139: Persuading the decision-makers

Laura Bandura discusses her 2022 Distinguished Lecture, "Quantifying the Business Impact of Seismic Technology to Deepwater Exploration." In a low oil price environment, it is more important than ever to prioritize technology projects to ensure the greatest return on investment. There is much pressure to accelerate the time-to-impact of corporate research and technology programs. In many cases, the geoscientists who are developing these breakthrough technologies are expected to demonstrate the value of these initiatives, which requires both a high degree of subject matter expertise and business fluency. In this practical conversation, Laura and host Andrew Geary showcase how to communicate technological value and your expertise to decision-makers. Laura shares how to tie your work to financial metrics, the power of simplicity and brevity, and how geoscientists can better understand decision-makers. This episode provides a useful practicum to maximize the scientist's knowledge and expertise to make a difference. RELATED LINKS * Learn more about Laura's free Distinguished Lecture (https://seg.org/Education/Lectures/Distinguished-Lectures/2022-DL-Laura-Bandura) * Discover SEG on Demand (https://seg.org/Education/SEG-on-Demand) * See the full archive of the SEG podcast (https://seg.org/podcast) BIOGRAPHY Laura Bandura advises on strategy and performance improvement opportunities across the value chain within the Chevron Gulf of Mexico Business Unit. Laura has had a diverse career in her nine years at Chevron pioneering applications of machine learning to seismic imaging and interpretation, and cross-functional digital portfolio management. Prior to Chevron, Laura was a physicist at Argonne National Lab and the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) at Michigan State University, specializing in charged particle beam dynamics with applications to nuclear physics. She co-designed the fragment separator at FRIB, which is used to isolate and discover new isotopes. Laura has published research articles and patented inventions across a variety of fields, including geophysics, machine learning, nuclear science, and charged particle beam dynamics. She received her Ph.D. and M.S. in Physics from Northern Illinois University and B.S. in Biology from Aurora University. CREDITS SEG produces Seismic Soundoff to benefit its members, the scientific community, and inform the public on the value of geophysics. To show your support for the show, please leave a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. It takes less than five seconds to leave a 5-star rating and is the number one action you can take to show your appreciation for this free resource. You can follow the podcast to hear the latest episodes on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. Original music created by Zach Bridges. This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary at 51 features, LLC. Thank you to the SEG podcast team: Jennifer Cobb, Kathy Gamble, and Ally McGinnis.