Oilfield Basics

Daniel J. Soeder has forty years of experience as a research scientist and professional geologist.  He spent a decade carrying out studies on the geology of unconventional natural gas resources at the Gas Technology Institute in Chicago, followed by 18 years with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and eight years at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory in Morgantown, West Virginia.  His duties with the USGS included coordinating hydrologic and geologic fieldwork on the Yucca Mountain Project in Nevada, and researching coastal hydrology, wetlands, water supply, and water contamination in the Mid-Atlantic.  His work at DOE included energy and environmental research on gas shale and other unconventional fossil energy resources.  He served as director of the Energy Resources Initiative at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology from 2017 to 2020.  He has authored multiple reports, scientific papers, and two books on shale resources.  A third book is in press about the impacts of shale gas development on the environment.  He holds a B.S. degree in geology from Cleveland State University (Ohio), and an M.S. degree in geology from Bowling Green State University (Ohio).