Field Courses

Joan F. Flinch is currently an Independent Consultant and Senior Geoscience Consultant for Elsevier based in Madrid, Spain. Joan received his B. S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Barcelona, Spain in 1988 and 1990 respectively. His M.S. thesis focused on the structural mapping of the southern Pyrenees. He enrolled in the Geology and Geophysics Department at Rice University, receiving his Ph.D. in 1994, directed by Professor A. W. Bally. Before becoming an Independent Consultant, he spent 17 years at Repsol where he held the positions of West Africa New Ventures and Asset Manager, Latin America New Ventures Manager, Geology Manager, Geoscience Discipline Manager and Exploration Quality Advisor. He worked from 1997 to 2004 for Total, in Paris and Pau, France. From 1994 to 1997 he was a consultant geologist for Lagoven (PDVSA Affiliate) in Caracas. Joan has given numerous talks and published papers on the Pyrenees and the Betic Cordillera in Spain, the Moroccan Rif, the Northern Colombia Accretionary Prism, the Eastern Venezuelan fold-and-thrust belt, the Gulf of Paria, the Bolivia Sub-Andean region and the Sierra Leone-Liberia continental margin. He has been teaching several courses on Seismic interpretation and deep-water plays and leading geological field trips.

Holds a PhD in Earth Sciences from the University of Rennes (1991). After spending 30 years in the Oil Industry, as a recognized structural geology expert, Pascal can concentrate on one of his passions which is teaching structural geology. Pascal is a passionate teacher and coach. He also actively supports academia work contributing to master and PhD programs. His knowledge is based on numerous integrated projects, both at Exploration and Production scales, and on numerous training run since the beginning of his career. Pascal joined Shell in 1991. He initially spent 5 years in the Shell Research lab where he developed, with the team, some of the foundation concepts of modern structural geology. He has led the sandbox laboratory and run numerous experimental programs covering all structural styles. He has then spent 3 years in Oman in Exploration as a seismic interpreter and in a structural geology support role. This was followed by 4 years in Shell Carbonate Development Research Team focusing on Fractured reservoirs. Pascal went back to Oman for 7 years to implement fractured reservoir software technology and act as a focal point for structural geology in the Middle East. He finally spent 10 years in Shell Global Solutions working as a global consultant, working on projects and training. He has spent the last 3 years as the head of the structural geology discipline in Shell.

A passionate Geologist and Sedimentologist with a multidisciplinary knowledge from large scale basin geology to detailed heterogeneity modelling. Geoffray is a field geologist with a strong background in clastic environment, especially fluvial and coastal environments, ichnology, core / outcrop descriptions and sedimentary characterization. He has work as consultant for oil industry for 10 years. During this training, he will share his knowledge on geo-resources and reservoir characterization.

Michel is a professor of sedimentology at the University of Montpellier, where he created the Reservoir Geology master program which he managed for ten years. His main fields of research are facies sedimentology, basin architecture and associate reservoirs. With ELF-EP he spent five years developing understanding of turbidite and basin plumbing systems. He was supervisor for more than 30 Master Thesis and 19 PhD, and managed numerous cited publications on these topics.

Martin is an independent consultant assisting customers with geological studies and hydrocarbon prospectivity evaluations from basin to prospect range. Previously, he has worked for Schlumberger for ten years. Martin has conducted and published numerous industry and academic projects around the world, in a variety of different basins and at any level of exploration maturity, from frontier to near-field exploration. Martin also holds an honorary lecturer position with Imperial College London (United Kingdom) where he teaches basin and petroleum systems modelling and supervises PhD and MSc students.

As a former geologist with Total, Christian has more than 30 years of experience in the oil industry, from HR stratigraphy to basin analysis. He worked for 12 years in Angola, being lecturer at A.Neto University and in charge of competencies development. Working as Geosciences Education Manager, he created local training programs, in which national case studies were warmly approved by the authorities as key elements of educative projects.

Professor at the Dijon University in France, Michel has been the Director of several PhD theses on South Atlantic sedimentary Basins. For more than 30 years, he has been involved in numerous geological field campaigns (in Angola, Nigeria, Congo, Gabon, etc.) He is probably one of the best specialists of the Basins of the Southern Atlantic margins, having an extensive knowledge of their salt tectonics, sedimentology, specific crustal characterizations and evolution.

Michel is a professor of sedimentology at the University of Montpellier, where he created the Reservoir Geology master program which he managed for ten years. His main fields of research are facies sedimentology, basin architecture and associate reservoirs. With ELF-EP he spent five years developing understanding of turbidite and basin plumbing systems. He was supervisor for more than 30 Master Thesis and 19 PhD, and managed numerous cited publications on these topics.

Gilles has more than 15 years of experience in the Oil industry, with more than 50 integrated studies completed. He has worked as Development Geologist for major operator and consulting companies. He has developed integrated workflows, to adapt methods of modeling to fit objectives. Since 2012, he has been thoroughly involved in the development of Reservoir modeling trainings for IFP School and IFP Training.

Magal is Research Associate at Universidade de Lisboa. His experience includes over twenty years of practical application of high-resolution sequence stratigraphy through reservoir characterization and zonation, 3D geological modelling, and reservoir management. Besides, he was Lecturer in Brazilian universities and an Instructor of Sequence Stratigraphy and Sedimentology with Petrobras. Having published several papers on these topics, he is currently also a reviewer for Marine and Petroleum Geology, Geological Journal, Journal of South American Earth Sciences, and Arabian Journal of Geosciences.

Guilherme is an expert in Sedimentology, Sequence Stratigraphy, and Tectonics, and has been the Leader of High-resolution sequence stratigraphy group in Petrobras for 21 years, which has trained more than 1500 geoscientist and engineers. Besides, he has supervised tens of graduate students (MSc and PhD) and published several papers on these issues.

Magal is Research Associate at Universidade de Lisboa. His experience includes over twenty years of practical application of high-resolution sequence stratigraphy through reservoir characterization and zonation, 3D geological modelling, and reservoir management. Besides, he was Lecturer in Brazilian universities and an Instructor of Sequence Stratigraphy and Sedimentology with Petrobras. Having published several papers on these topics, he is currently also a reviewer for Marine and Petroleum Geology, Geological Journal, Journal of South American Earth Sciences, and Arabian Journal of Geosciences.

Gerson J. S. Terra is a carbonate sedimentologist who joined PETROBRAS in 1975 and his entire career has been spent in petroleum industry. He starts to work with carbonate sedimentology in 1977. His experience in PETROBRAS includes assignments in sub-surface geology, sedimentology, exploration and reservoir geology. He has extensive experience with oil industry training as an instructor in hundreds of courses both in the classroom and in field courses. Current research involves non marine carbonate rocks, cretaceous and Jurassic marine carbonate rocks, high resolution stratigraphy and field analogues for Brazilian Pre-Salt carbonates. He was retired from Petrobras in 2016 after 41 years as a Senior Geologist and Master Consultant. Currently, Gerson Terra is an Independent Consultant.

Jean-Louis Cappelli graduated from Ecole Nationale Supérieure du Pétrole et des Moteurs. He is a technical consultant and instructor in carbonate geology with more than 40 years of worldwide industry and field experience in all aspects of applied modern and ancient carbonate geology. His experience comprises 35 years with Elf-Aquitaine and then with TOTAL, where he was a training instructor for in-house seminars and development courses (both, reservoir-oriented and exploration-oriented courses).

Philippe (PhD) is a technical consultant and instructor in carbonate geology with more than 36 years of worldwide industry and field experience in all aspects of applied modern and ancient carbonate geology. This experience includes 31 years with TOTAL of which 4 years with ADMA-Opco, 3 years with ExxonMobil, training instructor for in-house seminar and development courses (reservoir oriented and exploration oriented courses).

Jean-Louis Cappelli graduated from Ecole Nationale Supérieure du Pétrole et des Moteurs. He is a technical consultant and instructor in carbonate geology with more than 40 years of worldwide industry and field experience in all aspects of applied modern and ancient carbonate geology. His experience comprises 35 years with Elf-Aquitaine and then with TOTAL, where he was a training instructor for in-house seminars and development courses (both, reservoir-oriented and exploration-oriented courses).

Philippe (PhD) is a technical consultant and instructor in carbonate geology with more than 36 years of worldwide industry and field experience in all aspects of applied modern and ancient carbonate geology. This experience includes 31 years with TOTAL of which 4 years with ADMA-Opco, 3 years with ExxonMobil, training instructor for in-house seminar and development courses (reservoir oriented and exploration oriented courses).

Jean-Louis Cappelli graduated from Ecole Nationale Supérieure du Pétrole et des Moteurs. He is a technical consultant and instructor in carbonate geology with more than 40 years of worldwide industry and field experience in all aspects of applied modern and ancient carbonate geology. His experience comprises 35 years with Elf-Aquitaine and then with TOTAL, where he was a training instructor for in-house seminars and development courses (both, reservoir-oriented and exploration-oriented courses).

Philippe (PhD) is a technical consultant and instructor in carbonate geology with more than 36 years of worldwide industry and field experience in all aspects of applied modern and ancient carbonate geology. This experience includes 31 years with TOTAL of which 4 years with ADMA-Opco, 3 years with ExxonMobil, training instructor for in-house seminar and development courses (reservoir oriented and exploration oriented courses).

Jean-Louis Cappelli graduated from Ecole Nationale Supérieure du Pétrole et des Moteurs. He is a technical consultant and instructor in carbonate geology with more than 40 years of worldwide industry and field experience in all aspects of applied modern and ancient carbonate geology. His experience comprises 35 years with Elf-Aquitaine and then with TOTAL, where he was a training instructor for in-house seminars and development courses (both, reservoir-oriented and exploration-oriented courses).

Philippe (PhD) is a technical consultant and instructor in carbonate geology with more than 36 years of worldwide industry and field experience in all aspects of applied modern and ancient carbonate geology. This experience includes 31 years with TOTAL of which 4 years with ADMA-Opco, 3 years with ExxonMobil, training instructor for in-house seminar and development courses (reservoir oriented and exploration oriented courses).

Jean-Louis Cappelli graduated from Ecole Nationale Supérieure du Pétrole et des Moteurs. He is a technical consultant and instructor in carbonate geology with more than 40 years of worldwide industry and field experience in all aspects of applied modern and ancient carbonate geology. His experience comprises 35 years with Elf-Aquitaine and then with TOTAL, where he was a training instructor for in-house seminars and development courses (both, reservoir-oriented and exploration-oriented courses).

Philippe (PhD) is a technical consultant and instructor in carbonate geology with more than 36 years of worldwide industry and field experience in all aspects of applied modern and ancient carbonate geology. This experience includes 31 years with TOTAL of which 4 years with ADMA-Opco, 3 years with ExxonMobil, training instructor for in-house seminar and development courses (reservoir oriented and exploration oriented courses).

Predictive stratigraphy consultant, 1957, French, more than 35 years of experience in the industry. He served as a clastic sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy advisor with Repsol from 2006 to 2016, supplying internal expertise to exploration and production projects run in both Madrid and affiliates. After studying geology at the Université de Caen in France, he joined the industry in 1981, starting as a seismic surveyor in South Yemen and Gabon with C.G.G. before processing and interpreting seismic data in Massy (France). In 1985, he worked as an exploration geophysicist with Fina Exploration Norway in Stavanger. In 1989, he joined Elf in Paris, in the basin study group. His transfer to their scientific and technical centre in Pau brought him much closer to rocks. Since the early 90's he has described quite a mileage of cores and has dedicated attention and time to trace fossils and ichnofabrics.

Mateu has a wide E&P experience (43 years) covering most carbonate basins from the Precambrian to the present. His technical publications have been internationally recognized with over 3,000 citations. He was an AAPG Distinguished Lecturer and received the AAPG Citation of Excellence and Special Commendation Award. Mateu was based in Madrid as External Advisor in Carbonate Geology with Repsol. As the founder of Carbonates International Iberia S.L. based in Mallorca, he was involved in consultation with Shell, NorskHydro, Repsol, PDO, Enron, Petronas, Petrobras, Apache, etc. Before, he was Staff Research Scientist with AMOCO Production Co., based in Tulsa (Ok), leading research on karst and unconformity related reservoirs. He was Fullbright Scholar at the University of Miami with Dr. Ginsburg, and Visiting Scientist at the Universities of Wisconsin and Liverpool.

As a former geologist with Total, Christian has more than 30 years of experience in the oil industry, from HR stratigraphy to basin analysis. He worked for 12 years in Angola, being lecturer at A.Neto University and in charge of competencies development. Working as Geosciences Education Manager, he created local training programs, in which national case studies were warmly approved by the authorities as key elements of educative projects.

Herbert Th. Eichenseer received a Ph.D. in geology from Tübingen University (Germany) in 1987. Joining ELF E&P (1991 to 2000) and subsequently TOTAL EP (2000 until 2013), he has worked in numerous projects involving sedimentology of carbonate reservoirs and shallow marine to fluvial clastics. From 2000 to 2004, he held the position of TOTAL's expert in carbonate geology. Then he joined TOTAL LIBYE (2004 to 2009) as chief geologist, and worked from 2007 to 2013 with TOTAL MAURITANIE, until 2009 as chief geologist, and later as senior exploration manager. Herbert retired from TOTAL by end 2013. Since then, he is a passionate field geologist in the Spanish Pyrenees, and has been involved in consulting and coaching projects.

Jean-Louis Cappelli graduated from Ecole Nationale Supérieure du Pétrole et des Moteurs. He is a technical consultant and instructor in carbonate geology with more than 40 years of worldwide industry and field experience in all aspects of applied modern and ancient carbonate geology. His experience comprises 35 years with Elf-Aquitaine and then with TOTAL, where he was a training instructor for in-house seminars and development courses (both, reservoir-oriented and exploration-oriented courses).

Nuno is associate Professor at the Geology Department of the Lisbon University with a PhD in Stratigraphy and Sedimentology. He has been for many years working in relation with the O&G industry (Petrobras, Repsol, Partex, Galp, Talisman, etc.) through research projects, fieldtrips and training programs. An AAPG Member since 2008, he contributed and co-chaired several Regional Conferences. His interest for pedagogy and training naturally motivated him to lead the AAPG's Lisbon Student Chapter and the Lisbon University's IBA teams. His main research interests include basin analysis, petroleum systems and siliciclastic reservoirs.

Recently retired, Bruno had worked for 25 years with TOTAL. As a sedimentologist he specialized in carbonates, namely at the TOTAL Technology Centre in Pau, France. After his PhD and IFP Master he has also worked with Shell as a production geologist. He gained a broad experience, particularly in dolomite and micro-porosity in carbonates, through various reservoirs case studies in the Netherlands, Sarawak, Middle East, North Africa and North Sea Chalk. His experience also covers sequence and seismic stratigraphy interpretation, depositional facies analysis, evaluation of reservoir quality (focused on carbonates diagenesis) and reservoir characterization and modeling.

As a former geologist with Total, Christian has more than 30 years of experience in the oil industry, from HR stratigraphy to basin analysis. He worked for 12 years in Angola, being lecturer at A.Neto University and in charge of competencies development. Working as Geosciences Education Manager, he created local training programs, in which national case studies were warmly approved by the authorities as key elements of educative projects.

Professor at the Dijon University in France, Michel has been the Director of several PhD theses on South Atlantic sedimentary Basins. For more than 30 years, he has been involved in numerous geological field campaigns (in Angola, Nigeria, Congo, Gabon, etc.) He is probably one of the best specialists of the Basins of the Southern Atlantic margins, having an extensive knowledge of their salt tectonics, sedimentology, specific crustal characterizations and evolution.

Michel is a professor of sedimentology at the University of Montpellier, where he created the Reservoir Geology master program which he managed for ten years. His main fields of research are facies sedimentology, basin architecture and associate reservoirs. With ELF-EP he spent five years developing understanding of turbidite and basin plumbing systems. He was supervisor for more than 30 Master Thesis and 19 PhD, and managed numerous cited publications on these topics.

As a former geologist with Total, Christian has more than 30 years of experience in the oil industry, from HR stratigraphy to basin analysis. He worked for 12 years in Angola, being lecturer at A.Neto University and in charge of competencies development. Working as Geosciences Education Manager, he created local training programs, in which national case studies were warmly approved by the authorities as key elements of educative projects.