Andrew Hurst

Andrew Hurst is Professor and Chair of Energy Geoscience at the University of Aberdeen's School of Geosciences, holding this position since 1992 (previously titled Chair in Production Geoscience). He leads the Sand Injection Research Group (SIRG), active since 1998 with nearly 40 energy company sponsors, and serves as an elected Trustee of the Geological Society of London. His research spans sedimentary processes, resource evaluation, and waste sequestration applications.

• PhD Geology, University of Reading (1981)
• BSc Hons Geology & Mineralogy, University of Aberdeen (1977)

Hurst's research integrates global to sub-micro-scale data to examine basin evolution, sediment provenance, and climate change relationships through weathering, erosion, and diagenesis. His work focuses on sand injectites—natural hydraulic fractures with fluidized sand injection—and their role in fluid migration, resource entrapment, and sequestration (nuclear, CO₂, hydrogen). Additional research includes loessite origin linked to mass extinction events, green rural energy systems, and micro-scale granular modeling for rock properties. His recent publications reveal consistent emphasis on sand injectite reservoir characterization, hydro-mechanical modeling, and provenance studies across North Sea, California, and global analogues.

• William Smith Award (Geological Society of London, 1993)
• Wegener Medal (EAGE, 2004)
• Distinguished Service Award (AAPG, 2007)
• Grover E Murray Distinguished Educator Award (AAPG, 2012)
• Blaustein Professorship, Stanford University (2015)

Hurst co-founded and served as Chief Editor of Petroleum Geoscience (GSL/EAGE), testified as an expert witness in the Deepwater Horizon Trial (2011-2014), and actively participates in AAPG, EAGE, and International Association of Sedimentology committees. His Sand Injection Research Group maintains industry collaboration for subsurface characterization, while his teaching includes MSc IPG, OGEM, Oil & Gas Engineering, and undergraduate courses. Current projects examine sequestration applications and low-carbon rural energy systems through agricultural waste repurposing.

The Sand Injection Research Group (SIRG) operates as his primary research unit, maintaining industry partnerships for sand injectite studies with applications to hydrocarbon recovery and geological storage. His work integrates field outcrop analysis, seismic interpretation, and hydro-mechanical modeling to develop predictive frameworks for subsurface fluid behavior.