Opportunities for Geoscientists in the Energy Transition - AI & Machine Learning

Energy Transition Strategic Science Theme Lead, The Geological Society

Bas has over 32 years of geoscience experience in the Energy Industry, having worked for Shell, Woodside and CNOOC International in a variety of senior management roles in Exploration, Appraisal, Development, Commercial and Business Development. His last role with CNOOC was as Vice President Exploration for Europe & Africa, based in London. 
Since leaving CNOOC in 2022, Bas has been a Business Development Consultant for EnQuest UK, via his own company Superb Energy. Bas has a B.Sc. in Physics (with Geophysics) and a PhD in Lower Crustal Seismology from Imperial College.

For the last 5 years, Bas has also volunteered as a mentor for A-level students at Surrey SATRO, a STEM educational charity. He runs an annual project on “The Global Energy Transition”. Earlier this year, he became the Energy Transition Theme Lead for The Geological Society, which is a part-time voluntary role.

Bas has a passion for the Earth Sciences and developing people to maximise their impact on the Energy Transition.

Managing Director, Neo Geo Consulting

Chris Yeomans is the founder of Neo Geo Consulting, the consultancy specialising in artificial intelligence due diligence and best practice for the mining industry. He holds a PhD in Geology and MSc in Mining Geology from the Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter, and is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining.
 
With hands-on experience designing and reviewing machine learning workflows and data management systems, Chris has worked across commodities including lithium, tin, tungsten, copper, and geothermal energy. He previously led a multidisciplinary team of geologists, data scientists, data engineers, and GIS technicians, overseeing the compilation of Cornwall's largest digital geoscience archive. That experience shaped his view that rigorous data management is the foundation of any meaningful AI application in geoscience.
 
Chris now works independently with mining companies and investors, driving better decisions from complex, multi-source datasets and evaluating AI readiness.

Priinciple Data Scientist, Ofgem

Matthew Haythornthwaite holds a first-class BSc in Geophysics with Geology from Durham University and an MSc in Exploration Geophysics from the University of Leeds. He began his career as a geophysicist at CNOOC, working across the asset lifecycle from exploration through to appraisal and development. During this time, he led a machine learning taskforce aimed at applying AI to geoscience workflows, before making a largely self-taught transition into data science.

Matthew is now a Principal Data Scientist at Ofgem, where he leads the development of ML and AI solutions to support the regulation of GB's energy markets. His experience across both geoscience and data science gives him a practical perspective on the application of AI in the energy sector, as well as the transferable and new skills needed for geoscientists looking to make a similar transition.

Lead Data Scientist, Zepz

Greg Headley is a Senior Machine Learning Engineer at Zepz, a global payments business focused on remittance support for migrant workers. He has also worked in data science roles across wearables, healthcare, and the public sector. 

His experience spans the the data science stack from wrangling data and developing models to managing live deployments. This track record is built upon a master's degree in data science and analytics, preceded by five years processing seismic data in the oil and gas sector. 

He is passionate about the design and engineering of robust data science solutions. This manifests in an acute attention to detail and a user-centred approach to design and delivery. Outside work, he fills any of his spare time with his passion for (astro) photography.

Data Scientist, Cornish Lithium 

Data science and artificial intelligence play a key role in supporting Cornish Lithium’s mission to develop a sustainable domestic supply of lithium for the UK’s energy transition. Dr Harriet Dawson is the Data Scientist at Cornish Lithium, where she applies machine learning, computer vision, and geospatial analytics to a range of geological and operational challenges, from mineral prospectivity mapping to the digitisation of legacy mining data. Her work focuses on translating complex, multi-source datasets into actionable insights that support exploration and innovation across the business.

She holds an MSci in Earth Sciences from University College London and a PhD in Earth Science and Engineering from Imperial College London, where her research focused on the application of computer vision and machine learning techniques to geological core analysis for subsurface characterisation.