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Ph.D. student Wardana Saputra honored by Society of Petroleum Engineers

Jul 28, 2016 News

Ph.D. student Wardana Saputra from the University’s Upstream Petroleum Research Center (UPERC) was recognized for his outstanding paper at the 2016 SPE ATS&E in April. Photo by Nicholas Demille

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​KAUST Ph.D. student Wardana Saputra from the Energy Geosystems Group (EGG) led by Tadeusz Patzek, director of the University’s Upstream Petroleum Engineering Research Center (UPERC), was recognized for his outstanding paper at the 2016 Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Annual Technical Symposium and Exhibition (ATS&E) held from April 25 to 28 in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

SPE was founded in 1957 and is the largest individual-member organization in the world to serve scientists, researchers, engineers and other professionals in the upstream oil and gas industry. More than 168,000 members from 144 countries participate in the organization, including more than 68,000 student members. It is governed by an international board of directors and has its headquarters in Richardson, Texas, U.S.

Saputra joined KAUST from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) in Indonesia, where he received his bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering in 2015. His paper entitled “A Cost Effective Method to Maximize the Hydrocarbon Recovery by Optimizing the Vertical Well Placements through the Simulation Opportunity Index” was co-authored with Patzek and Professor Tutuka Ariadji from ITB and won first place in the Ph.D. division for the SPE Middle East Student Paper Contest.

Saputra will now represent the entire SPE Middle East region at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition held in Dubai from September 26 to 28 this year. The conference is the largest global gathering of international oil and gas research and technology professionals and features the highest caliber papers in the industry, providing opportunities for collaboration and training.

“I love conferences like ATS&E—many conferences are conducted by SPE each year, giving great opportunities for students and young professionals alike,” said Saputra. “The conference definitely contributed to my experience and growth.”


- By Caitlin Clark, KAUST News