Date: April 16, 2025 (Wednesday)
Time: 15:00 – 18:00
Location: Room 6519, Nazarbayev University
Registration: link here
Join us for a thought-provoking afternoon of seminars featuring cutting-edge research and expert insights from esteemed faculty members of the School of Mining and Geosciences. Topics range from deep mining innovation and natural hydrogen exploration to the application of AI in enhanced oil recovery.
🕒 Seminar Schedule
Time: 15:00 – 18:00
Location: Room 6519, Nazarbayev University
Registration: link here
Join us for a thought-provoking afternoon of seminars featuring cutting-edge research and expert insights from esteemed faculty members of the School of Mining and Geosciences. Topics range from deep mining innovation and natural hydrogen exploration to the application of AI in enhanced oil recovery.
🕒 Seminar Schedule
15:00 – 16:00
🌍 Beyond the Depths: The Future of Deep Mining
Speaker: Dr. Amoussou Coffi Adoko
Associate Professor, Program Coordinator – BSc Mining Engineering
Biography:
Dr. Adoko is a seasoned mining engineer with a PhD in Rock Mechanics and over 15 years of academic and industry experience. A published expert in underground mine design, geomechanics, and rockburst, he has contributed to over 60 technical papers. His work spans across coal mining, tunneling, and AI-based mine design, with research collaborations in China, South Africa, and beyond.
Abstract:
With the increasing global demand for minerals, mining operations are going deeper than ever—some exceeding depths of 4 km. This depth brings extreme geomechanical challenges including rockbursts and seismicity, often resulting in serious accidents. Despite advances in technology, these hazards persist. This seminar will explore how AI, robotics, smart sensors, and real-time geomechanical monitoring can be used to revolutionize deep mining safety and efficiency. The talk will include case studies from ultra-deep mines around the world and discuss how these innovations could benefit Kazakhstan’s mining sector.
Speaker: Dr. Amoussou Coffi Adoko
Associate Professor, Program Coordinator – BSc Mining Engineering
Biography:
Dr. Adoko is a seasoned mining engineer with a PhD in Rock Mechanics and over 15 years of academic and industry experience. A published expert in underground mine design, geomechanics, and rockburst, he has contributed to over 60 technical papers. His work spans across coal mining, tunneling, and AI-based mine design, with research collaborations in China, South Africa, and beyond.
Abstract:
With the increasing global demand for minerals, mining operations are going deeper than ever—some exceeding depths of 4 km. This depth brings extreme geomechanical challenges including rockbursts and seismicity, often resulting in serious accidents. Despite advances in technology, these hazards persist. This seminar will explore how AI, robotics, smart sensors, and real-time geomechanical monitoring can be used to revolutionize deep mining safety and efficiency. The talk will include case studies from ultra-deep mines around the world and discuss how these innovations could benefit Kazakhstan’s mining sector.
16:00 – 17:00
💨 Natural Hydrogen Exploration: Chances and Challenges
Speaker: Dr. Mahmoud Leila
Geoscientist & Natural Hydrogen Expert
Biography:
Dr. Leila holds a PhD in Petroleum Geoscience from the University of Geneva and has led natural hydrogen research across France, Italy, and Australia. His interdisciplinary work combines geology, geophysics, and geochemistry to explore low-carbon energy solutions, with a focus on natural hydrogen and other strategic geo-energy resources.
Abstract:
Hydrogen is gaining momentum as a clean energy source. While most current efforts focus on synthetic hydrogen, natural hydrogen—produced within the Earth—offers a sustainable, low-cost alternative. This seminar will dive into the geologic mechanisms that generate and trap natural hydrogen, the challenges of commercializing it, and its potential role in the clean energy transition. Learn how natural hydrogen could complement or even transform today’s energy systems.
Speaker: Dr. Mahmoud Leila
Geoscientist & Natural Hydrogen Expert
Biography:
Dr. Leila holds a PhD in Petroleum Geoscience from the University of Geneva and has led natural hydrogen research across France, Italy, and Australia. His interdisciplinary work combines geology, geophysics, and geochemistry to explore low-carbon energy solutions, with a focus on natural hydrogen and other strategic geo-energy resources.
Abstract:
Hydrogen is gaining momentum as a clean energy source. While most current efforts focus on synthetic hydrogen, natural hydrogen—produced within the Earth—offers a sustainable, low-cost alternative. This seminar will dive into the geologic mechanisms that generate and trap natural hydrogen, the challenges of commercializing it, and its potential role in the clean energy transition. Learn how natural hydrogen could complement or even transform today’s energy systems.
17:00 – 18:00
🤖 Surrogate Modeling for Predicting the Recovery Performance of Low-Salinity Waterfloods
Speaker: Dr. Shams Kalam
Assistant Professor of Petroleum Engineering
Biography:
Dr. Kalam brings over a decade of machine learning expertise to petroleum engineering. He holds a PhD from King Fahd University and has completed postdoctoral research in Canada and the UAE. Recognized as one of the world's top 2% most-cited scientists, Dr. Kalam has 29 SCI publications and 4 U.S. patents to his name.
Abstract:
Low-salinity waterflooding (LSWF) is a cutting-edge enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technique, but predicting its performance is costly and time-intensive. Dr. Kalam’s research introduces a surrogate AI model that uses neural networks and machine learning algorithms to accurately predict LSWF efficiency. Based on a large dataset generated from simulation models, this presentation will detail model training, validation, and application of various algorithms, with Artificial Neural Networks emerging as the most accurate tool. The session concludes with sensitivity analysis and implications for the future of EOR.
Speaker: Dr. Shams Kalam
Assistant Professor of Petroleum Engineering
Biography:
Dr. Kalam brings over a decade of machine learning expertise to petroleum engineering. He holds a PhD from King Fahd University and has completed postdoctoral research in Canada and the UAE. Recognized as one of the world's top 2% most-cited scientists, Dr. Kalam has 29 SCI publications and 4 U.S. patents to his name.
Abstract:
Low-salinity waterflooding (LSWF) is a cutting-edge enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technique, but predicting its performance is costly and time-intensive. Dr. Kalam’s research introduces a surrogate AI model that uses neural networks and machine learning algorithms to accurately predict LSWF efficiency. Based on a large dataset generated from simulation models, this presentation will detail model training, validation, and application of various algorithms, with Artificial Neural Networks emerging as the most accurate tool. The session concludes with sensitivity analysis and implications for the future of EOR.
📅 Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with experts and discover what lies at the forefront of geoscience and engineering research!