Picture This: A Snapshot of What It’s Like to be Part of Viridien’s Subsurface Imaging Team

Known for new approaches that unlock the secrets of the world beneath our feet, Viridien’s subsurface imaging team is trusted by both energy and energy transition industries alike, using the latest technologies to deliver reliable, accurate and actionable imaging results. Here we spotlight a few members of Viridien’s Houston team. 

Recipe for success 

Viridien’s Subsurface Imaging team is recognized for its winning combination of brilliant minds, teamwork and out-of-the-box thinking. Coming from backgrounds ranging from mathematics to engineering to physics, team members draw from each other’s unique input for better outcomes. 

“Viridien likes hiring from different backgrounds. It leads to better solutions and stronger teams. My perspective on a problem might be different from someone whose expertise is in another field,” says Sabrina Strauss, Senior Seismic Imager. 

“I love how the different parts of the team interact and work together, especially when we take technology from the research phase to deployment,” says Hui Huang, Senior Research Advisor. She notes that though her responsibilities focus on literature review, development of new algorithms, and testing on field data, she also provides support for production teams and gives and receives feedback from teams working on other stages of each project. 

Despite their talented nature, their team has its share of challenges. 

“Currently, we are working on an ocean bottom node time-lapse (4D) project for the understanding of hydrocarbon habitat and water movement of the reservoirs. This project is challenging because the signals we are trying to detect are very weak or undetectable. So, we are constantly exploring different possibilities in processing technology to improve the signal detection. It takes lots of collaboration,” explains Rachel Gong, Senior Imaging Project Leader. 

Subsurface imaging also requires a great deal of focus and commitment to flexibility from its team members. 

“Every time I get a task, I learn something new. With so many ways to approach a project and a wealth of tools at our disposal, the team is always working to improve workflow and efficiency. We learn from successes, failures and one another’s experiences to remain on schedule and find the best approach to each new project,” says Marin Petkovic, Seismic Imaging Analyst. 

He quickly adds that the team is always there to help. “Our communication is very good. We help each other all the time, and though we work on different data, I often consult team members about the workflow they’ve found success with in the past.” 

Importance of technology 

In the fast-moving world of seismic imaging, new technologies open new doors to deeper insights, even in regions where the industry already has a good understanding of the oil and gas fields. 

“We recently completed a 4D project. Normally you may only compare two datasets for this kind of project, but we had four. There are several papers on the field that we explored, and at this point it is the proving ground for the technology we are working with, but each time we go back we learn something new,” says Sabrina. 

Marin echoes this example with one of his own: “We were part of a reimaging project in the Gulf of Mexico. We took data modeled years ago and redid everything with new tech to produce better models from that same data, leading to a big improvement in imaging results and subsurface understanding in this complex area of the Gulf of Mexico.” 

One of the more impressive technologies used by the team is Full-Waveform Inversion (FWI). FWI accurately computes detailed, data-driven models of subsurface velocity, absorption (Q) and even reflectivity, for use in seismic imaging and interpretation. 

Zedong Wu, Senior Lead Researcher, explains, “We are committed to developing and implementing advanced algorithms and techniques for seismic data analysis, including Time-Lag FWI (TLFWI), elastic Time-Lag FWI (E-TLFWI), and FWI Imaging. These techniques have enabled us to improve the accuracy and quality of our results, which has led to successful projects with significant business impact for our clients.” 

“We’ve progressively improved this technology year by year. Our clients really appreciate our growth,” adds Zhiyuan Wei, Senior Imaging Supervisor. 

“I am particularly proud of my role in developing a recent E-TLFWI module. This module significantly improves the quality of seismic images by enhancing event continuity and signal-to-noise ratio in the presence of salt, a common challenge in geophysics in this region where we work with data from the Gulf of Mexico and Brazil. This new product had a substantial business impact almost immediately after its release, which was gratifying to see,” explains Zedong. 

Sabrina also points out the many environmental and safety advantages of using advanced imaging techniques. “The technological improvements translate directly to cost savings, safer worksites, and less risk for our oil and gas clients, allowing them to better understand prospects and sink wells only at the right sites.” 

Though the technology used by the team is complex, it is easy to understand why clients value their contributions so much. 

“We utilize visual representations, data visualization and interactive demonstrations to help clients learn more about the subsurface,” Rachel explains in a nutshell. “Communication with the clients is crucial, as they provide input and suggestions for our data processing effort. We maintain transparency in our approach, sharing what has worked and what hasn’t. The goal is to align expectations and ultimately deliver impactful results.”

Why Viridien? 

The continuous development of new technology and strides to improve is what drew most of the imaging team to Viridien.

Joining Viridien from the University of Notre Dame with a Ph.D. in physics, Sabrina shares, “Continuing a career in nuclear physics didn’t inspire me the same way that Viridien did. Everything I was working on was very theoretical, but I wanted to find a science that was more applied, and Viridien was the answer to that.” 

The ability to make an immediate difference by developing real-world solutions resonates strongly through most of the narratives shared by the team. 

Rachel’s rationale echoes Sabrina’s. With a Ph.D. in civil engineering from Georgia Tech, she too left one industry to come work in the energy industry, saying, “I decided to switch from civil engineering because the oil and gas industry was very exciting at that time. Civil engineering, on the other hand, relied heavily on government funding, which was not consistent for specific majors. Additionally, my Ph.D. research was focused on groundwater monitoring modeling, and I found it fascinating that the oil and gas industry had a huge amount of data available.” 

“The technology I was focused on was still very far away versus the big advancements in capability every few years here at Viridien,” adds Zhiyuan, who obtained his Ph.D. in physics from nearby Texas A&M University. 

“I came to work for Viridien because they’re one of the best in the world at what they do. Honestly, back in school I never thought I’d be in oil and gas. I was studying pure math, so I assumed I’d have to start anew at whatever I did after school. I definitely had some learning to do when I came to the Viridien subsurface imaging team, but it has been worth it.” shares Marin, who joined Viridien after graduating from the University of Utah with a Ph.D. in mathematics. 

Like Marin, Zedong studied math in school, obtaining his Ph.D. in computational mathematics from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He pivoted to geoscience due to the opportunity to contribute to real-world technical advancements, explaining, “working in geoscience gives me the chance to see my work directly translate to business impact through technical innovation. Viridien’s reputation in this area made them the obvious choice to launch my career in the industry.” 

“My interest in geoscience started early when I was a kid,” says Hui. “A friend showed me a piece of a Trilobite fossil beautifully showing every detail of the ancient creature. I am still the same kid who wanted to dig out treasures from the earth with her own two hands.” Studying for and earning her Ph.D. in geophysics from MIT only served to increase her interest in the field. 

Growing a team with diverse talent 

Whatever new trends, technologies and discoveries emerge in the field of subsurface imaging in the next few years, Viridien is excited to continue its R&D work. In the meantime, the team also continues its search for new talent and expertise. 

“There are so many emerging professions that companies like Viridien consider when hiring: geothermal, data science, CCUS … the list goes on. We also need multi-disciplinary professionals who can embrace the future and broaden our knowledge,” shares Hui.

Discussing why young professionals might want to consider working at Viridien, Sabrina explains, “I really like my team. I can go ask questions, and I love answering questions when someone else needs my help. It’s supportive, and our hard work is recognized.”

“Seismic imaging is a big, exciting world to explore. When transitioning from academia to the corporate environment, there can be a very steep learning curve, sure. But as you conquer that curve, you get to find those things that interest you the most in your daily work. Find somewhere that will support your interests. I believe Viridien is one such place,” Rachel adds. 

Zhiyuan expands on this, saying, “Try to find somewhere you can grow. I really value the different opportunities for learning and professional development here at Viridien. Look for places that actually value their junior team members and that have a culture of guiding them.” 

Learn more Viridien’s subsurface imaging capabilities here or access our latest technical content. 

Interested in joining the team? Check out careers at Viridien.