Researchers
Ken Wisian
Ken Wisian, Ph.D., Major General USAF (retired), Associate Director, Bureau of Economic Geology, is a geophysicist with more than 20 years in geothermal systems research. Other current research includes; planetary geology/space exploration, Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence, disasters and infrastructure resiliency, and international relations. He teaches Life in the Universe and Geothermal Systems at the University of Texas a Austin. Previously, Dr. Wisian was a senior state executive responsible for disaster recovery, oil spill prevention and response, and coastal infrastructure and environmental protection for Texas.
Nicola Tisato
Nicola Tisato is an Assistant Professor of Geophysics at the Earth and Planetary Science Department of UT Austin. He is a rock physicist and principal investigator of the Rock Deformation Laboratory. He earned his PhD from ETH Zurich in 2013 and a Master's degree from the University of Padova in 2008. Nicola is a caver and loves mountains.
Nicola’s webpage: https://www.jsg.utexas.edu/researcher/nicola_tisato/
Dr. Shuvajit Bhattacharya
Dr. Shuvajit Bhattacharya is a Research Scientist specializing in geophysics, petrophysics, and integrated subsurface characterization. Shuvajit completed a Ph.D. in geology at West Virginia University in 2016. Shuvajit has completed geothermal projects on integrated subsurface characterization and techno-economics, including the regional geothermal potential of Texas, geothermal techno-economic feasibilities for selected areas in the Gulf Coast and SW Texas, and SW Netherlands. He processes, interprets, and integrates temperature, heat flow, petrophysics, and geophysical data for geothermal feasibility assessment. He is also interested in research on repurposing depleted oil wells to fit-for-purpose geothermal wells.
Shuvajit is leading a geothermal lab for rock thermal property measurements at ambient and subsurface conditions at BEG.
Shuvajit is the recipient of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists J. Clarence Karcher Award (2022) for “significant contributions to science and technology of exploration geophysics.” His collaborative research on the geothermal feasibility and field test design for a potential site near Houston earned an Honorable mention (2nd best poster) at the IMAGE conference, the joint AAPG-SEG annual meeting in 2022. He is also a co-recipient of the Gulf Coast American Association of Petroleum Geologists’ A.I. Levorsen Award for the most innovative oral presentation at GeoGulf 2023.
Peter Eichhubl
Peter Eichhubl is a Research Professor in Structural Geology and Reservoir Geomechanics. With his students and postdocs, he investigates fracture processes in chemically reactive systems, flow and transport processes in fractures and fault systems, and the geomechanics of fluid injection and production, with applications to geothermal system, wastewater injection, and carbon and hydrogen storage. He is co-PI of the GeoH2 industrial consortium at the BEG. He has a PhD from the University of California Santa Barbara and a MSc from the University of Vienna.
Personal research website: https://www.jsg.utexas.edu/researcher/peter_eichhubl/
Dr. Mohamed Shafik Khaled
Dr. Mohamed Shafik Khaled, a Research Assistant Professor, is renowned for his specialization in geothermal development, advanced drilling, artificial intelligence, and oil and gas operations. His current research endeavors are centered on enhancing the U.S. heat flow database, developing cutting-edge real-time drilling models, and repurposing mature hydrocarbon wells and coal plants for geothermal energy production.
Dr. Khaled embarked on his academic journey by earning a bachelor's and a master's degree in petroleum engineering from Suez and Cairo University, respectively. He began his professional career at Halliburton Co., where he distinguished himself as a Drilling Solutions Engineer. Following his valuable industry experience, Dr. Khaled advanced his academic career by obtaining a Ph.D. in Petroleum Engineering from Texas A&M University. He further honed his research skills as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Petroleum & Geosystems Engineering Department at the University of Texas at Austin. Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Khaled has (co-)authored over 25 technical papers, garnering numerous accolades from the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) for his significant contributions to the field of petroleum engineering.
Bissett Young
Bissett Young is a research science associate with 10+ years’ experience in seismic data management and analysis. She has worked on many seismic networks around the country and temporary array deployments internationally. Bissett has been a researcher at the Bureau for seven years, having previously worked for the Texas Seismological Network (TexNet). For the Hotrock IA, she is primarily focused on data analysis and interpolation for the purpose of geothermal resource assessment.
Jackson Marshall Grimes
A native Texan, Jackson received his MSc in Sustainable Energy Sciences from the Iceland School of Energy at Reykjavik University, where his studies focused on Geothermal Policy and Social Governance. Upon returning to Texas, he joined the geothermal working group at the BEG investigating ways in which geothermal development can impact disadvantaged communities, methods for engagement, workforce development, and the associated economics. He is a firm believer that community-driven geothermal projects are a critical first step towards wider societal acceptance of next generation geothermal technologies. Beyond his work with the BEG, Jackson holds positions with Project InnerSpace, the Texas Geothermal Energy Alliance, and the UNESCO IGCP-636 Geothermal Resources for Energy Transition Project.
David Chapman
Mr. Chapman’s passion is delivering advanced technology that can change the world by satisfying the triple bottom line (financial, environmental, and societal profitability) with commercially sustainable competitive advantages. Mr. Chapman manages multiyear, cross-university research programs for the BEG, drawing on proven strengths in technical and business development, with 30 years’ experience in advanced technology with Motorola, Intel, Research Triangle Institute, SEMATECH. Mr. Chapman currently provides program management for HotRock, CEO, MINER, SubMap, and Casing Anulus Programs and the BEG and previously spent 15 years managing the microfabricated sensors program in the AEC.
