Dr. Uzonna Anyiam’s focus as a geophysicist is in the study of earthquakes triggered by onshore and offshore human activities such as hydraulic fracturing for shale gas development, CO2 sequestration, enhanced oil recovery, dissolution mining of salt, and geothermal resource development using double difference tomography for improved subsurface imaging. His integrated basin analysis research employs well data, core data and 3D reflection seismic data in conducting attribute-assisted seismic interpretation, reservoir characterization and prospect evaluation.

Uzonna’s courses include How the Earth Works and lab sections of his department’s introductory geology course, The Planet Earth. Students in his classes learn through research-informed teaching and data-driven analysis that imparts exceptional skill in the use of industry software and knowledge of integrated data analysis, algorithm development and equipment calibration.

He joined the faculty at Hope College in mid-2022. During his graduate study he taught geology and seismic interpretation classes, including teaching hands-on skills in use of industry software, as he does with students at Hope. He was involved in university-based research sponsored by oil companies that explored oil and gas fields to identify potential drilling sites in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of West Africa, as well as induced seismicity research sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation of China in Sichuan Basin. His early research as a college graduate in his native country, Nigeria, included a hydrogeophysical project that resulted in clean water supplies for improved sanitation for more than eight communities.

Uzonna is a member of eight professional organizations, including the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, the American Geophysical Union (and its counterparts in Nigeria, China and Europe), the National Association of Black Geoscientists, and the Society of Exploration Geophysicists. He serves as a reviewer for two academic journals in his field.

Areas of Expertise

• Integrated basin analysis
  
• Geophysical and geological characterization of oil and gas reservoirs
  
• Subsurface sequestration of CO2
  
• Monitoring of induced seismicity caused by shale gas development, salt mining, geothermal resource development and carbon capture and storage (CCS)
  
• Advanced seismic processing and imaging
  
• Near surface geophysical investigations for smart city development

Education

• Ph.D., geophysics, University of Science and Technology of China (Hefei, China), 2022
• M.S., geology, Oklahoma State University, 2015
• B.T., geophysics, Federal University of Technology (Owerri, Nigeria), 2008

Honors, Grants & Awards

• SLB’s Geophysical Software Grant of 24 Licenses of Petrel, Techlog, PetroMod, and GeoX packages, valued at $73,687,900 (2024)
• 2024 Jacob E. Nyenhuis Faculty Development Grant award, Hope College, $9,380 (2024)
• NASA Michigan Space Grant, $5,000 (2023–2024)
• SLB’s Geophysical Software Grant of Petrel, Techlog, PetroMod and GeoX packages, valued at $30,675,359 (2023)
• Recipient, “2023 Faculty Merit Award for procuring the largest in-kind contribution in college history of $30M for geophysical software licenses in his first year” at Hope College (2023)
• The China Geoscience Joint Academic Conference Student Outstanding Thesis Award (2023)
• SEG EVOLVE Virtual Internship Program’s Best Map – Petrel Award (2020)
• SEG EVOLVE Virtual Internship Program’s Major Effort Award (2020)
• SEG Foundation Travel Grant Award for SEG International Exposition and 89th Annual Meeting, San Antonio, USA (2019)
• SEG Foundation Travel Grant Award for SEG/Chevron Student Leadership Symposium, San Antonio, USA (2019)
• China Academy of Sciences and The World Academy of Sciences (CAS-TWAS) President’s Ph.D. Fellowship Award for Four Year Doctoral Geophysics Program (2018-2022)
• Honorary Mention 5th Best Poster at the 2016 AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition: June 19–23, 2016, Calgary, Canada
• Phi Kappa Phi Master’s Degree Academic Excellence Honours Award (2015)

Selected Recent Publications and Presentations

• “Comprehensive seismic evidence for the inducing mechanism of extremely shallow 2019 Changning Ms 6.0 earthquake by solution salt mining, Sichuan Basin, China,” with J. Qian, Y. Tan and H. Zhang, Geology, XX, 2024
• “The existence of saturated vapors in the deep source region of 2017 Pohang earthquake evidenced from seismic tomography,” with H.J. Zhang, L. Guo, C. Cho, K.H. Ji and H.R. Ma, Earth and Planetary Physics, 8(6), 2024
• “President’s Page: Geophysics in Africa: A personal reflection,” The Leading Edge, 43(3), 2024
• “Machine learning-based microseismic catalog and passive seismic tomography evaluating the effect of grouting in Zhangji coal mine, China,” with J. Qian and K. Wang, Applied Geophysics, 20, 2024 
• “Crustal structure and seismicity characteristics based on dense array monitoring in northwestern Yunnan, China,” with Ying Cao, Mingpei Jin, Jiawei Qian and Jia Chen, Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, 340, July 2023
• “Enhanced 3D velocity structure, seismicity relocation and basement characterization of Changning shale gas and salt mining regions in southern Sichuan basin,” with H. Zhang, Y. Tan, J. Qian, L. Gao, Y. Liu, K. Zuo and C. Zhao, Frontiers in Earth Science, 10:1082122, 2023
• “3D Seismic Attribute-assisted Stratigraphic Framework and Depositional Setting Characterization of Frontier Miocene to Pliocene Aged Agbada Formation Reservoirs, Deep Offshore Niger Delta Basin,” with E. Uzuegbu, Marine and Petroleum Geology, 2020
• “3-D High-resolution Seismic Characterization of Deep Offshore Niger Delta Basin: What’s New,” with E. Uzuegbu and S. Igbokwe, SEG Expanded Abstracts, 2018
• “Reservoir Characterization of the ‘Bawi Field,’ Greater Ughelli Depobelt, Niger Delta, Nigeria Using 3-D Attributes Assisted Seismic Interpretation,” with A.I. Opara et al., Journal of Petroleum and Coal, 2018

Selected Conference Presentations

• “Comprehensive seismic evidence for extremely shallow 2019 Changning Ms 6.0 earthquake induced by solution salt mining,” 2024 SEG/AAPG Image conference, Houston, Texas, U.S.A., August 29 2024
• “Investigation of hydrocarbon potential, trapping mechanism and environment of deposition of unpenetrated reservoirs in the deep offshore Niger Delta Basin: using AVO and attribute-assisted 3D seismic interpretation,” 2024 SEG/AAPG Image conference, Houston, Texas, U.S.A., August 28, 2024
• “Structural characterization and delineation of newly recognized oil-field structure in deep offshore Nigeria from high-resolution 3-D seismic and well data,” 2024 SEG/AAPG Image conference, Houston, Texas, U.S.A., August 28, 2024
• “Exploring the structural architecture, reactivation likelihood and seal-ability of faulted subsurface reservoirs in the northern Gulf of Mexico continental shelf: Implications for CO₂ sequestration,” 2023 NASA/Michigan Space Grant Consortium Fall Conference, Kalamazoo, Michigan, U.S.A., October 21, 2023
• “3D seismic structural architecture and seal-ability of faulted subsurface reservoirs in the northern Gulf of Mexico continental shelf: Implications for CO₂ sequestration” 2023 SEG/AAPG Image conference, Houston, Texas, U.S.A., August 29, 2023
• “Enhanced 3D velocity structure, seismicity relocation and basement characterization of Changning-Xingwen shale gas and salt mining regions in Sichuan Basin,” 2022 AGU Fall Meeting, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A., December 14, 2022
• “Enhanced 3D velocity structure, seismicity relocation and basement characterization of Changning-Xingwen shale gas and salt mining regions in Sichuan Basin,” 2022 China Geoscience Union (CGU) Joint Academic Annual Conference, Fuzhou, China and virtually, December 7, 2022
• “Integrated Characterization and Prospect Evaluation of East Cameron Block, offshore Louisiana: Using 3D Seismic and Well Data,” 90th SEG Virtual International Exposition and Annual Meeting, Houston, Texas, U.S.A., October 12, 2020
• “3-D Seismic attribute-assisted characterization of deep offshore Niger Delta Basin: what’s new!” 1st Asia-Pacific Geophysics Students Conference, Hefei, Anhui, China, September 7, 2020
• “USTC Geophysical Society Activities from 2018 to 2019 and Proposed 2020 China International Students Geoscience Conference!” 89th SEG International Exposition and Annual Meeting, San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A., September 15, 2019
• “3-D Seismic Attribute Expressions of Deep Offshore Niger Delta: what’s new?” NAPE International Conference and Exhibition, Lagos, Nigeria, November 16, 2016
• “3-D Seismic Attribute Expressions of Deep Offshore Niger Delta,” 2016 AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition, Calgary, Canada, June 20, 2016
• “3-D Seismic Interpretation and Reserve Estimation of Ossu Field in OML 124, Onshore Niger Delta Basin, Nigeria,” 80th SEG International Exposition and Annual Meeting, Denver, Colorado, U.S.A., October 19, 2010

Peer Review Service

• Reviewer for Geosystems and Geoenvironments Journal since 2024
• Reviewer for GSA Bulletin since 2024
• Reviewer for Marine and Petroleum Geology Journal since 2022
• Reviewer for Energy Geoscience Journal since 2020
• Reviewer for the Journal of Petroleum and Coal since 2017

Outside the College

Uzonna enjoys playing soccer and tennis, as well as spending quality time with his wife and children. He also loves shopping, cooking and worshiping God with guitar and piano.