Abstract: Sometimes we forget that geophysics is the physics of geology as we pursue better combinations or algorithms for seismic processing or interpretation of the most fashionable seismic attribute. There is great power that comes from the understanding of the physics of both the large scale turbidite flows, its implications on self organization  (that is, predictability) of the bed and grain cale, and the rock physics models that allow the prediction from seismic measurements and optimisation of reservoir performance by the engineers. The reality of physical possibilities limits the wealth of possibilities proposed by the geologists, so that the engineer can anticipate a more limited number of possibilities and optimize the performance for those possibilities.

Bio: Michael E. Glinsky received a B.S. degree in physics from Case Western Reserve University in 1983 and a Ph.D. degree in physics from the University of California, San Diego in 1991. His doctoral research on magnetized pure electron plasmas was recognized by the American Physical Society as the outstanding thesis in the United States (1993 Simon Ramo Award). Before enrolling in graduate school as a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow, he worked as a geophysicist for Shell Oil Company. After graduate school, he worked as a Department of Energy Distinguished Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for 5 years. More recently he worked for three years at the Shell E&P Technology Co. doing research on Bayesian AVO and 4D inversion. After being the Section Leader of Quantitative Interpretation for BHP Billiton Petroleum, he moved into the BHP Billiton corporate centre where he was Manager, Resource R&D. Currently, he is CEO Science Leader at CSIRO. He has published over 28 papers in the scientific literature on subjects as varied as plasma physics, signal processing for oil exploration, x-ray diagnostics, application of exterior calculus to theoretical mechanics, and laser biological tissue interactions. He received the 2004 CSIRO Medal for Research Achievement for his research on petroleum reservoir characterization.

Host: Eckart Meiburg