John P. Oilfinder
123 Energy Lane
Houston, TX 77019
(281) 330-8004
joilfinder@uh.edu
OBJECTIVE
A full time position as an exploration geologist in the oil and gas industry starting May 2015
EDUCATION
Doctor of Philosophy in Geology
GPA: 4.0
University of Houston, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Thesis: Structure, stratigraphy, and tectonics of the Gulf of Mexico
Advisor: Dr. Kevin Burke
Bachelor of Science in Geology
GPA: 4.0
University of Houston, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
May 2015
August 2011
RELEVANT COURSEWORK
Petroleum Prospecting Workshop (IBA competition), Intro to Subsurface Mapping and Petroleum
Workstations, Petroleum Basin Evaluation, Petroleum Leasing Regulation and Practice, Petroleum
Geology, Basin Modeling, Mineral Resources, GIS and GPS application in Earth Sciences, Sequence
Stratigraphy, Advanced Tectonics and Sedimentation, Seismic Data Processing
SOFTWARE SKILLS
Landmark Decision Space, GeoProbe, ArcGIS, Oasis Montaj, Petrel, SMT Kingdom, Midland Valley
Move, PetroMod, Paradigm Echos and Interpret, Microsoft Office, Adobe Suite, basic Linux
EXPERIENCE
UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
January 2012-Present
Research Assistant
Houston, TX
 Conducting a regional geological and geophysical study of the Gulf of Mexico using modern,
deep penetration 2D seismic data, GPS, and potential fields data to define the tectonic history,
basin evolution, and hydrocarbon potential of the Gulf of Mexico
 Research includes: seismic interpretation, gravity and magnetic modeling, detailed structural
and stratigraphic analysis, and palinspastic plate reconstructions
 One semester as Teaching Assistant for Basin Analysis for Petroleum Exploration
CHEVRON
May 2013-August 2013
Geology Intern
Houston, TX
 Play fairway mapping of the deep water Sergipe basin, offshore Brazil
SPECTRUM GEO INC.
June 2012-August 2012
Geology Intern
Houston, TX
 Provided geological analysis and interpretation of deep water Gulf of Mexico seismic dataset
 Aided geophysicists with geologic interpretations in order to improve seismic reprocessing
workflows and imaging
UNIVERSITY OF Houston
March 2009-December 2011
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Houston, TX
 Conducted a senior honor’s thesis project on Gulf of Mexico depositional systems
 Interpreted six key horizons and tied to 25 deep water exploration wells in order to define the
depositional history of the Gulf of Mexico from the Late Cretaceous to Miocene
EXPERIENCE CONTINUED
STATOIL
May 2010-August 2010
GIS Analyst Intern
Houston, TX
 Built an automated GIS database that combines and continually updates Statoil proprietary
data with outside vendor data sources for the Gulf of Mexico
ACTIVITIES AND HONORS
Hess Scholarship for Outstanding Academic Achievement
AAPG Outstanding Student Poster Competition, 3nd place
GCSSEPM student poster competition, 3rd place
Graduate student representative for Dept. Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
AAPG Wildcatters President
AAPG Outstanding Student Poster Competition, 1st place
UH Student Research Day poster competition, 2nd place
BP Scholarship for Outstanding Academic Achievement
Graduate Student Representative for GeoSociety at UH
IBA Gulf Coast Region, 3rd Place
Fundamentals of Basin Eval. and Quant. Prospect Assessment Short Course (Shell)
Bureau of Economic Geology Unconventional Short Course
ExxonMobil Integrated Basin and Play Analysis Workshop
President of Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity
PROFESSIONAL AND STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
AAPG Wildcatters, SEG Wavelets, GeoSociety (UH student organizations)
Houston Geological Society
Geophysical Society of Houston
Society of Exploration Geophysicists
American Association of Petroleum Geologists
American Geophysical Union
2014
2014
2014
2013-2014
2013-2014
2013
2013
2012-2013
2012-2013
Spring 2012
Spring 2012
Spring 2011
Spring 2010
2008-2009
2012-Present
2012-Present
2012-Present
2011-Present
2009-Present
2009-Present
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS AND ABSTRACTS
 Oilfinder, J., Burke, K., Saunders, M., Island arcs, misplaced continents, and a large igneous
province: Challenges for petroleum prospecting in the Western Caribbean, AAPG Annual Convention
and Exhibition, 2014 (oral presentation)
 Oilfinder, J., Burke, K., Structural and gravity transects of the Gulf of Mexico, AAPG Annual
Convention and Exhibition, 2014 (poster, 3 rd place)
 Oilfinder, J., Burke, K., Saunders, M., Role of the offshore Pedro Banks left-lateral strike-slip fault
zone in the plate tectonic evolution of the northern Gulf of Mexico, AGU Fall meeting 2013 (poster)
 Oilfinder, J., Burke, K., Crustal provinces of the Gulf of Mexico as a control on source rock distribution
and maturity , AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition, 2013 (poster, 1 st place)
 Oilfinder, J., Burke, K., Early Origins of the Gulf of Mexico from deep seismic profiles, AGU Fall
meeting 2012 (poster)
 Oilfinder, J., Structural and stratigraphic history of the Aure-Moresby fold-thrust belt from subsurface
data (and constraints on timing of tectonic events affecting eastern Papua New Guinea), NSF
Continental Dynamics Meeting, Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, Palisades, NY, May 2012
 Oilfinder, J., Burke, K., Late Miocene to Recent Inversion of the Aure trough: A consequence of
transpression along the Owen Stanley Fault Zone, AGU Fall Meeting 2009 (poster)