Dr. Jose Daniel Muñoz López
Post-Doc Fellow, Department of Geosciences
Educational Qualification
- Ph.D., Earth Sciences, University of Barcelona, Spain (2021)
- M.S., Geology applied to mineral and energetic resources, University of Granada, Spain (2015)
- B.S., Geology, University of the Basque Country, Spain (2014)
Research Interests
- Structurally-controlled diagenesis and fluid flow.
- Carbonate diagenesis and geochemistry.
- Isotope geochemistry and U-Pb dating.
Selected Publications
- Ramirez-Perez, P., Cantarero, I., Cofrade, G., Muñoz-López, D., Cruset, D., Sizun, J.P., Travé, A., 2023. Petrological, petrophysical and petrothermal study of a folded sedimentary succession: the Oliana anticline (Southern Pyrenees), outcrop analogue of a geothermal reservoir. Global and Planetary Change. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2023.104057.
- Muñoz-López, D., Cruset, D., Vergés, J., Cantarero, I., Benedicto, A., Mangenot, X., Albert, R., Gerdes, A., Beranoaguirre, A., Travé, A., 2022. Spatio-temporal variation of fluid flow behavior along a fold: the Bóixols-Sant Corneli anticline (Southern Pyrenees) from U–Pb dating and structural, petrographic and geochemical constraints. Marine and Petroleum Geology 143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2022.105788. Article 105788.
- Muñoz-López, D., Alías, G., Cruset, D., Cantarero, I., John, C.M., Travé, A., 2020. Influence of basement rocks on fluid evolution during multiphase deformation: the example of the Estamariu thrust in the Pyrenean Axial Zone. Solid Earth 11, 2257–2281. https://doi.org/10.5194/SE-11-2257-2020
- Muñoz-López, D., Cruset, D., Cantarero, I., Benedicto, A., John, C.M., Travé, A., 2020b. Fluid Dynamics in a Thrust Fault Inferred from Petrology and Geochemistry of Calcite Veins: an example from the Southern Pyrenees. Geofluids. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/8815729.
- Sun, X., Gomez-Rivas, E., Cruset, D., Alcalde, J., Muñoz-López, D., Cantarero, I., Martín- Martín, J.D., John, C.M., Travé, A., 2022. Origin and distribution of calcite cements in a folded fluvial succession: the Puig-reig anticline (South-Eastern Pyrenees). Sedimentology. https://doi.org/10.1111/sed.12994.
Awards & Honors
- Ph.D. with Cum Laude, University of Barcelona (2021).
- Honor degree in Carbonate reservoirs, University of Granada (2015).
Dr. Moaz Salih
Post-Doc Fellow, Department of Geosciences
Educational Qualification
- Ph.D., in Geology 2022 – King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Saudi Arabia.
- M.S., in Geology 2015 – King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Saudi Arabia.
- B.S., in Geology 2010 – University of Khartoum, Sudan.
Research Interests
- Carbonate diagenesis and petrophysics
- Controls on seismic velocity of carbonate rocks
- Petrophysical properties of bioturbated strata
Selected Publications
- Salih, M., Reijmer, J. J., & El-Husseiny, A. (2021). Diagenetic controls on the elastic velocity of the early Triassic Upper Khartam Member (Khuff Formation, central Saudi Arabia). Marine and Petroleum Geology, 124, 104823.
- Salih, M., Reijmer, J. J., El Husseiny, A., Bashri, M., Eltom, H., Mukainah, H. A., & Kaminski, M. A. (2021). Controlling factors on petrophysical and acoustic properties of bioturbated carbonates:(Upper Jurassic, Central Saudi Arabia). Applied Sciences, 11(11), 5019.
- Salih, M., El-Husseiny, A., Reijmer, J. J., Eltom, H., & Abdelkarim, A. (2023). Factors controlling sonic velocity in dolostones. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 147, 105954.
- Eltom, H. A., González, L. A., Alqubalee, A., Amao, A. O., & Salih, M. (2020). Evidence for the development of a superpermeability flow zone by bioturbation in shallow marine strata, upper Jubaila Formation, central Saudi Arabia. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 120, 104512.
- Bashri, M., Kaminski, M. A., Abdullatif, O., Humphrey, J., Makkawi, M., Swennen, R., … & Babiker, J. (2022). Facies analysis and depositional model for the Oxfordian Hanifa Formation, Central Saudi Arabia. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 146, 105940.
Dr. Abdullah Abdulkarem Basaleh
Post-Doc Fellow, Department of Geosciences
Dr. Basaleh is a postdoctoral research associate at Geosciences Department at CPG, KFUPM. His research area is utilization of waste and natural materials for wastewater treatment by adsorption process, particularly the production of low-cost adsorbents for organic and inorganic pollutants removal
Educational Qualification
- Ph.D., Civil & Environmental Engineering, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Saudi Arabia, 2021
- M.S., Civil & Environmental Engineering, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Saudi Arabia, 2015
- B.S., Civil Engineering, Hadhramaut university, Yemen (2010)
Research Interests
- Industrial wastewater treatment using adsorption process.
- Polymeric composites synthesis for organic and inorganic pollutants removal from wastewater.
- Synthesis of low-cost, waste and natural-based adsorbents for sustainable wastewater treatment.
Selected Publications
- A. Basaleh, M. H. Al-Malack, and T. A. Saleh, “Poly (acrylamide acrylic acid)/Baghouse dust magnetic composite hydrogel as an efficient adsorbent for metals and MB; synthesis, characterization, mechanism, and statistical analysis,” Sustain. Chem. Pharm., vol. 23, no. July, p. 100503, Oct. 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.scp.2021.100503
- A. Basaleh, M. H. Al-malack, and T. A. Saleh, “Poly ( acrylamide acrylic acid ) grafted on steel slag as an efficient magnetic adsorbent for cationic and anionic dyes,” J. Environ. Chem. Eng., vol. 9, no. 2, p. 105126, 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.jece.2021.105126.
- A. Basaleh, M. H. Al-Malack, and T. A. Saleh, “Polyamide-Baghouse Dust Nanocomposite for Removal of Methylene Blue and Metals; Characterization, Kinetic, Thermodynamic and Regeneration,” Chinese J. Chem. Eng., Oct. 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.cjche.2020.08.050.
- A. Basaleh, M. H. Al-Malack, and T. A. Saleh, “Methylene Blue Removal using Polyamide-Vermiculite Nanocomposites: Kinetics, Equilibrium and Thermodynamic Study,” J. Environ. Chem. Eng., vol. 7, no. March, p. 103107, 2019.
- A. Basaleh, M. H. Al-Malack, and T. A. Saleh, “Metal removal using chemically modified eggshells: preparation, characterization, and statistical analysis,” Desalin. Water Treat., vol. 18, no. 1, 2019
- A. Basaleh and M. H. Al-Malack, “Utilization of Municipal Organic Solid Waste for Production of Activated Carbon in Saudi Arabia,” Arab. J. Sci. Eng., vol. 43, no. 7, pp. 3585–3599, 2018.
- H. Al-Malack, O. G. Al-Attas, and A. A. Basaleh, “Competitive adsorption of Pb2+ and Cd2+ onto activated carbon produced from municipal organic solid waste,” Desalin. Water Treat., vol. 60, pp. 310–318, 2017
- M. H. Al-Malack and A. A. Basaleh, “Adsorption of heavy metals using activated carbon produced from municipal organic solid waste,” Desalin. Water Treat., vol. 57, no. 51, pp. 24519–24531, 2016
Awards & Honors
- B.S. degree with First-class honors .
- Best Poster Award at INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE ENERGY-WATER-ENVIRONMENT NEXUS IN DESERT CLIMATE 2021, Qatar, 22-25 November 2021
Dr. Chekwube Clement Afagwu
Post-Doc Fellow, Department of Petroleum Engineering
Dr. Afagwu is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Department of Petroleum Engineering. He joined KFUPM in 2019 as a Ph.D. student. Prior to this time, he worked with Chevron Nigeria Limited as a Reservoir simulation Engineer between January to December 2016, and a subsurface consulting film between 2017 and 2018. His research interests span across reservoir and production engineering with emphasis in Multiscale and Multiphysics Transport and Storage Studies in Unconventional Hydrocarbon Reservoirs.
Educational Qualification
- Ph.D., Petroleum Engineering, KFUPM, Saudi Arabia, 2023
- M.S., Petroleum Engineering, UNIBEN, Nigeria, 2016
- B.S., Petroleum Engineering, UNIBEN, Nigeria, 2012
Research Interests
- Modeling Fluid Flow in Porous Media
- Unconventional Hydrocarbon Resources
- Adsorption and Diffusion
- Molecular Simulation
- Data Analysis and Artificial Intelligence
Selected Publications
- C Afagwu, S Alafnan, R Weijermars, M Mahmoud (2023). Multiscale and Multiphysics production forecasts of shale gas reservoirs: New simulation scheme based on Gaussian pressure transients. Fuel 336, 127142
- C Afagwu, S Alafnan, M Mahmoud, W. Akkutlu (2022). Modeling of natural gas self-diffusion in the micro-pores of organic-rich shales coupling sorption and geomechanical effects. JNGSE, 104757
- R Weijermars, C Afagwu (2022). Hydraulic diffusivity estimations for US shale gas reservoirs with Gaussian method: Implications for pore-scale diffusion processes in underground repositories. Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering, 104682
- C Afagwu, M Mahmoud, S Alafnan, A Alqubalee, A ElHusseiny, S Patil (2022). Pore Volume Characteristics of Clay-Rich Shale: Critical Insight into the Role of Clay Types, Aluminum and Silicon Concentration. Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering, 1-17.
- C Afagwu, S Al-Afnan, S Patil, J Aljaberi, MA Mahmoud, J Li (2021). The impact of pore structure and adsorption behavior on kerogen tortuosity. Fuel 303, 121261.
- C Afagwu, S Alafnan, MA Mahmoud, S Patil (2021). Permeability model for shale and ultra-tight gas formations: Critical insights into the impact of dynamic adsorption. Energy Reports 7, 3302-3316.
- J Aljaberi, S Alafnan, G Glatz, AS Sultan, C Afagwu (2021). The impact of kerogen tortuosity on shale permeability. SPE Journal 26 (02), 765-779.
- C Afagwu, I Abubakar, S Kalam, SF Al-Afnan, AA Awotunde (2020). Pressure-transient analysis in shale gas reservoirs: A review. Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering 78, 103319.
- C Afagwu, MA Mahmoud, S Alafnan, S Patil (2022). Multiscale storage and transport modeling in unconventional shale gas: A review. Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering 208, 109518
Awards & Honors
- 2022 SPE International Presidential Award Winner (recognizes Top 5% Student Chapter)
- 2022 SPE MENA Region Petrobowl First Runner Up
- 2021 SPE MENA Region Petrobowl First Place
- 2020 SPE International Petrobowl Elite Stage
Dr. Ahmed Gowdia
Post-Doc Fellow, Department of Petroleum Engineering
Dr. Ahmed Gowida is a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the College of Petroleum and Geosciences (CPG), King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Saudi Arabia. He earned his PhD in Petroleum Engineering from KFUPM in 2024, graduating with distinction and achieving a perfect GPA of 4.00. Before joining KFUPM, Dr. Gowida served as a faculty member in the Petroleum Engineering Department at Suez University in Egypt from 2016 to 2018, where he taught Drilling Engineering courses to undergraduate students. At KFUPM, he has taught a range of courses, including Introduction to Petroleum Engineering and Drilling Engineering at the undergraduate level, as well as Advanced Well Control and Advanced Drilling Fluids for graduate students. As an IADC-certified instructor, he integrates hands-on training into his teaching, utilizing advanced drilling simulators to provide industry-aligned education that bridges theoretical knowledge with practical skills critical to the energy sector.
Dr. Gowida’s research expertise lies in drilling engineering, with a focus on the design and optimization of advanced drilling and well construction technologies for systems such as underbalanced drilling (UBD), managed pressure drilling (MPD), and geothermal drilling. These innovations aim to advance unconventional subsurface energy systems. His research also delves into the intersection of machine learning (ML) and petroleum engineering, where he develops advanced models to automate workflows and drive the Industry 4.0 transformation in the energy field.
With a prolific research portfolio, Dr. Gowida has authored over 35 papers in high-impact scientific journals and delivered multiple conference presentations. His contributions to the field earned him first place in the 2022 SPE International Paper Contest for the PhD division, making him the first Middle Eastern scholar to achieve this prestigious distinction. Additionally, he holds a granted U.S. patent and has filed several patents in areas such as drilling fluids, artificial intelligence applications, and the design of advanced tools and equipment, underscoring his dedication to practical innovation in the energy industry. Beyond his academic and research roles, Dr. Gowida is deeply involved in the professional community. He serves as a board member on the Student Development Committee of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) International and as an ambassador for the SPE Energy4Me Program, fostering global energy education and outreach. Furthermore, he co-founded the IADC Student Chapter, the first of its kind in the Middle East region, as well as the Dhahran Geoscience Society (DGS) Student Chapter at KFUPM.
Educational Qualification
- Ph.D., Petroleum Engineering, KFUPM, Saudi Arabia, 2024 (GPA: 4.0/4.0)
- M.S., Petroleum Engineering, KFUPM, Saudi Arabia, 2019 (GPA: 3.93/4.0)
- B.S., Petroleum Engineering, Suez University, Egypt, 2014 (Excellent with Honors)
Research Interests
- Advanced Drilling & Well Construction Technologies
- Geothermal Development
- Managed & Underbalanced Pressure Drilling
- Foam Technology in Petroleum Industry
- Data Science & Machine Learning Applications
Selected Publications
- Gowida, A., Elkatatny, S. and Al-Shehri, D., 2024. Foam Properties Evaluation under Harsh Conditions: Implications for Enhanced Eco-Friendly Underbalanced Drilling Practices. SPE Journal, pp.1-12.
- Gowida, A., Elkatatny, S., Ibrahim, A.F. and Kamal, M.S., 2023. Impact of Pressure and Temperature on Foam Behavior for Enhanced Underbalanced Drilling Operations. ACS omega, 9(1), pp.1042-1055.
- Gowida, A., Gamal, H. and Elkatatny, S., 2023. Exploring the potential of laser technology in oil well drilling: An overview. Geoenergy Science and Engineering, p.212278.
- Gowida, A., Ibrahim, A.F., Elkatatny, S. and Ali, A., 2022. New empirical correlations to estimate the least principal stresses using conventional logging data. ACS omega, 7(16), pp.13507-13519.
- Gowida, A., Abu-Khamsin, S.A., Mahmoud, M.A., Aljawad, M.S. and Alafnan, S.F., 2022. Accelerated low-temperature oxidation for sand consolidation and production control. Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, 214, p.110567.
- Gowida, A., Ibrahim, A.F. and Elkatatny, S., 2022. A hybrid data-driven solution to facilitate safe mud window prediction. Scientific Reports, 12(1), p.15773.
- Gowida, A., Elkatatny, S. and Gamal, H., 2021. Unconfined compressive strength (UCS) prediction in real-time while drilling using artificial intelligence tools. Neural Computing and Applications, 33(13), pp.8043-8054.
Awards & Honors
- Certified Instructor for Well Control, International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC), 2024
- Excellence Patent Award, KFUPM, June 2023
- SPE International Paper Contest Ambassador, 2023
- SPE International Energy4me Ambassador, 2023
- First Place in SPE International Paper Contest (Ph.D. Division), USA, Oct. 2022
- First Place in SPE Middle East &North Africa (MENA) Regional Paper Contest (Ph.D. Division), July 2022
- First Place in SPE Middle East &North Africa (MENA) Regional Petrobowl Contest, 2021
- Second Place in College of Petroleum and Geosciences Hackathon, Saudi Arabia, Nov. 2019
Alexandra Scerbacova
Post-Doc Fellow, CIPR
Educational Qualification
- B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas (Moscow, Russia), 2016
- M.S. in Chemical Engineering, Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas (Moscow, Russia), 2018
- Ph.D. in Petroleum Engineering, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Moscow, Russia) jointly with Curtin University (Perth, Australia), 2023
Research Interests
- Enhanced oil recovery
- Microfluidics
- Huff-n-Puff
Selected Publications
- Scerbacova A. et al. Rock–Fluid Interactions of Alkyl Ether Carboxylate Surfactants with Carbonates: Wettability Alteration, ζ-Potential, and Adsorption //Energy & Fuels. – 2023. – Т. 37. – №. 5. – С. 3723-3740.
- Scerbacova A. et al. Application of alkalis, polyelectrolytes, and nanoparticles for reducing adsorption loss of novel anionic surfactant in carbonate rocks at high salinity and temperature conditions //Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects. – 2022. – Т. 653. – С. 129996.
- Scerbacova A. et al. Water-and surfactant-based huff-n-puff injection into unconventional liquid hydrocarbon reservoirs: Experimental and modeling study //Energy & Fuels. – 2023. – Т. 37. – №. 15. – С. 11067-11082.
Awards & Honors
- Winner of SPE regional student paper contest (Russia and Caspian region) in PhD division, 2020 and 2022
- Schlumberger Scholarship Award For the Academic Year 2016/2017