Dr Geoff O’Brien has a PhD in marine geochemistry and sedimentology and has over 35 years’ experience in the marine research, petroleum and CCS sectors. He has worked in and for the petroleum industry as a petroleum systems and CCS technical specialist, with a focus on integrated petroleum systems and basin analysis, including remote sensing, basin modelling and hydrocarbon migration, leakage and seepage. He has also consulted to the Federal and other governments.  
 
Geoff worked for Geoscience Australia (1985-2001), where he was the Research Group Leader in the Marine Environment & Offshore Petroleum Group, as a research fellow and consultant at the University of Adelaide (2001-2003), as the Energy Geoscience Manager at Geoscience Victoria (2006-2011) and as the Chief Geoscientist for NOPTA between 2012 and 2018. 
 
Geoff has been awarded multiple awards for his efforts, including three APPEA/AEP Best Technical Paper Awards and a WABS Best Presented Paper Award. He has published over 100 papers, a similar number of abstracts and his work appeared on the front cover of Nature.  
 
He has a vast knowledge of Australia’s sedimentary basins and their petroleum potential and over the last 15 years has become increasingly involved in the CCS sector. A passion of his is regulatory analysis and streamlining and the development of tailored and targeted CCS work programs that relate specifically to the ultimate regulatory requirements. 

Dr Max Watson is the Senior Manager for Technology Development and is Australia’s Delegate for the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum, a Ministerial-level international climate change initiative. Max has over 24 years of experience in developing industry-relevant, low-emission technologies, including carbon capture & storage (CCS) and, more recently, hydrogen storage. Max has worked in academia, industry, and R&D management sectors, gaining insights from a variety of countries and business types. He completed his PhD at The University of Adelaide.   
He has a vast knowledge of Australia’s sedimentary basins and their petroleum potential and over the last 15 years has become increasingly involved in the CCS sector. A passion of his is regulatory analysis and streamlining and the development of tailored and targeted CCS work programs that relate specifically to the ultimate regulatory requirements. 

Dr Jai Kant Pandit holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Monash University, Australia. He has extensive experience and a wide range of interests in sustainability and emission reduction, including CO₂ capture, utilisation, hydrogen energy, and power generation. Jai has previously worked on thermal power plant design, performance improvement, and alternative fuels for Babcock & Wilcox and Alstom Power. In CO2CRC, he developed pathways for retrofitting CO₂ capture to fossil fuel-based power plants. He has actively contributed to the management of post-combustion capture and CO₂ utilization research and development and has led various feasibility studies on CCS for the Asian Development Bank and the government. Jai has delivered various courses on CCUS to Australian and international organizations. He has authored multiple peer-reviewed journal articles on CO₂ capture and utilisation and has presented his work at various conferences, symposiums, and seminars.

Genna is a Reservoir Engineer with experience across multiple sectors in the oil & gas industry at major Australian operators, including operations of offshore Australian gas and oil fields, well planning & execution, and dynamic reservoir modelling. She currently provides subsurface technical expertise for upcoming CCS projects across Australia, including storage site evaluation, simulation studies, risk assessments and monitoring and verification planning. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Petroleum Engineering (with Honours) and a Bachelor of Science in Geology & Geophysics.

Dr Hadi Nourollah is a Senior Geophysicist at CO2CRC and the science lead for the shallow fault project. He has worked for National Oil Companies in the Middle East, operators in SE Asia and directed an international consultancy in Australia for a decade prior to joining the global CCS leader, CO2CRC. His research interests are the sealing potential of shales and innovative seismic techniques for efficient CO₂ monitoring. Hadi holds a Master of Science in Petroleum Geosciences and completed his PhD in Geophysics at Curtin University.

Laura is a senior geologist with over 10 years of experience in the oil & gas industry, with extensive experience in spatial data analysis, reservoir characterization from clastic to carbonates and shale formations, 3D modelling, and most recently building geological models for carbon storage in saline formations.

Previously Laura has worked as Senior Exploration Geologist for Total Energies in Asia Pacific, with expertise in EOR, unconventional plays (shale) and mature field development gained from working with Total and Repsol-YPF in Southeast Asia and Argentina.