Dr. Sean Connell

I am an earth scientist with over 30 years of experience in geological characterization, modeling, and data analytic. I have been involved in projects that encompasses a wide range of reservoir characterization activities in groundwater, oil, gas, and underground carbon storage projects. My career path exposed me to a wide range of sub-disciplines in the Earth Sciences, covering various aspects of geomorphology, sedimentology, stratigraphy, geochronology, hydrogeology, basin analysis, and subsurface geological characterization. I have also been involved in the drilling programs and acquisition of borehole geophysical logs and core to characterize geological features and conditions in the subsurface.

• Ph.D., Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, 2010
• M.S., Geology, University of California, Riverside, 1995
• B.S., Geology, California State University, Northridge, 1988

NM Bureau of Geology/New Mexico Tech – Socorro, NM

Senior Research Scientist / Hydrogeologist, Mar 2025 – Present

• Characterization of fresh and brackish water resources in major and minor aquifers across New Mexico.

Chevron U.S.A. - Jun 2012 – Oct 2024

Chevron Technical Center – Lower Carbon Geology Chapter, Houston, TX, Jan 2023 – Oct 2024

• Reservoir and seal characterization for CCS projects in California and onshore/offshore Gulf of Mexico.
• Contributed to geological narratives for Class VI permit applications for a proposed full-scale commercial CCS project at the Eastridge cogeneration facility in Kern County, California.
• Geological characterization of 140,000 acres of pore space for Bayou Bend CCS storage complexes along the Texas Gulf Coast.

Chevron U.S.A., San Joaquin Valley Business Unit – ES Team Lead and Special Projects Geologist, Bakersfield, CA, Jun 2019 – Dec 2022

• Led team focusing on unconventional resource evaluations, optimizing heavy oil development strategies, quantification of reservoir connectivity and heterogeneity, and technology validation.
• Worked with California regulatory agencies to identify flow pathways and evaluate mitigation strategies for oil seepage.
• Initiated PG Guild professional geologist workgroup to support UIC permit signatories and led UIC permit application process with PG stamp for thermal EOR projects.
• Chair of Earth Science Curriculum Committee: developed staff geological capabilities for SJV Business Unit.
• Developed first integrated reservoir and fault framework for the >2.6BBO Kern River Oil Field using >9000 wells and regional data to optimize development strategies and curb production declines.
• Utilized advanced well-log screening tools to identify sites for a hybrid thermal–polymer demonstration project to reduce GHG impacts.
• Provided on-demand geological advice during drilling operations.
• Developed best practices for geological applications of digital outcrop models of reservoir analogs using drone-based photogrammetry.

Chevron Energy Technology Company – Clastic Stratigrapher, San Ramon, CA & Houston, TX, Jun 2012 – May 2019

• Worked closely with cross-functional teams to achieve project objectives for numerous assets.
• Organized and led field and classroom training of earth scientists and engineers.
• Geologic characterization of fluvial and shallow-marine reservoirs, including the development and deployment of advanced reservoir characterization workflows to quantify connectivity and heterogeneity using large well-calibrated brownfield datasets and geological analogs.
• Conducted detailed reservoir characterization studies to optimize production large, established oil and gas fields: Cymric, Kern River, and Midway-Sunset (CA; Miocene & Pliocene Monterey, Kern River, and Tulare Fms); ~350MBO Rosebank (North Sea; Eocene Colsay Fm); and >25BBO Boscán (Maracaibo; Eocene) and >30BBO Huyapari (Faja del Orinoco; Mio-Pliocene) in Venezuela.
• Reservoir characterization support for the Triassic Mungaroo and Brigadier Fms for the >35BCF Gorgon and 8.9MTPA Wheatstone gas offshore fields in Australia (NWS; Northwest Shelf).

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology – Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences – Socorro, NM

Faculty Adjunct, Fall 1999 – Fall 2012

• Mentoring students and thesis committee service.

New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources – Albuq., NM

Senior Managing Geologist, Apr 2010 – May 2012

• Integrated structural and stratigraphic framework for groundwater-flow modeling of deep, saline groundwater along the Colorado Plateau–Rio Grande rift boundary for desalination potential (Connell, 2011; Melis et al., 2012).

Field Geologist/Albuq. Office Mgr., Jul 2000 – Mar 2010

• Created and compiled maps showing distribution of rock types, faults, and stratigraphic horizons to support integrated geologic characterizations of the Albuquerque and Española basins (Connell, 2004 and 2008; Grauch and Connell, 2013; Koning et al., 2013).
• Fluvial-spillover integration of the Rio Grande (Connell et al., 2005).
• Detailed geologic map compilation of the Albuquerque–Rio Rancho metropolitan area (Connell, 2008).
• High-resolution (radioisotopic, biostratigraphic, and magnetic-reversal polarity) geochronology of the Albuquerque Basin (Connell et al., 2013).
• Mentored Bureau associates and managed Albuquerque office staff.

Field Geologist, Jan 1996 – Aug 2000

• Conducted geomorphic and stratigraphic research in New Mexico, including geologic mapping of 22 (7.5-minute) quadrangles, encompassing more than 3500 km² of the Rio Grande rift in central New Mexico (Statemap; National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program).
• Provided hydrogeologic information to support multi-agency groundwater modeling efforts in the Middle Rio Grande Basin.
• Interpreted hundreds of well logs and integrated surficial mapping with subsurface geophysical datasets into large GIS databases and digital map products.
• Aided federal, state, tribal, and local agencies and presented geologic concepts to the public, local, and national geological organizations.

William Lettis and Associates – Temporary Staff Geologist, Oakland, CA, Sep 1993 – May 1994

• Geologic support for a sitewide hydrogeologic study of Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), New Mexico.

University of California, Riverside – ​​​​​​​ Graduate Research Assistant, Riverside, CA, Jun 1992 – Jun 1993 & Sep 1994 – Mar 1995

• Surficial geologic mapping and geomorphic characterization of more than 1000 km² of the Mojave Desert to support cultural resources sensitivity studies for Fort Irwin expansion.

Allan E. Seward Engineering Geology – Staff and Project Geologist, Santa Clarita, CA, Jun 1987 – Apr 1992

• Engineering-geologic land evaluations and paleoseismic (trench) studies of active and potentially active faults in southern California.

• 3D Digital Outcrop Models (Sketchfab).
• Experimental Stratigraphy videos (YouTube channel).
• Gigapixel imagery of outcrops (link)

• Chevron Reservoir Management Excellence Team Awards
  • 2024 CCS subsurface modeling workflows.
  • 2024 Bayou Bend West CCS onshore stratigraphic well completion (TX).
  • 2024 KR Eastridge CCS Class VI permit (CA).
  • 2019 Boscán Field integrated characterization, modeling, and simulation (Venezuela).
  • 2019 Application of computational stratigraphy to Rosebank Field (North Sea).
  • 2017 Leveraging brownfield assets into 3D subsurface analogs.
• 2012 Outstanding Paper Award, Journal of Sedimentary Research (Connell et al., 2012).
• 2010 Outstanding Doctoral Student, Univ. of New Mexico, Earth and Planetary Sciences.
• 2007 Participated in PBS documentary The Sandias [between timestamp 21:06 - 35:00]
• 2007 National Groundwater Association, Farvolden Scholarship.
• 2005 New Mexico Geological Society, Scholarship.
• 2001 GSA, Roy J. Shlemon Mentor in Applied Geology.
• 2001 Tenure granted at NM Bureau of Geology.
• Journal peer-review, including:
  • Computers & Geoscience
  • Geological Society of America Bulletin and Geology
  • Geomorphology
  • Marine & Petroleum Geoscience
  • NMGS
  • Terra Nova

• California Professional Geologist (PG6126)
• California Engineering Geologist (EG1910)
• FAA Part 107 sUAS remote pilot (4500893)

Payenberg, T.H.D., Willis, B.J., Sixsmith, P., Connell, S.D., et al., 2024, Quantification and classification of a giant fluvial-distributive system - the Triassic Mungaroo Formation, NWS, Australia: Earth-Science Reviews, v. 249, 104676.

Connell, S.D., Laugier, F.J., 2020, Stratigraphic measures of reservoir connectivity and heterogeneity in heavy oil fields: Society of Petroleum Engineers Journal SPE-200799-MS, 13 p.

Popa, A., Connel[sic], S.D.,2019, Optimizing horizontal well placement through stratigraphic performance prediction using artificial intelligence: Society of Petroleum Engineers Journal SPE-195887-MS, 17 p.

Madof, A.S., Harris, A.D., Connell, S.D.,2016, Nearshore along-strike variability: Is the concept of the systems tract unhinged?: Geology, v. 44., n. 4, p. 315-318.

Connell, S.D., Smith, G.A., Geissman, J.W., McIntosh, W.C., 2013, Climatic controls on nonmarine depositional sequences in the Albuquerque Basin, Rio Grande rift, north-central New Mexico: GSA Special Paper 494, p. 383-425.

Grauch, V.J.S., Connell, S.D.,2013, New perspectives on the geometry of the Albuquerque Basin, Rio Grande rift, New Mexico: Insights from geophysical models of rift-fill thickness: Geological Society of America Special Paper 494, p. 427-462.

Connell, S.D., Kim, W., Paola, C., Smith, G.A. 2012, Sediment-flux steering of axial- transverse boundaries in a fluvially dominated experimental basin: Journal of Sedimentary Research, v. 82, n. 5, p. 310-325.

Connell, S.D., Kim, W., Smith, G.A, Paola, C., 2012, Stratigraphic architecture of an experimental basin with interacting drainages: Journal of Sedimentary Research, v. 82, n. 5, p. 326-344.

Kim, W., Connell, S.D., Steel, E., Smith, G.A., Paola, C., 2011, Mass-balance control on the interaction of axial and transverse channel systems: Geology, v. 39, n. 7, p. 611-614.

Price, L.G., Bland. D., Johnson, P.S., Connell, S.D., 2009, Water, natural resources, and the urban landscape: The Albuquerque Region: New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, Decision-Makers Field Conference, 152 p.

Connell, S.D., 2008, Geologic map of the Albuquerque-Rio Rancho metropolitan area, Bernalillo and Sandoval County, New Mexico: New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, Geologic Map GM-78, scale 1:50,000, 2 pl.

Connell, S.D., 2008, Refinements to the stratigraphic nomenclature of the Santa Fe Group, northwestern Albuquerque basin, New Mexico: New Mexico Geology, v. 30, n. 1, p. 14-35.

Connell, S.D., Love D.W., Dunbar, N.W., 2007, Geomorphology and stratigraphy of inset fluvial deposits along the Rio Grande valley in the central Albuquerque basin, New Mexico: New Mexico Geology, v. 29, n. 1, p. 13-31.

Connell, S.D., Hawley, J.W., Love D.W., 2005, Late Cenozoic drainage development in the southeastern Basin and Range of New Mexico, southeasternmost Arizona, and western Texas: New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 28, p. 125-150.

Connell, S.D., 2004, Geology of the Albuquerque Basin and tectonic development of the Rio Grande rift, north-central New Mexico: New Mexico Geological Society, Special Publication 11, p. 359-388.