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MAGAZINE Issue 7, 2026T H E C O M P A S S B E H I N D T H E I N D U S T R YT H E C O M P A S S B E H I N D T H E I N D U S T R YFUELING TOMORROW... Energy, Innovation, and Future of Petroleum Engineersby SPE Cairo University Student Chapter
Advisor OurDear SPE Cairo University Chapter members and readers, Welcome to the seventh edition of Petroneers. As your Faculty Advisor, I am incredibly proud of this publication, which showcases your dedication to connecting academic knowledge with petroleum industry excellence. In today’s shifting energy sector, your resilience and proactive learning are more vital than ever. May this platform inspire you to exchange bold ideas and drive innovation. My sincere congratulations to the editorial team and contributors for this outstanding edition. I look forward to your future successes." Prof. Mahmoud Abu El Ela Professor, Department of Petroleum, Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University.
For the main content of your letter, there are often three main parts: the introduction, main paragraph and conclusion. Your letter’s introduction can be a brief greeting, a few polite statements or a background of why you’re writing. The main paragraph is the bulk of your letter, containing the most important parts of your message. Finally, the conclusion sums up all your ideas. It can also include a closing statement or salutation. No matter what reason you have behind writing, it’s best to be organized and plan the contents of your letter before publishing the magazine. Word Editor’s Mr. Mustafa Barakat Media Officer, SPE Cairo University Student Chapter PETRONEERS CEO
Word President’sFor the main content of your letter, there are often three main parts: the introduction, main paragraph and conclusion. Your letter’s introduction can be a brief greeting, a few polite statements or a background of why you’re writing. The main paragraph is the bulk of your letter, containing the most important parts of your message. Finally, the conclusion sums up all your ideas. It can also include a closing statement or salutation. No matter what reason you have behind writing, it’s best to be organized and plan the contents of your letter before publishing the magazine.
Word Vice President’s For the main content of your letter, there are often three main parts: the introduction, main paragraph and conclusion. Your letter’s introduction can be a brief greeting, a few polite statements or a background of why you’re writing. The main paragraph is the bulk of your letter, containing the most important parts of your message. Finally, the conclusion sums up all your ideas. It can also include a closing statement or salutation. No matter what reason you have behind writing, it’s best to be organized and plan the contents of your letter before publishing the magazine. Mr. Ahmed Othman Vice Preident, SPE Cairo University Student Chapter
119211517MINIMIZING NON- PRODUCTIVE TIME (NPT) IN COMPLEX WELLS MINIMIZING NON- PRODUCTIVE TIME (NPT) IN COMPLEX WELLS INTEGRATING AI WITH RESERVOIR SIMULATION FOR BETTER FORECASTING INTEGRATING AI WITH RESERVOIR SIMULATION FOR BETTER FORECASTING WELL STIMULATION TECHNIQUES: MATRIX ACIDIZING VS HYDRAULIC FRACTURING WELL STIMULATION TECHNIQUES: MATRIX ACIDIZING VS HYDRAULIC FRACTURING ENHANCED GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS IN TIGHT RESERVOIRS ENHANCED GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS IN TIGHT RESERVOIRSTECHNICAL CONTENT
19131715PROF. JENNIFER MISKIMINSPROF. JENNIFER MISKIMINSContentContent MR. OLIVIER HOUZEMR. OLIVIER HOUZE MR. MED KAMALMR. MED KAMAL DR. AKTHAM SHOUKRYDR. AKTHAM SHOUKRY MR. ZAKRAIA DESOUKYMR. ZAKRAIA DESOUKYINTERVIEWSSPE INTERNATIONAL 2026 PRESIDENT SPE INTERNATIONAL 2026 PRESIDENTSPE INTERNATIONAL 2025 PRESIDENT SPE INTERNATIONAL 2025 PRESIDENTSPE INTERNATIONAL 2023 PRESIDENT SPE INTERNATIONAL 2023 PRESIDENTASSISTANT PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF PETROLEUM, FACULTY OF ENGINEERING, CAIRO UNIVERSITY ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF PETROLEUM, FACULTY OF ENGINEERING, CAIRO UNIVERSITYRESEVOIR ENGINEER AND AI SPECIALIST, EUG RESEVOIR ENGINEER AND AI SPECIALIST, EUG
Prof. Jennifer MiskiminsProf. Jennifer Miskimins professional society like SPE? lead as the 2026 SPE President? the Colorado School of Mines, what As a professor and department head at lessons from academic leadership do you different experiences shaped the way you consulting, and academia. How have these think are most relevant to leading a global You have built your career across industry, presidency? leadership. Which part of your background has influenced your into practical action during your leadership philosophy the most? has included major contributions in How do you plan to translate that idea Your technical and professional journey Energy.” as an important theme for SPE. You have highlighted “Solutions. People. completions, hydraulic fracturing, and SPE 1 I like to think that it helps for me to be able to relate to many of our members that are in the same positions. We all have our individual experiences, of course, but at a minimum at least I hope it helps me to understand what some of the concerns and challenges are that people have in these situations. A major component of my leadership is the importance of collaboration. I believe that servant leadership is very important, and I try to lead with that philosophy, which is very relevant to both my technical work, but also my SPE volunteerism. The international flavor of SPE is a major component of its success and identity. I’ve been fortunate throughout my academic career to be able to interact with a large range of students, industry members, and other academic institutions that are quite international in nature. I believe these interactions are probably the most relevant to my involvement in SPE leadership. I think SPE is already implementing such. We are a society made up of members – people – and SPE is here to serve its members. SPE and its members are instrumental in providing energy for the world, and the world will need significantly more energy in the future. And SPE’s very mission is to provide solutions and technology transfer for such! My practical action is to reinforce all of these and see that SPE continues to be all of these things into the future.Don’t limit yourself to traditional learning. The industry is evolving very fast, and those who adapt will lead. Build a strong technical foundation, but also explore AI, data science, and digital technologies. And most importantly—stay curious. The combination of engineering intuition and modern technology is where the future lies.1
the value of our profession more effectively? young professionals, and experienced members? What new steps would you like SPE to take to better support students, You have spoken about improving public understanding of the industry. Member engagement at every career stage is clearly one of your priorities. What role do you believe SPE should play in helping members communicate SPE is a non-profit organization, and we are not here to lobby governments or others for our industry. Our role is very much the education of people about our industry. This is accomplished through the Energy4me.org efforts, as well as our new agreement with the Switch Energy Alliance to make such knowledge available to our members to communicate with the general public. I will actually turn this question around and ask you, as a student, what can SPE do to serve you better? Many of the efforts that SPE is taking in these areas are based on feedback from these groups and asking exactly that question. We are always open to hearing what is important to all of our professionals – no matter what their personal experience level. SPE must and is adjusting how its content is delivered for students and younger members. This is likely the most important component of attracting and retaining members in such generations. I think SPE has a good start on this, but we can and will continue to do better. Many professional societies are facing challenges in membership retention, especially among younger members. What do you think SPE must do differently to remain meaningful and attractive to the next generation? I think we already all. SPE can’t be all things to all people, but we are very good in many energy areas, especially those in the subsurface. SPE has defined its focus to the core areas of oil and natural gas, the low carbon areas of CCUS and methane emissions, and newer energies such as geothermal, hydrogen, and critical minerals. We are focusing our content efforts in these areas, and that focus has been driven by the SPE membership. As the energy industry continues to evolve, how can SPE remain technically strong while also expanding its relevance in a changing global energy landscape?2
14SPE is a truly international organization. How do you plan to make members from different regions feel equally represented, heard, and connected to the society’s direction?When your term as president ends, what outcomes or changes would make you feel that your leadership genuinely moved SPE forward?Representation is critical. If you look at the makeup of SPE from the Board of Directors to the +200 Sections and the +400 Chapters, SPE is set up and intended to represent all areas of the society. These groups all have multiple feedback opportunities and directions. However, I’d also encourage the members to take advantage of such. Surveys and those types of things do that time, but they are so critical to providing that feedback.One of my major endeavors this year, along with the members of the Board of Directors, is to create the Society’s strategic plan for the next ~5 years. Such a plan is absolutely critical and will be instrumental in moving the Society forward.MAGAZINE Issue 7, 2026by SPE Cairo University Student Chapter3
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With an academic background from École Polytechnique and Stanford University, how have your studies influenced the way you approach technical challenges and leadership decisions? You began your career as a field well-test operator with a service company Schlumberger and later co-founded an oil and gas software company KAPPA Engineering. How did that journey shape your perspective as a leader in the petroleum industry?MR. OLIVIER HOUZE7 Don’t limit yourself to traditional learning. The industry is evolving very fast, and those who adapt will lead. Build a strong technical foundation, but also explore AI, data science, and digital technologies. And most importantly—stay curious. The combination of engineering intuition and modern technology is where the future lies. My Ecole Polytechnique studies focused on mathematics and general physics with no real specialty. This school has a military status which requires that you serve as an officer. This provided me with other skillsets that turned out to be pretty useful later in my career. This French was complemented by a Master of Sciences in the US where I learned the bulk of reservoir and production engineering. All in all it was a good combination. However I would like to insist that diplomas give you fundamental skillsets, a starting point in your career and maybe an initial slope. But this fades quickly and what really matters is what you will do with this in the decades that follow. Given my background I was offered the choice to start in as a reservoir engineering in the office or as a field engineer. I decided to start in the field, essentially in many places in the Middle East. There was a stern contrast between the reality of a field engineer and the things you learn in school. At moments it was kind of frustrating, but the learning curve was steep and, in retrospect, this was the best choice I could make. This is still valid now. I would recommend any young professional who has the choice to start with a field exposure, whatever he or she wishes to do later. The creation of my company was an accident. I had decided to leave the service company I had started my career in, and I was offered a position of senior reservoir engineer in a major IOC. But the occasion to start a company came out of nowhere, I decided to give it a try, and it worked. It is not as if I had the vision of creating a software company when I co-founded it. It was expected to be a consulting company, I wrote a piece of software to allow us to do the consulting. My specs was to write the software I would have dreamt to have in the field. We did not sell the consulting but we started selling the software, which after a decade it became (and still is I believe) the industry standard. Then other software were developed, the company grew from 2 to 120 people, etc, etc. I had no idea about that when I started. Difficult to turn this story into an advice, except maybe that when you see your chance you have to take it. 5
You have been involved in many SPE summits, forums, and workshops over the years. How have these experiences shaped your view of SPE’s role in the global energy industry? SPE brings together professionals from very different technical and geographic backgrounds. In your view, what is the most important factor in keeping such a global professional community united and engaged? Having served on the SPE Board as Technical Director for Reservoir, what leadership lessons did you learn from that experience that still influence you today? As both an engineer and an entrepreneur, what key lessons from building KAPPA Engineering have stayed with you throughout your professional career?7 SPE is a technical society but it is also a fantastic facilitator through events that are very different in attendance and objectives. A Forum is not a Workshop, which is not a Summit, which is not a Conference. But these different types of events have all their rationale and complement each other. It is important for a member to understand what he or she wants to achieve before attending such or such event. I have indeed attended many of these and there was a constant: whenever I would go to an event my objective would be to come back home with one new idea for developing my company. It always worked. When I joined SPE in 1982 its membership was 85% US, complemented by 10% from other western countries and 5% for the rest of the work. Fast forward 40 years later and SPE is now 70% non US with the largest growth coming from Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa. I would not single out any factor that is more important than the others, but one can say that SPE is a success story in terms of bringing together professionals from all backgrounds. Western countries are still over- represented on the SPE board but there are historic reasons for this and it is moving in the right direction. As a Reservoir Engineer, the position of Technical Director for Reservoir is a great challenge. But to answer your question I did not involve much “leadership lesson”. My experience developing a company was much more challenging in this respect. But I learned a lot about what SPE is, how it operates and what it achieves. This first positive experience on the board was certainly instrumental in my decision to apply for the position of president a decade later, even though initially this possibility had not crossed my mind. I am answering as SPE president. This question is getting too close to KAPPA and I do not allow myself to promote my company in my SPE position As someone with deep expertise in reservoir and production engineering, how do you see SPE balancing technical excellence with the need to adapt to a rapidly changing energy landscape? Technical Excellence is part of the DNA of SPE, so it is a matter of keeping the quality of our work, which is a challenge when quantity increases as much as it did in the past couple of decades. As for the changing energy landscape is something that we have already embraced and integrated. The Energy Transition is not considered a threat but the opportunity to widen our technical perimeter towards Geothermal, CCUS, etc. So yes this is a work in progress and I am optimistic in our ability to adapt and thrive in this moving landscape.6
What do you believe SPE should do more effectively to inspire and support the next generation of engineers and technical professionals? Looking ahead, what kind of long-term impact would you like your leadership and contributions within SPE to leave on the organization and its members? We are already doing out best, though it is probably never enough. We have a challenge hiring as members the young engineers who are going to replace us. They have to understand that there are careers for them and that they are on the right side of history, a message which is not always easy to communicate. This is why SPE presidents travel a lot… I could give you a list of what I tried to achieve, what I succeeded and what I failed. But this could be misleading as such list could be delivered by any past president. This is a continuous process. One also must not forget that the board has 20 members, and presidents cannot do much alone. Finally the bulk of the work is ultimately done by volunteers in geographic sections, technical sections, student chapters and many committees. This is not a one-man (or one-woman) show.7
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You have had a distinguished career as a Chevron Fellow Emeritus and as a respected leader in petroleum engineering. Looking back, which experiences shaped you the most as a professional and as a leader?Dr. Med KamalDr. Med Kamal Education and continuous learning. I am thankful that I was able to get in the Faculty of Engineering at Cairo University and then in Stanford. I realized early that the technology is advancing quickly and one needs to keep up to be able to have a productive career. Getting mentored by professors and experienced managers. Of course, you learn from the professors through the course materials they teach. I clearly remember as well the guidance my professors provided about our profession and how to succeed in the business environment. At Cairo University, while I was a student and after I graduated and worked as a teaching assistant I benefited from the mentoring of professors Taher El Hadidi, Yosri Asaad, Fakhry Nakhla, and Abdel Aziz Othman. At Stanford I gained from the experiences of Professors Henry Ramey, Jr. and William Brigham. My first manager at Amoco Research Center was Howard Hall (who developed the Hall Correlation and Hall Plot) and he helped me learn how to be an effective manager. I think it is important to observe and learn from the experienced people we work with. Passion. Having the passion for the work you do and its value for the benefits of all people as well as enjoying your work, makes it actually fun to get up in the morning and go to work. You will be doing something you like, you want to do, not simply a job. Engineers in general and petroleum engineers in particular provide the world with an essential product, energy. Without energy, there is no life. Hard work. There is no substitute for putting in the hours to do a good job and be dedicated to produce the best outcome. Hard work also increases one’s knowledge and competency.Medhat (Med) Kamal, a Chevron Fellow Emeritus, served as the 2023 President of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). During his term, he led the Board of Directors, delivered the State of the Society address, and oversaw the 2023 Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) before passing the gavel to 2024 President Terry Palisch. Thank you for the opportunity to share some thoughts with your student chapter. As a graduate of Cairo University, it is always a pleasure to connect back with my roots. To answer your question, main experiences include:9
You have had a distinguished career as a Chevron Fellow Emeritus and as a respected leader in petroleum engineering. Looking back, which experiences shaped you the most as a professional and as a leader? Your career reflects both technical excellence and service to the profession. What personal values have guided you throughout that journey? Your work has highlighted technical advice, competencies, and emerging technologies. How do you see these areas shaping the future of SPE and the petroleum engineering profession? Appreciate the opportunities one is provided and be humbled by it Need to give back and keep the engine moving. I was able to attend one of the most expensive universities like Stanford only because I was provided a scholarship. My scholarship was first funded by Marathon Oil Company, then by Amoco. As soon as I graduated and started working in the industry, I lobbied my employer to fund a scholarship at Stanford so that another young graduate can have the same opportunity I had. I continued to work in this direction and was able to support scholarships and research programs as other universities as well. Is there enough of an engineer in me? Especially if you work in research and your main job is to develop new solutions to overcome problems, engineers need to challenge themselves to learn more and innovate. That question can give the push one needs. Petroleum engineering future is bright. World need for energy will continue to increase. Different sources of energy are needed. Need to continue advancing technology in all three areas. Need to harness advancements in other disciplines (e.g., AI) First, let me mention that my academic background started at Cairo University before it continued at Stanford. I am the first person who obtained an M.Sc. degree in petroleum engineering from Cairo University. At the time, that was the only petroleum engineering department in the Middle East! Of course, the fundamental education in petroleum engineering is the necessary bedrock to have a career in our industry. Recognizing the value of SPE to disseminate technology to all members through publications, meetings, and conferences. Benefiting from the feedback one obtains through reviewing technical papers or having his / her papers reviewed and commented on by others. There are also benefits from collaboration with colleagues, whether at the same place of work or other organizations, in learning about the technology and the business part of the job. Learning from others through attending technical and business conferences and meetings. Volunteering. By volunteering for the various tasks of SPE, like reviewing papers for publications, serving on the local section and region committees and boards, and getting involved with all aspects of SPE functions provide the needed background knowledge to eventually lead the organization.10
Thank you for your service as the 2023 SPE President. What achievement during your presidency are you most proud of? During your term, you helped lead SPE through an important period and presented the State of the Society at ATCE 2023. What message did you most want members to take away from your leadership? SPE members around the world benefited from your leadership in 2023. In your view, what is the most important responsibility of an SPE President in serving such a global community? Energy is life and our job is to provide the world with the needed energy Petroleum engineers have been around for more than 100 years continuously advancing the profession and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. There are three elements for the future of energy. Continuing to produce oil and natural gas, mitigate the adverse effects on climate issues, and developing new forms of energy sources. That is what I call Petroleum + + and I do not refer to it as Energy Transition as this is a misleading term. It should be called Energy Expansion. Petroleum engineers have important roles in all three elements. Providing the members with properly vetted information about the advancement in the petroleum engineering technology and practices. Supporting the professional developments of members from students to experienced engineers. Evolving the resources of SPE through the continuously changing landscape to continue serving our members. Recognizing the challenges and opportunities stemming from having a diverse membership all over the world with different cultures, conditions, and aspirations. Being a team member while guiding the Board of Directors and SPE Staff to achieve the goals of the society. Hiring a new CEO. The Chief Executive Officer of SPE reports to the SPE President and is tasked with managing the society’s worldwide staff and activities (SPE has sections in 120 countries and supports student chapters in more than 400 universities). Each of the last two CEOs served for about 20 years, so it is clear that selecting the right person is of paramount effect on the society. This task consumed a lot of my time and involved developing a meticulous process to make sure it is done properly. I am pleased that the appropriate leader was selected and SPE will be in good hands. Steadying the financial ship of the society. About 70% of SPE revenue is generated from meetings. For a couple of years during the Corona pandemic, we had no meetings and zero revenue. We had to take appropriate steps since then to balance our budget and steady the financial ship to make sure SPE continues to provide the needed services to our members. Increasing the number of sections and chapters to serve more engineers all over the world Using new technology (like Energy Stream) to reach more members,11
You have contributed greatly to both industry and SPE. What do you believe SPE must continue doing to stay relevant and valuable for the next generation of engineers? Your presidency came at a time when the industry continues to evolve rapidly. How do you think SPE can best balance technical excellence, innovation, and the changing needs of the energy sector? As you reflect on your year as SPE President, what legacy or impact would you most like people to remember from your leadership? Facilitating the path of our members to innovate and providing ample venues for them to share their contributions. Although I am pleased and humbled by my service as the 2023 SPE President, as the most important achievements were described in answering question 5 above, my legacy and main contributions to petroleum engineering lie in my technical and volunteer work. I have authored SPE Monograph 23 “Transient Well Testing” and more than 40 papers that were published in refereed journals (pdf versions can be downloaded from Research Gate), worked as technical reviewer, review chairman, and executive editor for the Journal of Petroleum Technology (JPT) for two years and the Society of Petroleum Engineers Reservoir Engineering and Evaluation Journal (SPEREE) for three years and therefore became a member of SPE Peer-Apart group (those who reviewed at least 100 papers). I also presented more than 80 Lectures to fellow SPE members in 35 countries. On the volunteer side, I worked as a member or chairperson of SPE Textbooks and Monograph Committees, chaired numerous SPE Regional Conferences in the United States, worked on and / or chaired the board of directors of SPE Mid-Continent (Tulsa), Gulf Coast (Houston), Dallas, and Golden Gate (San Francisco) Sections. I also served on the International Board pf Directors as the Regional Director of the Western Region of North America (2007-2009) and as an officer (2022-2024) including being the 2023 president. Continue evolving the scope of our technology (adding competencies in areas like geothermal energy and hydrogen generation and storage and areas that address our footprints on the environment like Carbon Capture and Storage and emissions reductions as well as continuing the advancements that allow us to produce more oil and natural gas from new resources like tight formations more effectively). Use new developments in communication and information tools, like Energy Stream and podcasts, to reach and share information with members. Continue working with universities to add needed topics to their Curricula (e.g., AI, Machine Learning, etc.) and to support student activities.12
Dr. Aktham Shoukry, you have built a strong academic and technical profile in reservoir engineering, with expertise spanning reservoir simulation, phase behavior analysis, well-log interpretation, and statistical modeling. Looking back, what experiences have shaped you the most as a petroleum engineer and educator? You recently earned your PhD in Petroleum Engineering with a minor in Statistics from the University of Wyoming. How has this interdisciplinary background influenced the way you approach reservoir engineering problems? Dr. Aktham ShoukryDr. Aktham Shoukry I think each subject of these has put a mark in my petroleum-engineering way-of-thinking. However, based on my small interactions with colleagues and seniors in the industry, I believe PVT phase behavior analysis is significantly understudied and undermined. Solutions to a lot of production-engineering problems (e.g., flow assurance) arise from relatively-simple exercises of flash calculations of the produced reservoir fluids. On the other hand, statistics come handy in a lot of my work as an educator. A lot of the reservoir-engineering disciplines (e.g., reservoir simulation) inherently encompass uncertainty. Statistics offers a great tool for quantifying and minimizing such uncertainty. Acknowledging an error bar of the results and understanding its consequences are better, more realistic, and more truthful than trying to narrow it down to a single value. Dr. Aktham Ehab Shoukry is currently an Assistant Professor in the Petroleum Engineering Department at Cairo University. He earned his BSc and MSc in Petroleum Engineering from Cairo University in 2014 and 2018, respectively, before completing his PhD in Petroleum Engineering with a minor in Statistics at the University of Wyoming. His research spans PVT modeling, pore-scale events, and multiphase flow in fractured porous media. He also served as a teaching assistant at Cairo University and AUC, worked briefly as a research scientist at the University of Wyoming, and gained field experience as an offshore production engineer at GUPCO. His current focus is on enhancing petroleum engineering education and bridging the gap between academia and industry.13
With your background in academia, research, and advanced technical studies, what advice would you give to young petroleum engineers who aspire to build a meaningful and impactful career in reservoir engineering? My main advice for the students is to study their courses well and learn to internally-critique their education material. Asking questions and engaging in activities construct a short path for being a successful petroleum engineer, especially in the domain of reservoir engineering. As an Assistant Professor in the Department of Petroleum Engineering at Cairo University, how do you see your role in preparing students for the evolving demands of the petroleum industry?I have learned a lot from my professors at the department. I am honored to be co-teaching some of the courses that I had once learned from them. However, I believe that because of my close age to those of the students; I bear the responsibility of renewing and renovating the university’s classical teaching techniques. I hope my recent exposure to the different experiences during my stay at the US serves me well in updating our curriculums to be able to cope with the changing dynamics of the industry. Your work combines advanced reservoir engineering with statistical methods. In your opinion, how important is statistical thinking in improving reservoir evaluation and decision-making under uncertainty?As I answered a previous similar question, statistical thinking expands the domain of solving reservoir-engineering problems. From simple linear regression to Bayesian statistics, all are great tools that could be tailored to the specifics of the problem in order to obtain the best possible range of solutions. Reservoir simulation is one of the most powerful tools in field development and management. From your perspective, what are the key challenges engineers face when building reliable simulation models? You have gained strong experience with industry-standard software such as SLB ECLIPSE® and KAPPA Saphir®. How important is software proficiency for young reservoir engineers, and how can students build real competence in these tools?Two typical challenges frequently arise after building a reservoir-simulation model: upscaling and history matching. Explaining both concepts in a short notice would be impractical. Nevertheless, I strongly recommend checking some recent papers discussing the latest technologies and algorithms to tackle such challenges.Great question! Most students believe that mastering a certain software program is all there is to be for that specific domain. I want to clear this misconception by saying that software programs just provide user-friendly interfaces to the relevant equations and calculations. I would rather spend time on understanding the inputs, trends of results, impact of parameters, etc. than on operating the software. Many can operate a program, but only a few can use it to solve different associated problems.14
By Akash Nanda Photography by Sheetal Dutt5Chetan SharmaTAKES THE LEAD15
By Akash Nanda Photography by Sheetal DuttA SHORT INTRO OR KICKER OF THE ARTICLE WILL GO HERE. THIS PART ACTS AS A BRIDGE BETWEEN THE HEADLINE AND THE ARTICLE ITSELF.5Chetan SharmaTAKES THE LEAD16
Mr. Zakaria DesoukyUncertainty management. We’re making multi-million-dollar decisions with incomplete and noisy data. The challenge is not just modeling the reservoir, but quantifying the risk and making decisions under that uncertainty—especially in mature fields and complex reservoirs. What inspired me is the gap I kept seeing between the complexity of subsurface systems and the limitations of traditional workflows. Reservoirs are inherently uncertain and data- rich, and I realized that AI can unlock patterns we simply can’t capture with conventional methods alone. For me, it wasn’t about replacing engineering—it was about augmenting our ability to make better, faster, and more informed decisions. I focus on four pillars: rock properties, fluid behavior, reservoir drive mechanisms, and uncertainty. Understanding heterogeneity is key—because no reservoir is uniform. Then comes pressure behavior, connectivity, and production performance. But most importantly, I always ask: how confident am I in this data? That question drives everything.Eng. Zakaria Desouky is a Reservoir and Production Engineer at the Egypt Upstream Gateway (EUG) within the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, where he works on applying Artificial Intelligence and data analytics to optimize upstream operations. His work focuses on leveraging machine learning, deep learning, and digital technologies to solve real field problems in reservoir management and production optimization. What inspired you to combine reservoir engineering with artificial intelligence? What are the most critical factors you consider when evaluating a reservoir? In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge in reservoir management today? Can AI replace traditional reservoir simulation, or does it complement it? It definitely complements it. Physics-based simulation remains the backbone of reservoir engineering. AI enhances it—by speeding up workflows, assisting in history matching, and acting as a proxy model. The real power comes when both are integrated together.17
Don’t limit yourself to traditional learning. The industry is evolving very fast, and those who adapt will lead. Build a strong technical foundation, but also explore AI, data science, and digital technologies. And most importantly—stay curious. The combination of engineering intuition and modern technology is where the future lies. AI is accelerating everything—from data processing to history matching and forecasting. Tasks that used to take weeks can now be done in hours. More importantly, AI helps in pattern recognition, clustering reservoir behavior, and optimizing development strategies. It’s shifting us from reactive to proactive decision-making. Future engineers need a hybrid skill set: strong fundamentals in reservoir engineering, combined with data science, programming, and critical thinking. Tools like Python, machine learning, and data visualization are becoming essential. But equally important is the ability to ask the right questions and interpret results correctly. How is AI currently transforming reservoir engineering workflows? What skills will future reservoir engineers need to stay competitive? What advice would you give to petroleum engineering students today? What are the main limitations or risks of using AI in reservoir studies? The biggest risk is treating AI as a black box. Without domain knowledge, you can misinterpret results easily. Data quality is another major limitation—AI models are only as good as the data they’re trained on. Also, overfitting and lack of generalization can lead to misleading conclusions if not handled properly. How do you approach uncertainty in reservoir modeling and forecasting? What are the most successful applications of AI you have seen in the field? Some of the most impactful applications include decline curve clustering for new wells in Egypt, Artificial lift optimization, and assisted history matching is an ongoing development now. I’ve personally worked on clustering wells based on production behavior, which provides valuable insights for field development planning. These applications directly support decision-making and reduce computational effort significantly. I treat uncertainty as a core part of the workflow, not an afterthought. This includes generating multiple realizations, sensitivity analysis, and probabilistic forecasting. Recently, I’ve been integrating machine learning to identify key drivers and reduce the uncertainty space more efficiently. The goal is not one “perfect” model—but a range of possible outcomes with clear probabilities. 18
S P E W O R D S E A R C HS P E W O R D S E A R C HT N Z W L Q M M Z V Q R O W V D A S K O F F S H O R E R I N L W O B O R T E P S H N O P T F O R M A T I O N K U M Q G A B W A O C M U D L O G G I N G D R I L L I N G D K A Y B E O D P E R M E A B I L I T Y L W A E Z W G Q M U E L O R T E P E Z Y G O L O E G L D E H R T H O H G P O R O S I T Y F L N L H H S L R E S E R V O I R E L Q X F D L E I F L I O N E M E P W S G B E Q S U V J T H E W D O U G H W A G N I S A C C X R U J H Q B E P S R Q I K GWORD BANKCASING CEMENT DRILLING FORMATION GEOLOGYMUDLOGGING OFFSHORE OILFIELD PERMEABILITY PETROBOWLPETROLEUM POROSITY RESERVOIR SPE WELLHEAD19
ANSWER KEYANSWER KEYT N Z W L Q M M Z V Q R O W V D A S K O F F S H O R E R I N L W O B O R T E P S H N O P T F O R M A T I O N K U M Q G A B W A O C M U D L O G G I N G D R I L L I N G D K A Y B E O D P E R M E A B I L I T Y L W A E Z W G Q M U E L O R T E P E Z Y G O L O E G L D E H R T H O H G P O R O S I T Y F L N L H H S L R E S E R V O I R E L Q X F D L E I F L I O N E M E P W S G B E Q S U V J T H E W D O U G H W A G N I S A C C X R U J H Q B E P S R Q I K GWORD BANKCASING CEMENT DRILLING FORMATION GEOLOGYMUDLOGGING OFFSHORE OILFIELD PERMEABILITY PETROBOWLPETROLEUM POROSITY RESERVOIR SPE WELLHEAD 20