Carlos Torres-Verdin

Carlos Torres-Verdín is a Professor and holds the Brian James Jennings Memorial Endowed Chair and Zarrow Centennial Professorship in Petroleum Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin's Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering, within the Jackson School of Geosciences. He earned a B.S. in Geophysical Engineering from the National Polytechnic Institute of México (1983), an M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from UT Austin (1985), and a Ph.D. in Engineering Geoscience from UC Berkeley (1991). His research focuses on petrophysical and geophysical characterization of subsurface regions using well logging, seismic, and multi-physics data. Key areas include borehole geophysics, rock physics, reservoir characterization, and hydraulic fracturing.

He has received numerous accolades, including the 2020 Virgil Kauffman Gold Medal (SEG) and the 2017 Conrad Schlumberger Award (EAGE). His work integrates advanced numerical methods and machine learning to enhance reservoir evaluation and CO2 sequestration monitoring. Torres-Verdín teaches courses such as PGE 358 (Formation Evaluation) and directs the Formation Evaluation Joint Industry Research Consortium, fostering industry-academia collaboration.

Awards & Honors

• 2020 Virgil Kauffman Gold Medal, SEG
• 2019 Anthony F. Lucas Gold Medal, SPE
• 2017 Conrad Schlumberger Award, EAGE
• 2017 Lockheed Martin Excellence in Engineering Teaching Award

Research & Teaching

His recent studies address challenges in unconventional reservoirs, fluid dynamics in nanoporous media, and real-time geosteering. He has published over 150 peer-reviewed articles, emphasizing innovation in inversion techniques, NMR applications, and reservoir simulation.