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Introducing the Team Following our recent move to purpose-built premises in Conwy our team has expanded significantly. The team currently (February, 2008) comprises 12 Biostratigraphers, 4 Laboratory Technicians and a Company Administrator, as follows:-
Our 12 in-house biostratigraphers have a combined experience base of 189 years in petroleum industry consulting! We provide all three biostratigraphic disciplines (micropalaeontology, nannopalaeontology & palynology) at uniformly high technical standards. Geographically, we can legitimately claim practically worldwide experience. Stratigraphically, our experience covers the entire Phanerozoic column (Late Precambrian to Recent). Enough hype, time for some introductions. Paul Cornick B.Sc. M.Sc.
John Gregory B.Sc. M.Sc. Ph.D.
David Rutledge B.Sc. M.Sc. Ph.D.
Mark Weldon B.Sc. M.Sc.
Marcus Jakeman B.Sc. M.Sc.
Nick Miles B.Sc. M.Sc.
Paul Edwards B.Sc. M.Sc. Ph.D.
Paul Blanks B.Sc. M.Sc.
Simon Cole B.Sc. M.Sc.
Nick Butler B.Sc. M.Sc. Ph.D.
Neil Campion B.Sc. M.Sc.
Paul Tilyard B.Sc. M.Sc.
Jonathan Castle
Susan Harley
Gary Smith
Roger Burgess B.Sc.
Sarah Vinnell B.Sc. M.Sc.
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Paul has 19 years petroleum industry experience, including 2 years as UK Biostratigraphy Co-ordinator for Amoco. He established his reputation in North Sea Tertiary Palynology, having unrivalled experience of the Palaeogene stratigraphy of the Central Graben area, most especially within the Forties Sandstone Member. Paul has assisted the development of over 25 UKCS fields that produce from Eocene and Paleocene reservoirs, often conducting wellsite operations in order to pick casing points or monitor reservoir stratigraphy. In addition, Paul has spent a good deal of time assisting with stratigraphic data management and integration in oil company offices. While Paul’s main focus remains the North Sea (both Tertiary and Cretaceous), he has also worked on material from the Caspian, the Middle East, the Americas, Trinidad and New Zealand. Paul’s external interests include golf and fishing.
John has 18 years experience in petroleum industry consulting. He completed a Ph.D. on Scottish Jurassic foraminifera and radiolaria (Hull, 1992). During his career as an industrial micropalaeontologist/radiolarian specialist John has amassed diverse experience, having worked on Palaeozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic sections in disparate regions including the North Sea, West of Shetland, Irish Sea, Canada, Greenland, Russia, Sakhalin, circum-Mediterranean, circum-Black Sea, Caspian, Middle East, North Africa, West Africa, Brazil and the Caribbean. His primary expertise is Jurassic to Cenozoic micropalaeontology, including siliceous microfossils (radiolaria, diatoms & silicoflagellates). John is available to provide wellsite services worldwide, and has extensive wellsite experience throughout the North Sea (Danish, Dutch, Norwegian & UK sectors), onshore Italy, offshore Libya, Morocco and Trinidad. John’s wellsite assignments have included ‘biosteering’ of >80 horizontal development wells, casing picks (including HP/HT & H2S settings) and numerous long duration overseas jobs. John remains active in academic circles, holding a research position in the Natural History Museum and is editor of the Journal of Micropalaeontology. John’s extra-curricular interests include squash, rugby and collecting art and antiquarian books.
Dave has 14 years experience in petroleum industry consulting. He completed a Ph.D. on Lower Cretaceous nannofossils of the North Sea and Barents Sea (London, 1994) and has worked on Cenozoic, Cretaceous and Jurassic sections practically worldwide, with particular experience in Brazil, Trinidad, Libya, throughout the West African margin (from Morocco to South Africa), Pakistan and the North Sea. He is especially familiar with the post-salt biostratigraphy and sequence stratigraphy of the South Atlantic Margins (offshore Brazil, West Africa and eastern Trinidad). In addition he has recently gained experience in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. Dave has provided wellsite nannopalaeontology services on >30 wells (offshore eastern Trinidad, offshore Mauritania, onshore Oman and within the Danish, Norwegian and UK sectors of the North Sea). His wellsite assignments have included ‘biosteering’ of horizontal development wells, casing picks (including HP/HT wells), and long duration overseas jobs in structurally complex settings (>4 months on a single well in Trinidad). Additionally, Dave has traveled to Angola and Brazil to conduct rapid-turnaround analyses. Dave’s main leisure interest is fishing - he is a very keen angler, specialising in big fish.
Mark has 18 years experience in petroleum industry consulting, primarily as a stratigrapher/micropalaeontologist, with a 2 year position as a senior geologist in Norway. Mark’s principal expertise is the Jurassic, Cretaceous and Cenozoic micropalaeontology and stratigraphy of N. W. Europe (encompassing the North Sea, Norwegian Sea, Barents Sea, Arctic Ocean and N.W. Atlantic margins), however, he has also conducted analytical and interpretative studies in East Coast Canada, offshore Brazil and West Africa. Mark has extensive experience of wellsite micropalaeontology, having provided wellsite services on over 50 wells within North West Europe (in the Danish, Dutch, Norwegian & UK sectors), including the Atlantic Margin and Norwegian Sea. He is conversant with various methods of digital data interpretation and presentation, including StrataBugs™, ODM™, StratWorks™ and Geoframe™. During his leisure time Mark enjoys mountain biking, sea kayaking, sailing and climbing.
Marcus has 21 years experience in petroleum industry consulting, primarily as a palynologist (working on Triassic to Neogene sections of diverse regions) and, in latter years, as a nannopalaeontologist. Having spent 3 years based in Jakarta, Indonesia he is experienced in the Triassic to Cenozoic palynology of the Far East / Australasia, and has provided wellsite palynology services on more than 40 wells in West Irian, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Marcus’ other main area of expertise is West Africa – he has worked throughout the West African margin, including dual discipline palynological + nannofossil wellsite work in Equatorial Guinea. Within the North Sea Marcus has conducted many wellsite palynology assignments in the Central Graben area (assisting casing picks and monitoring Palaeogene reservoir stratigraphy), and has significant experience in Cretaceous palynology of the Norwegian sector. Marcus is also experienced in nannopalaeontology within the North Sea, having conducted wellsite biosteering of >30 horizontal development wells in various chalk fields within the Danish, Dutch and UK sectors. In addition, Marcus has worked on samples from diverse overseas regions (Middle East, North Africa, South America, Kazakhstan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc.). His external interests include hill walking and history. 
Nick has 27 years experience in petroleum industry consulting. He is our resident Palaeozoic expert, having extensive experience of the palynology and stratigraphy of the entire Cambrian to Permian succession of North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula area. In addition, Nick is experienced in Mesozoic and Palaeogene palynology and has participated in numerous multidisciplinary studies defining sequence stratigraphy in Mesozoic and Palaeogene sections throughout North Africa, West Africa, South America and occasionally closer to home within the North Sea. Nick has unrivalled expertise in the Palaeozoic palynostratigraphy of Algeria (the Saharan Platform, Ghadames Basin, South Atlas Region, Illizi Basin and Berkine Basin), Tunisia (Ghadames Basin) and Libya (Murzuk Basin). He has conducted wellsite palynology in the Falkland Islands and worked on extended placement in Pakistan. Nick has specialist experience in palynological palaeoenvironmental mapping.
Paul has 28 years experience in petroleum industry consulting. He completed a Ph.D. on Upper Cretaceous, Senonian foraminifera of North West Europe (London, 1978). During his career Paul has worked on Mesozoic and Cenozoic sections practically worldwide, including the North Sea, North West Europe, Canada, South America, West Africa, North Africa, East Africa, South Africa, Middle East, Pakistan, Kazakhstan and Brazil. His primary expertise is Mesozoic and Cenozoic micropalaeontology throughout the West African margin; he has co-ordinated hundreds of single well and multiwell studies in this region. Paul is also highly experienced in Mesozoic to Cenozoic micropalaeontology of North Africa (Libya, Egypt), palaeoenvironmental analysis, sequence stratigraphy and review and interpretation of multidisciplinary biostratigraphic data. His leisure activities include photography, art and supporting Wrexham Football Club (well, someone has to).
Paul ‘B’ has 9 years experience in the petroleum industry. He acquired a M.Sc. in Palynology at Sheffield (1997) and went on to work as a palynologist, wellsite micropalaeontologist, geologist and wellsite geologist (plus a short interlude as a physics teacher). He has substantial wellsite experience within the North Sea and Middle East. Having joined PetroStrat Paul is focused on Palynology, concentrating on North Sea Tertiary sections (working alongside Paul ‘C’, above). Recently, following training by Nick Miles, Paul has worked on the Palaeozoic of Tunisia. Paul is an active outdoorsman, enjoying hill walking and kayaking.
Simon has 3 years experience in petroleum industry consulting. He completed a M.Sc. in Micropalaeontology (London, 2004) that involved a long project on Paleocene-Eocene nannoplankton of the northwest Pacific. Simon has significant wellsite experience, having conducted wellsite micro- and nannopalaeontology on numerous Danish wells, and wellsite nannopalaeontology in the UK Sector and offshore eastern Trinidad. He is now focused on his primary expertise – nannopalaeontology – and rapidly building experience in Cenozoic and Cretaceous sections of diverse regions such as Norway, Libya, Angola, South Africa, Brazil and Trinidad. Simon is an active sportsman, enjoying football, squash, mountain-biking, climbing and snow-boarding.
Nick has 17 years petroleum industry experience. He completed his Ph.D. on Jurassic palynology of the Brent Province, North Sea in 1992 and went on to gain further Jurassic palynological experience throughout the North Sea, Norwegian Sea, Barents Sea, Kazakhstan and Eastern Seaboard of America. Some of this work has been published. Nick has also gained significant experience in nannofossil biostratigraphy from international Tertiary and Cretaceous successions. This has encompassed single and multi-well studies from Northwest Europe, the Middle East, West and South Africa, Brazil and the Scotian Shelf. Over the last 14 years, Nick has undertaken in excess of 50 wellsits in the North Sea, West Africa and Papua New Guinea utilising both nannofossil and acid/acid-free palynology. His leisure activities include sailing, sea kayaking and playing saxophone.
Neil has 14 years experience in petroleum industry consulting, following on from research in Carboniferous palynology. He established his reputation in North Sea Tertiary Palynology, having considerable experience in the Central and Viking Graben areas. In addition he has worked North Sea Jurassic and Cretaceous sections. Neil spent several years managing an international biostratigraphy team, where he helped transfer biosteering skills acquired in the North Sea to the Middle Eastern market. He then spent 2 years working on integrated play fairway and petroleum systems databases for Eastern Indonesia, Australia, West and Northwest Africa. After a period of time in education, teaching science and coaching cricket, Neil has recently returned to biostratigraphy. While his main focus remains the North Sea (both Tertiary and Cretaceous), he has worked on material from the Black Sea, the Middle East, Taiwan and West Africa. Leisure time involves more cricket coaching (now the playing days are over), a rekindled golf career with dubious handicap and Prog rock!
Paul ‘T’ is a recent addition to our team. He attained a M.Sc. in Micropalaeontology from Univeristy College London (2005) which involved a long project on foraminifera and ostracoda of Scottish coastal waters. He went on to work as an ostracod geochemistry researcher at UCL. Since his arrival at PetroStrat, Paul has worked on Tertiary and Cretaceous sections from the North Sea and South Africa, alongside Mark Weldon and Paul Edwards. Paul’s external interests include classic car restoration, hill walking and art.
Jonathan joined the company in May 2007 following 13 years business management in general medical practices and, prior to that, 18 years commissioned service in the Army (he attained the rank of Major and served in England, Ireland, Germany, Cyprus and Belize). His wide ranging administrative and management skills make him an invaluable member of our team. Jonathan is another active outdoorsman, enjoying walking, surfing and competitive cycling; he is secretary of the local cycling club.
Susan has more than 25 years experience as a Palynology Technician and Laboratory Manager. She has enormous experience in processing samples for all 3 disciplines (micro-, nanno- and paly-) with a particular flair for palynology. In addition, Susan has processed samples of Geochemistry and Sedimentology and trained many technicians, including overseas oil company personnel. Susan is a qualified first-aider with IOSH and COSHH accreditation and is certified to use Hydrofluoric Acid and administer Oxygen Therapy. She has also completed basic training in Palynology at UCL. Her leisure interests include golf, gardening and singing (she is soprano in a local church choir).
Gary has more than 30 years experience in the petroleum industry as a laboratory technician and laboratory manager, overseeing the collation, storage and archiving of data and samples. Gary has processed samples for Biostratigraphy, Sedimentology and Geochemistry; however, his personal specialty is thin section preparation. He has undertaken many training assignments involving overseas oil company personnel. Since joining PetroStrat in 2007 Gary has returned to his favored role in the laboratory, working closely with Susan (Laboratory Manager) and training other technicians. Gary regularly works offshore UK and Norway, processing samples for Micropalaeontology and Palynology (using both acid & acid free techniques for the latter). He is IOSH accredited and certified to use Hydrofluoric Acid. His external interests include golf, fishing and coaching football in his home village.
Roger joined the company in 2007 after completing a degree in Marine Biology. He has now gained experience in processing samples for palynology, nannofossils and microfossils and is certified to use Hydrofluoric Acid and administer Oxygen Therapy. Roger will shortly be undertaking offshore training, adding another technician to our offshore team. His hobbies include running, walking and he is a keen musician, playing the guitar and bass.
Sarah joined the company in 2007. She completed degrees in Geology (B.Sc.) and Palaeobiology (M.Sc.) then conducted volunteer work in the Micropalaeontology Division of the Natural History Museum, London. There her keen interest in microfossils grew and she decided to pursue a career in the oil industry. Under the watchful eye of Susan (Lab Manager) she has now gained experience in processing samples for palynology, nannofossils and microfossils. She is certified to use Hydrofluoric Acid and administer Oxygen Therapy. Sarah recently obtained certification for offshore work and is eager to put this to use. Since moving to North Wales she has discovered a liking for hill walking and gyms| Top of page | © PetroStrat 2005 | design by Livetech |  |
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