Past Graduates Profiles

Brendan Frears

Why study Honour in Geoscience?

I chose to take part in the ASP's honours program as it had a reputation for having excellent standards of education and subject content that was specific to the petroleum industry. I also saw it as an opportunity to challenge myself and further my understanding of the industry, which is becoming an increasing topic of discussion of recent times. Many people are looking towards employees within the petroleum industry to generate new ideas and concepts when it comes to energy, how we extract it and how it is used a process that I wanted to be a part of.

What did I learn?

The subject material covered in the first five months of course work was extremely varied, interesting and challenging. By using actual data and up to date software packages, my peers and I were directed how to utilise such technology to answer questions for various assignments. The courses were not only about learning facts and methods, but taught unique problem solving techniques and encouraged students to participate and ask questions.

The second half of the year involved an honours thesis (company sponsored project). Petroleum companies submit projects to the ASP, and these are allocated to students based on student interests and technical competencies. An internship with the sponsoring company was a fantastic way to become involved and engaged with your project, I believe. Students are assigned mentors within the sponsoring company and supervisors within the ASP to guide the direction of the project.

Where am I now?

I am currently a member of Santos' graduate team, placed on a rotations system that will ensure I continue to learn and evolve as a geoscientist, with valuable skills learnt in multiple disciplines within the Geoscience realm. Currently, I am working within the Petrophysics department at Santos, where I interpret well log data for Cooper Basin oil wells in order to produce summaries of net pay, water/oil saturations, permeabilities and total/effective porosities, by both deterministic and probabalistic methods.

Lisa Nitschke

Why Petroleum Engineering?

I chose Petroleum engineering because I had always had an interest in geology, but enjoyed physics and similar subjects, which made me consider engineering. I saw the course as a way to bring together both interests. After completing first year of a single engineering degree, I decided to pick up the combined geology degree to give myself more exposure to the geological side and haven't looked back. The program allowed me to see both sides of the industry even though the geology side was not always focused on petroleum - and this gave my geological understanding a greater scope that I also enjoyed, and taught me to appreciate a multidisciplinary approach to the oil and gas industry.

What did I learn?

The petroleum engineering degree introduced me not only to the technical side, but also the managerial, financial and strategic side of a vast and exciting industry that I enjoy being part of.

Where am I now?

I completed a combined degree (B.Eng (petroleum) and B.Sc (geology and geophysics)) in 2006 and am currently employed as a drilling and completions engineer for Origin Energy. In this position I am based in the Brisbane office, but have the opportunity to spend a substantial amount of time working on rigs (currently focused on coal bed methane in Queensland).

Shyamol Das

Why Petroleum Engineering?

At the end of my undergrad, I completed a thesis work on petroleum related field and after that I felt interest in Petroleum Engineering. I like to take challenge, to make it into something real, useful as well as construct something that turn out somewhat that works. Masters degree in Petroleum Engineering was to integrate practical problem solving / design aspects of engineering with theoretical aspects which related with my undergrad study. That gave me the impression the Petroleum Engineering would be the way to go.

What did I learn?

The courses of Petroleum Engineering focused on using knowledge and tools to solve problems, meet real design challenges also carryout goal oriented projects under the supervisions of high professional of that area. This degree gave me many opportunities to stretch and develop my technical and problem solving skill which inspired me and led to do research. At present, I understand that my choice was even great.

Where am I now?

In the MPE course I had discovered that I like to do research. Thus now I start research work in this school. My research area is "Enhanced Oil Recovery" and the title is "A study of Oxidation Reaction Kinetics during Air Injection Process". Here I am mainly studying the reaction kinetics during air injection. In addition, I will evaluate the effect of oxygen concentration in the injected air on the stoichiometry of the combustion process.