Allan Rojas

General Manager of Field Development and Optimization

EP Petroecuador (Ecuador)

Allan Rojas holds a MSc. in Petroleum Engineering (2017) and is a graduate from a Ph.D. in Chemical Sciences (2021) from Kazan Federal University, Russia. He has over 13 years of experience in the Oil & Gas industry, from laboratory, advanced numerical simulation and field operations. His expertise has had an especial focus on improving the knowledge and understanding of Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) methods, with great emphasis in thermal EOR methods for the development of unconventional reservoirs. He has participated in several (R&D) multinational projects dealing with polymer injection, steam injection, steam + hydrocarbon, steam + nanoparticles, air injection, thermo-chemical methods, etc. His contribution has led to developing oil fields in several countries e.g.: Russia, Cuba, U.A.E., Ecuador. He is the author of several scientific articles and recently became the main author of a book chapter published in John Wiley & Sons, on the numerical simulation of crude oil in situ upgrading process by the co-injection of nanoparticles with steam aiming to contribute to the advancement of intensifying the recovery factor of non-conventional reservoirs by implementing innovative and cutting-edge technologies. Currently, he holds the position of General Manager of Field Development and Optimization in the National Ecuadorian Oil Company EP Petroecuador.

Morteza Hosseinpour Ph.D. 

Assistant Professor in Chemical and Energy Engineering

Niroo Research Institute (NRI) / Amirkabir University of Technology (Iran)

Dr. Hosseinpour is a chemical engineer researcher with 17 years of experience on opening and leading new avenues of research in different sub-fields of chemical engineering including synthesis and application of heterogeneous nanocatalysis, upgrading of heavy oil, biomass and residua in in hot compressed water (HCW) environment. With expertise in applied catalysis and chemical reaction engineering, Dr. Hosseinpour is actively engaged in the development of innovative solutions for the sustainable conversion of heavy oil and residua through integration with renewable energy systems. 

He has published numerous papers (59 ISI papers), contributing to the advancement of heavy oil upgrading transition to a more sustainable upgrading routes. Specially with a strong emphasis on the clean conversion of non-conventional petroleum source to energy and chemicals including hydrogen and their carriers.

Currently Dr. Hosseinpour is Assisstant Professor of Chemical and Energy Systems Engineering at Niroo Research Institute (NRI) and Amirkabir University of technology (Polyetechnic of Tehran). He is also the project coordinator of the “National Roadmap of Clean Hydrogen Value Chain Development in IRAN”.

Emil Saifullin Ph.D. 

Co-Founder and CTO / Senior Research Fellow 

ChemProphet LLC / Kazan Federal University (Russia)

Dr. Emil Saifullin has extensive experience in leading innovative projects and startups in the oil&gas and chemicals industry. He has founded and managed a laboratory in Kazan Federal University dedicated to developing reagents for chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) and Improved Oil Recovery (IOR), and successfully integrated chemoinformatics technology to accelerate chemical development processes.

Hernando Bottia 

Xytel Inc. (Colombia)

Hernando Bottía Ramírez is a chemical engineer with over 15 years of experience in applied research, specializing in catalytic processes, Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR), and fluid phase behavior. Throughout his career, he has worked by integrating scientific knowledge with technological development, contributing to the design of innovative and scalable solutions for the energy and materials sectors.

During his time at the Colombian Petroleum Institute (ICP) of Ecopetrol, he led the transition to mercury-free technologies in PVT analysis and developed advanced protocols for the characterization of heavy crude oils. In 2010, he directed the implementation of an experimental platform to evaluate air injection as a thermal EOR method. This work supported the establishment of the Basis of Design and enabled the engineering of the in-situ combustion pilot in the Chichimene field. He later headed the EOR laboratory, where he conducted experimental studies on polymer flooding, surfactant injection, air injection, and steam flooding.

Following his tenure at Ecopetrol, he has led projects focused on microwave-assisted EOR, using ferromagnetic nanoparticles to enhance near-wellbore heating and promote in-situ upgrading via aquathermolysis. He also developed emulsions stabilized with Janus-type nanoparticles to promote ignition in in-situ combustion processes. In parallel, he has contributed to infrastructure resilience by rehabilitating carbon steel pipelines with non-metallic materials and developing hydrogen transport systems using polymer liners enhanced with graphene oxide nanoparticles.

Edgar Ramírez Jaramillo, Ph.D.

Director of the Flow Assurance Laboratory

Center of Technologies for Exploration and Production, Instituto Mexicano del Petróleo (México)

He studied physics at the Faculty of Sciences of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), with a Master’s degree in Physics from UNAM and a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from the Materials Research Institute of UNAM. He is currently in charge of the Flow Assurance Laboratory of the Center of Technologies for Exploration and Production (CTEP) of the Mexican Petroleum Institute (IMP), which is located in Boca del Rio, Veracruz, Mexico. He has 27 years of experience at IMP, his area of expertise is Hydrocarbon Phase Equilibrium Thermodynamics, Multiphase Flow and Transport Properties. He has published 22 research papers in indexed journals, has presented 36 research papers in congresses within the country and 30 research papers in international congresses. He has registered 20 copyrights for several applications, such as the development of multiphase flow software for wells with asphaltenes, waxes and gas hydrates deposition problems, experimental methodologies and the design of the Flow Assurance Laboratory. He has taught for more than 25 years courses at Bachelor, Master and PhD levels at UNAM and IMP. He has supervised 25 B.S., 18 M.S. and 3 Ph.D. theses. He is a member of the National System of Researchers level I since 2002.

Jesús Rodríguez

Director

Nakasawa Resources (USA)

Jesús Rodriguez is a Petroleum Engineer and holds MSc. in Reservoir Engineering. He has 18 years of experience in the Oil & Gas industry and strong background in Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR). He has solid knowledge and experience in designing, coordinating, developing and integrating undeground and Surface.

He has led projects regarding static characterization and dynamic modeling of reservoirs with light and extra heavy oil, meanwhile implmenting EOR technologies, such as water injection, gas injection, steam injection, chemical flooding, hybrid methods, in situ combustión (ISC) and heating cables. He has published over 30 scientific Works and supervised 6 dissertations regarding EOR and reservoir evaluation.

He has performed in several corporate positions such as Leader of the reservoir Engineering department, General Manager of EOR in the Ayacucho Division of the Orinoco Petroleum Corridor and Currently, as the Director in Nakasawa Resources which has projects in América, Asia and Middle East.

Pablo Bermeo

EOR Project Manager

Shaya (Ecuador)

Pablo is a seasoned professional with over 11 years of expertise in reservoir engineering, production optimization, waterflooding and polymer injection. Currently is the EOR Project Manager in Shaya Ecuador. Pablo has successfully led multidisciplinary teams in the execution of numerous projects, contributing to the development of effective field development plans and achieving production targets. 

With expertise spanning pore-scale analysis to full-field implementation, Pablo is involved in polymer injection for enhanced oil recovery. He brings deep technical knowledge in polymer selection, injectivity optimization, reservoir modeling, and field deployment strategies. His work integrates laboratory experimentation, simulation, and operational execution, ensuring efficient polymer flood performance. Known for bridging the gap between theory and practice, he has successfully led multidisciplinary efforts to design, pilot, and scale polymer injection projects, delivering measurable production improvements and reservoir management value.

Mauricio Fiallos

Sr. Reservoir Engineer

Schlumberger (Ecuador)

Mauricio Fiallos-Torres is a Sr. Reservoir Engineer in SLB Digital & Integration Division who provides consulting services in reservoir engineering and numerical simulation. He holds a master’s degree in petroleum engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He has over 10 years of experience in the industry with a track record focused on international research and consulting related to unconventional reservoir modeling, fracturing, and EOR. He has worked on projects with operators from the USA, United Arab Emirates, China, Turkmenistan, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador, and has +25 publications, +270 citations as well as a US patent.

Leonardo Marquez

General Manager

Shaya (Ecuador)

Leonardo Márquez has served as General Manager of Shaya Ecuador since 2020, helping Petroecuador with the development of the Block 61. He brings over 31 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. Throughout his career, he has held key leadership roles at PDVSA, ENI, and SLB, contributing to major upstream projects across Latin America, the Caribbean, North America, and Africa—including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Trinidad, the United States, Venezuela, and Nigeria.

Mr. Márquez specializes in reservoir engineering, field development planning, waterflooding, risk management, and project execution. He holds a Master’s degree in Petroleum Engineering, an MBA, a specialization in Reservoir Engineering, and a diploma in Risk Analysis. Additionally, he is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) by the Project Management Institute.

Leonardo is recognized for his strategic vision and technical leadership in advancing sustainable and efficient oil recovery solutions across diverse operational environments.

Luisa Acevedo

Researcher

Universidad Industrial de Santander (Colombia)

Luisa Acevedo is a chemical engineer with a background in hydrocarbon processing, heterogeneous catalysis, and experimental design. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Chemical Engineering from the Universidad Industrial de Santander (UIS), where her research focused on the exploration of catalytic alternatives for hydrocarbon valorization reactions with NiMo/zeolite-boehmite catalysts. She also completed an internship at Ecopetrol’s refinery in Barrancabermeja, focusing on catalytic hydrocracking processes. Her work contributes to the development of innovative catalytic solutions aimed at enhancing the efficiency of hydrocarbon upgrading and improved oil recovery technologies.

Sergei Matveev

Chief geologist 

Idzhat company (Russia) 

He holds a MSc Petroleum Geoscience degree from Kazan Federal University (2001). He began his professional career in 2001 at Lukoil as a petroleum geologist. 

In 2002-2007, Sergei worked for Neftepromchim  – Research Institute for oil-field chemistry as Head of the laboratory for Microbiological Methods of Enhancing Oil Recovery. The objective  of the lab activity was   development and implement MEOR methods to extract viscous oil from deposits with hard-to-recover reserves.

In 2007, he joined TGT oil and gas services. His research interest included Reservoir Flow Analysis, Leak Detection, Borehole Flow Analysis. He was in charge of  international multidisciplinary projects in Malaysia and UAE consisting of geophysical study, reservoir simulation, recommendations on production optimization: drilling of sidetracks and new wells, conducting acid treatments and workovers, waterflooding optimization, gas lift equipment optimization. 

In 2017, he joined Idzhat  and has been working exclusively in EOR projects worldwide. Additionally, he has coauthored several SPE papers. 

Alex turta, Ph.D, P.Eng.

President and owner

A T EOR Consulting (Canada)

Alex Turta is a reservoir engineer who worked for more than 25 years with the Alberta Innovates – Technology Futures, now Innotech Alberta in Canada; in 2014 he retired and became the president of his own company, A T EOR Consulting.  Alex has a Ph.D. in oil recovery by in situ combustion (ISC), with a subsequent in-depth specialization in ISC applications. 

For more than 12 years, Alex was involved in the implementation and management of the Suplacu de Barcau commercial project, the world’s biggest ISC project. Then, as a United Nations expert, he guided the development of Balol and Santhal ISC projects in India, from pilot to commercial stage operation.   

All in all, he has been involved in 8 commercial ISC operations and more than 16 ISC pilots, worldwide.   He is the author of the ISC chapter in the 2013 USA published book : ”Enhanced Oil Recovery. Field Case Studies”, Elsevier, Editor James J. Sheng. 

He is the co-inventor of Toe-To-Heel Air Injection (THAI), and catalytic THAI (CAPRI) processes for heavy oil recovery and upgrading. Also, he has been instrumental in developing the Toe-To-Heel Waterflooding process, and in exploring the possibility of conducting the steamflooding in a toe-to-heel configuration.   

Recently he has done ISC consultancy work for Balol and Santhal commercial ISC projects in India, and has provided technical assistance for the design of the THAI pilot on the Balol reservoir.   In the period 2013-2020,  Alex was the main consultant of Ecopetrol Colombia; in this quality, he guided the preparation and initiation of the first ISC in Colombia, in the Chichimene Field, which after 5 years of successful piloting is about to expand to commercial operation.     

Presently, he is conducting research to adjust ISC process in order to maximize the hydrogen production from heavy oil reservoirs.

Gustavo Palacios

Reservoir Engineer 

President of VYP Consulting Services (Argentina)

With 27 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, Gustavo is a specialist in reservoir engineering with an integral knowledge of engineering studies. As Partner and President of VYP Consulting Services, he leads multidisciplinary teams in reserve studies and technical assistance for clients.

He led and participated in more than 200 integrated studies, with a special focus on Waterflooding, accumulating more than 100 design, analyses, diagnostics and optimization processes. His background includes reserve audits and certifications, reservoir management, and asset evaluation.

Recognized for his leadership in reviewing the development plans of two major operating companies in the San Jorge Gulf Basin (Argentina), he has provided strategic advice to more than 40 companies in Latin America, including Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela.

Industrial Engineer from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), Gustavo is the author and co-author of technical publications on secondary recovery and has taught courses, workshops, and conferences in Argentina, Bolivia, and Colombia.

Diego Ayala, Ph.D.

Reservoir Engineer

EP Petroecuador (Ecuador)

He is a Petroleum Engineer from the Escuela Politecnica Nacional, Master in Sustainable and Renewable Energy from the Faculty of Physics, Universidad de Barcelona and a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences from the Universidad de Barcelona. Mr. Ayala has over 12 years of experience in the Oil & Gas industry.

He performes as a qualified Certificador from the International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC). Author of several scientific publications regarding the Oil & Gas industry. Moreover, he is an Instructor in the IADC.

Gerhard Walter

Reservoir Engineer

Halliburton (Ecuador)

Gerhard Walter holds a MSc degree in Petroleum Engineering from Mining University of Leoben (AUSTRIA – 1992 – graduated with distinction). He is a highly experienced classical Reservoir / Simulation Engineer, and has been working as a Consultant for the Oil & Gas Industry for 25+ years.

In more than 50 integrated reservoir studies (on & offshore fields, black oil & compositional, primary & secondary & tertiary Recovery) he worked with and for renowned international companies like HALLIBURTON, SHELL, AGIP, PDVSA, PETROAMAZONAS, PETROECUADOR, ENAP, among others, in Austria, Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador. 

In Ecuador, he has been involved in integrated reservoir studies (Team leader – Dynamic Modelling / Simulation) of the most important fields, such as SACHA, ITT, AUCA, SHUSHUFINDI, LIBERTADOR and AMISTAD.

Within those reservoir studies he worked as a leader of the dynamic Reservoir Engineering / Simulation team providing professional knowledge, hands on input, support and mentoring to less experienced engineers in order to achieve the goal to deliver a clear, concise and optimized technical and economic proposal for field development to the client taking into account Uncertainty & Risk aspects.

During his career, he gained a sound knowledge of other disciplines involved in integrated reservoir studies, such as Sedimentology, Geophysics, Petrophysics, Geostatistics and Production Engineering in order to guarantee a seamless and iterative transition between the static and dynamic model.

In addition to his practical contribution he provided knowledge & technology transfer to the clients as an instructor of a large number of courses & workshops as well as a teacher within master programs at Ecuadorian universities.