Each year, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) elects a slate of distinguished lecturers. Lecturers are selected from geoscientists around the world based both on their research and their ability to communicate important results to a broad audience.
Dr. Yingcai Zheng, the Robert and Margaret Sheriff Professor in Applied Geophysics in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS), has been elected to the 2026鈥�2027 program. He directs the Rock Physics Laboratory and leads the Fluids/DHI industry consortium, now in its 32nd year. He will present a talk titled 鈥淚nferring Permeability in Geothermal Fields Using Seismic Imaging and Machine Learning.鈥�
His geothermal research combines rock physics under high-pressure, high-temperature conditions, seismic imaging, and machine learning to characterize fractures and fluid pathways for geothermal exploration and development.
In many geothermal systems, faults and fractures control how easily fluids move through the rock. Characterizing these structures before drilling can help identify potential fluid pathways and reduce exploration uncertainty. Zheng鈥檚 talk will present seismic imaging and machine-learning methods for characterizing faults and fracture networks and inferring properties related to permeability. These methods may help identify blind geothermal systems, which lack obvious surface signs, and improve the selection of drilling targets.
Zheng is the fifth member of EAS to serve as an AAPG distinguished lecturer in the last ten years, joining Adjunct Professor Kurt Rudolph and Professors John Castagna, John Suppe, and Julia Wellner.
Zheng will deliver his lecture online in November, and registration is open to all AAPG members. Universities and professional societies may also request in-person or online lectures for their audiences.