COLLEGE NEWS

NEW PROFESSORS BRING NEW RESEARCH AND REPERTOIRE

CONOCOPHILLIPS SCHOOL OF GEOLOGY & GEOPHYSICS, DR. KURT J. MARFURT

Dr. Kurt J. Marfurt joined the University of Oklahoma in 2007, where he serves as the Frank and Henrietta Schultz Professor of Geophysics in the ConocoPhillips School of Geology & Geophysics. Marfurt earned a M.S. and Ph.D. in applied geophysics at Columbia University’s Henry Krumb School of Mines in New York in 1975 and 1978. He worked 17 years in industry research and has invested over 14 years in teaching and research within higher education. He spent many years in a wide range of research projects at Amoco’s Tulsa Research Center, after which he joined the University of Houston for 8 years as a Professor in Geophysics and the Director of the Center of Applied Geosciences and Energy.
Dr. Marfurt’s primary research interest is the development and calibration of new seismic attributes to aid in seismic processing, seismic interpretation, and reservoir characterization. Recent work has focused on applying coherence, spectral decomposition, structure-oriented filtering, and volumetric curvature to mapping fractures and karst, as well as attribute-assisted processing. In January 2008, Marfurt launched an OU industry-supported consortium entitled 'Attribute-Assisted Seismic Processing and Interpretation'. AASPI currently has 12 paying sponsors, four of whom are based outside the USA.

Dr. Marfurt has received both best paper and best presentation awards from the SEG and served as the EAGE/SEG Distinguished Short Course Instructor for 2006. He is co-author on
4 books and nearly 60 journal publications. One of Marfurt’s recent papers was featured in the March 2008 Society of Exploration Geophysicists’ magazine, "The Leading Edge," in a special section dedicated to seismic attributes. The paper, "Emerging and future trends in seismic attributes," focuses on recent advancements in seismic attributes, as well as forecasts the future advancements of seismic attribute technology.
Dr. Kurt J. Marfurt
Photo: Shevaun Williams and Associates Commercial Photography, Inc.

MEWBOURNE SCHOOL OF PETROLEUM & GEOLOGICAL ENGINEERING, DR. I. YUCEL AKKUTLU

Dr. I. Yucel Akkutlu is assistant professor of petroleum & geological engineering at the University of Oklahoma. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Hacettepe University, Ankara. He holds M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in petroleum engineering from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. After graduation and prior to joining the University of Oklahoma, Akkutlu began an academic career with the University of Alberta teaching reservoir engineering courses.

Dr. Akkutlu’s main research interest is theoretical description of fluid flow, heat/mass transport and reaction in porous media. His work finds applications in reservoir engineering, particularly in the areas of improved recoveries of unconventional oil and gas. His current research deals with the homogenization of coupled transport (viscous and diffusive) and reaction processes in geological formations exhibiting multi-scale pore structures such as coal seams and gas shales. Dr. Akkutlu is developing a new IOR/EOR laboratory which will eventually enable the students to study fluid phenomena in porous media in a variety of scales using virtual and experimental models.

Dr. Akkutlu has published more than 20 papers in peer-reviewed journals and conference
Dr. I. Yucel Akkutlu
proceedings. He is a registered professional engineer of Alberta, APEGGA, is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, SPE, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, AIChE, Canadian Petroleum Society, CIM, Canadian Society for Unconventional Gas, CSUG, Petroleum Engineering Honor Society Pi Epsilon Tau and American Society for Engineering Education, ASEE. Currently he serves to the editorial board of SPE Journal as an associate editor and he has been a technical editor for a variety of chemical and petroleum engineering journals.