Panel Discussion: How to Succeed in R&D Positions in Oil & Gas Companies

Xian-Huan Wen is a Chevron Fellow and the team leader of the Reservoir Simulation and Optimization Research Team  in the Reservoir Performance Product Unit at Chevron Energy Technology Company. He has been with the company for more than 20 years. Wen’s interests include research, development and deployment of reservoir simulation, uncertainty analysis, reliable forecast, probabilistic history matching and optimization technologies. He is also increasingly involved in the R&D of machine learning, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and data-driven physics-based modeling methods to improve reservoir development and management decisions.  Wen has authored or coauthored more than 80 papers and holds two US patents. He holds a PhD degree in Water Resources Engineering from the Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden and a PhD degree in Civil Engineering from the Technical University of Valencia, Spain. Wen is a SPE member since 1997, severed as  a member of SPE Reservoir Description and Dynamics Advisory Committee (2016-2018), and acted as a technical committee member in several SPE Workshops.

Alhad Phatak is R&D Manager in the Stepan Oilfield Solutions group. He has been in this role since April 2019. Alhad previously served at Schlumberger for 12 years in various R&D positions related to Hydraulic Fracturing, Sand Control, and Production Chemistry. He holds a Bachelors in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota. In addition to his experience in the oilfield, Alhad's areas of expertise are polymer science and rheology.

Boxiao Li (pronounced as “Bo-Shiao Lee”) is a reservoir engineer in reservoir simulation consulting team in Chevron Energy Technology Company. He has been with Chevron for 5 years, working on research, development, and deployment of new technologies in uncertainty analysis and data analytics for reliable production forecasting. He holds Bachelor of Environmental Science and Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Master and Ph.D. of Energy Resources Engineering from Stanford University, with a Ph.D. minor in Management Science and Engineering. Currently, he serves as vice chair of Membership Committee in SPE Gulf Coast Section Young Professionals.