Dr. Xiaoyan Long, Ph.D., P.E., BC.GE
Dr. Xiaoyan Long is the Principal Consultant and technical authority at Fugro USA Marine, Inc. in Houston, bringing over 18 years of consultancy and management experience in marine site characterization, foundation design, and geohazard assessment. She holds a master’s degree from Tongji University and a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University. A registered Professional Engineer in Texas and Ohio, she is also a board certified geotechnical engineer. Dr. Long has published more than 30 technical papers and serves as Honorary Secretary of the SUT US Executive Committee. She is an active member of the SUT OSIG committee and ISSMGE TC209. 

Dianna Phu - Worley

Topic: Introduction to SUT-US and the OSIG Group

Dianna Phu is a Principal Technical Consultant in Marine Survey and Geoscience at Worley Consulting, with a B.Sc. in Geology & Geophysics from the University of Houston. Dianna has more than 25 years of experience supporting offshore energy projects across the globe: U.S. West and East Coasts, the Great Lakes, Gulf of Mexico, Alaska and Hawaii, as well as the Eastern Mediterranean, Bay of Bengal, and areas offshore Canada, Trinidad, Guyana, Nigeria, Brazil, and Mozambique. Dianna specializes in marine geohazards, development planning, complex site characterization, multi-disciplinary collaboration, geo-risk evaluation and treatment management, and GIS driven analytics and visualization. In addition to her technical role on projects, Dianna also serves as Technical Stewardship Manager for Worley Consulting’s Environment & Sustainability team in the Americas. Dianna is a licensed PG in Texas and Louisiana. Dianna is currently Chair of SUT US’s OSIG Committee, member of the 2027 OSIG Conference Planning Committee, and holds other volunteer and committee roles in several industry societies and community organizations.

 

Lucas Mozetic Meaglia - Repsol

Topic: The Role of CCS in the Future of Global Energy Demand

Lucas Mozetic is an energy industry professional with extensive international experience across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and North America. He has held diverse technical and project management roles at Repsol, contributing to major exploration and production initiatives in regions such as Algeria, Norway, the UAE, the UK, and Spain. Lucas holds advanced training in project management, offshore systems, flow assurance, and risk management, complemented by certifications including PMP® and participation in leadership programs. A graduate of Heriot-Watt University, he brings a strong engineering foundation and a global perspective to his work in the oil and gas sector.

 

Shams Ul-Hadi, Ph.D. - B-geO

Topic: Understanding Pore Pressure & Fracture Gradient Models for Offshore CCS Wells

Dr. UI-Hadi is an experienced geoscience professional specializing in pore pressure and fracture gradient (PPFG) prediction and drilling operations. With over a decade of expertise, he has supported complex deep-water exploration projects across global basins, including the Gulf of America, West Africa, and the Caspian Sea. Shams has been with Berger Geosciences since 2012 and has provided technical support to their global clients. Currently, Shams serves as a consultant focused on real-time PPFG monitoring and well planning. He earned his Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Houston, where his research on tectonic slip rates was published in leading journals. His work integrates geophysical, petrophysical, and drilling datasets to optimize well integrity and operational safety.

 

James Faroppa - Fugro

Topic: Characterization and Monitoring of Roof Systems above CCUS Storage Complexes

Mr. Faroppa is Fugro’s Marine Consultancy Director.  This includes teams interpreting and integrating a vast array of Geodata from Geophysical, Geotechnical, Geological, Metocean and Environmental with the intent of building Integrated Earth Models.  James is an alumni of the University of Southampton, University of Royal Holloway London and Duke University in USA, holding degrees in Geophysics, Basin Evolution and Business Administration.   He is passionate about understanding earth systems and how a technical understanding can best inform investment decisions.  Previously he worked in oil and gas and held roles as Exploration Manager Brazil, Chief Technology Officer, Chief Geophysicist and VP Geoscience.

 

Benedict Robbins - Next Gen Renewable Technologies Ltd 

Topic: Co-locating OWF and CCS Technologies for Integrated Monitoring and Cost-Efficient Energy Transition

Benedict Robbins is a passionate Senior Geoscientist with over 14 years of experience delivering cross disciplinary innovation across geophysics, CCS MMV, ground modelling, and offshore wind development. He holds an MSc in CCS and now works independently through his company, Next Gen Renewable Technologies Ltd. Benedict recently supported Global Maritime on the GreenVolt Floating Offshore Wind Farm Project and previously led quantitative ground modelling for BP’s Oceanbeat 4GW development, serving as the technical focal point for geohazards and velocity modelling. Beyond his technical work, he contributes to the energy community as LinkedIn Social Media Team Lead for the SUT OSIG group.

 

Mahesh Sonawane - 2H Offshore 

Topic: Enabling Carbon Injection& Storage Efficiency from a Modular and Reusable Minimum Facility Platform

Mr. Sonawane is a Principal Engineer with 2H Offshore and has 19 years of experience in riser engineering. He is a licensed PE in the state of Texas. He graduated from Texas A&M in 2007 with a Masters in Mechanical Engineering and started his career with 2H as a riser engineer. Over his career he has been involved with over a 100 drilling and intervention riser studies serving clients worldwide.