroleum Engineering 2004: PhD in Acoustics 2005: Postdoc on fracture mechanics Professional jan.2006-dec.2006, SDR*, Ridgefield, Connecticut Research scientist Elastic wave propagation jan.2007-aug.2010, SDR*, Boston, Massachusetts Senior research Scientist Elastic anisotropy sept.2010-, The Hague, NL Acoustics domain expert for Europe and Africa jan.2006 jan.2007 sept *SDR: Schlumberger-Doll Research

5 My career so far sept.1991 Academic 1999: MSc in Petroleum Engineering 2004: PhD in Acoustics 2005: Postdoc on fracture mechanics Professional jan.2006-dec.2006, SDR*, Ridgefield, Connecticut Research scientist Elastic wave propagation jan.2007-aug.2010, SDR*, Boston, Massachusetts Senior research Scientist Elastic anisotropy sept.2010-, The Hague, NL Acoustics domain expert for Europe and Africa jan.2006 jan.2007 sept *SDR: Schlumberger-Doll Research

6 About Schlumberger Schlumberger is the world's largest oilfield services company Explore (find) oil and gas resources Appraise (how much?) resources Drill and complete wells Produce oil and gas, and manage fields Schlumberger works for oilfield operators Shell, BP, Eni, Total, Statoil, etc. Comparable in size to Philips # employees: ~ (Philips: , Shell: ) Revenue: $42.2B (Philips: $32.7B, Shell: $476.2B) Income: $5.4B (Philips: $311M, Shell: $28.6B) 1937 Schlumberger logging truck 6

7 Schlumberger and science Technology is one of the three Schlumberger corporate values: Our commitment to technology and quality is the basis for our competitive advantage 125 R&E facilities around the world $1.2B R&E investments in 2012 Collaboration with universities and consortium sponsorships USA: MIT, Harvard, Stanford, UK: Cambridge, Oxford, Heriot-Watt, France: Ec. Polyt., Ec. Centr.,. NL: Delft UT Asia, Latin-America, Middle East: 31 universities Location of SLB research and engineering centers around the globe 588 granted patents in

8 Schlumberger SETC Technical career paths inside the industry SETC: Schlumberger Eureka Technical Career Provides technical career path equivalent to management progression Four steps: Senior - leading at a project level Principal - leading within a region or REMS Center Advisor - leading across a whole continent, a Service Segment or the entire R&D organization Fellow - leading throughout all Schlumberger, the industry and academia. The Schlumberger technical community throughout the years 8

9 About my job with Schlumberger My job description Job title: Europe and Africa Acoustics domain expert Responsibilities: High-end commercial work Non-standard projects for selected clients Mentoring and coaching Provide internal and external training and support Participate in industry forums, conferences and associations related to my domain New product development Define requirements, participate in testing Investigate and propose new products Liaise with research and engineering Acquisition of data while drilling a well 9

10 Just another day at the office My average working day On a typical day I get about 50 s (I keep 25 and trash the rest) I add 5 tasks to my Outlook to-do list and complete 4 I receive 4 phone calls and an equal number of MOC s I attend two phone conferences Between interruptions, I practice science Technical paper reviews and Matlab coding of (aspects of) elastic wave propagation Looking at measurement data and figuring out what s going on Aiming for one Eureka! moment per day Predicting elastic wave behavior in the presence of anisotropy 10

11 Just another day at the office Being flexible is rewarded with job freedom Flexibility Not a nine-to-five job 24h industry requires flexibility Travel about 10 times/year Freedom My manager is located in Romania Since joining Schlumberger: 7 peer-reviewed journal articles 15 conference papers 2 patents US Patent 8,117,014 B2 front-page 11

12 Some random pieces of advise Set a goal Where do you want to go, and when do you want to get there? Discuss with your partner, and make sure you share the vision Don t let the industry scare you We are not all ambitious, greedy and unscrupulous Many companies desperately need PhD s and have adjusted their policies to make it attractive to join them (SDR moved to Boston) Industry problems are often aligned with society s concerns, and so are highly relevant The industrial world offers much recognition for scientific talent Companies have financial means to make things happen Applied science is not a dirty word 12

13 More random pieces of advise Orient yourself and keep an open mind Think about what kinds of problems motivate you Think about the kind of industry you d like to know more of Do not constrain yourself to companies close to your natural habitat Be adventurous The world is a big place Learn from other experts, and try to keep the big picture in mind Your expertise is always only a small fraction of the bigger challenge at hand Be conscious of the value you represent to a company Your PhD has provided you with analytical skills, and persistence This makes you highly desirable for many companies 13

14 In conclusion 1. Be realistic and honest to yourself What am I good at? What kinds of problems inspire me? 2. Encourage (force) yourself to leave your comfort zone often Try to balance in-depth knowledge with broad experience 3. Stay curious and never stop asking questions Put your analytic skills to use This is how you are trained, and this is one of your greatest assets as a PhD 4. Keep an open mind and formulate a goal You ll be surprised about the opportunities awaiting you outside the academia 14