Curriculum Vitae

Last updated October 28, 2026

Education

• Master of Science, Petroleum Engineering Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas · May 2020

  Thesis: Use of Bayesian Probabilistic Models for Simultaneous Variable Rate / Variable Pressure-Drop Deconvolution of Single Well and Multi-Well Cases

• Bachelor of Science, Petroleum Engineering Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas · May 2006

Awards

• 2026Michael J. Fetkovich Technology Award whitson · whitCon gala · October 20, 2026

  For work in decline-curve analysis and unconventional-well forecasting; the Transient Hyperbolic Model and other modern DCA formulations; rate-pressure-time analysis, automated regression, outlier filtering and Bayesian derivative calculations; petbox-dca, an open-source Python library of Arps, modified and transient hyperbolic, power-law exponential, stretched exponential, Duong and multiphase yield models; and openly sharing research, code and methods with the petroleum-engineering community.

• 2026SPEE Award of Appreciation SPEE Annual Meeting · June 8, 2026

  In recognition of outstanding contributions and dedicated service to the SPEE Board of Directors, leadership as Chair of the Training Committee, service on the 2024 SPEE Software Symposium Committee, and contributions as an author of Monograph 5.

Patents

• 2019Fulford, D.S. Methods for Statistical Prediction of Well Production and Reserves. Apache Corporation, assignee. US 10,450,841 B2, granted 22 October 2019. Filed 29 April 2015; published as US 2017/0114617 A1, 27 April 2017.

Professional activities

• SPEE Board of Directors, 2024 – 2026
• SPEE Training Committee, Chair, 2024 – Present
• SPEE Software Symposium Committee, 2026 Error Scoring Workflow
• SPEE Software Symposium Committee, 2024
• SPEE Monograph 5 on Type Well Profiles, Committee Member
• SPEE Houston Chapter Officer, 2021 – 2024
• Short Course II: Practical Uses of AI in Petroleum Engineering (with Warren, Z. and Hilton, C.). 2026. SPEE 2026 Annual Meeting, Park City, Utah, USA, 9 June.
• Committee Member. SPE Workshop: Return on Intelligence, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 3 – 4 February 2026.
• Committee Member; Session Chair: Summing it Up and Looking Forward. SPE Workshop: Data Under Pressure – Real-World Impact and Innovation in Oil & Gas, Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, 27 – 29 January 2025.
• Committee Member. SPE Workshop: Reservoirs of Knowledge, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 20 – 21 March 2024.
• Committee Member. SPE Workshop: Analytics and Data Science – The Results Accelerator, Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, 29 – 31 January 2023.
• Theme Chair: Reserves Estimation & Production Forecasting; Session Co-chair: Unconventional Fluid Flow Physics & Simulation; Member: Program Selection Committee; Member: App Committee. 2018 Unconventional Resources Technology Conference, Houston, Texas, USA, 23 – 25 July.
• Technical Short Course — More Segments and Less Work? Successful Implementation of an “Infinite-segment” Hyperbolic Model to Improve Reserve Estimation Accuracy. 2018. SPEE 55th Annual Meeting, Carlsbad, California, USA, 2 – 5 June.
• Session Co-Chair: Data Analytics; Session Co-Chair: Reserves Estimation and Production Forecasting; Member: Program Selection Committee; Member: App Committee. 2017 Unconventional Resources Technology Conference, San Antonio, Texas, USA, 1 – 3 August.
• Discussion Leader, Production Forecasting session. 2016. SPE Key Factors for Success in Unconventional Reservoir Development Forum, San Antonio, Texas, USA, 13 – 17 June.
• Program Selection Committee. 2016 Unconventional Resources Technology Conference, San Antonio, Texas, USA, 1 – 3 August.
• Society of Petroleum Engineers, member, 2003 – Present
• Society of Petroleum Evaluation Engineers, member, 2016 – Present
• Society of Decision Professionals, member, 2014 – Present

Publications

• 2025Fulford, D.S., Berry, M.E., Matranga, D., and Zhang, H. An Automated Workflow for Evaluation of U.S. Onshore Shale Assets for Acquisition. SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Houston, Texas, USA, October 20–22. SPE-228028-MS.
• 2024Fulford, D.S. Construction of Parametric Type Well Profiles Using Linear Models. SPE/AAPG/SEG Unconventional Resources Technology Conference, Houston, Texas, USA, 17–19 June. URTeC-4044927-MS.
• 2023SPEE. Monograph 5 – A Practical Guide to Type Well Profiles. Society of Petroleum Evaluation Engineers, Houston, Texas.
• 2022Fulford, David. “Machine Learning Assisted Decline Curve and Pressure/Rate Transient Analysis in Unconventional Plays”. In Machine Learning Applications in Subsurface Energy Resource Management: State of the Art and Future Prognosis, edited by Srikanta Mishra, CRC Press, Boca Raton.
• 2022Fulford, D.S., Behmanesh, H., Clarkson, C.R., and Blasingame, T.A. On the Relationship between Gas-Oil Ratio and Well Performance for Unconventional Reservoirs. SPE/AAPG/SEG Unconventional Resources Technology Conference, Houston, Texas, USA, 20 – 22 June. URTeC-3725840-MS.
• 2020Fulford, D.S., and Blasingame, T.A. Optimization Methods for Time-Rate-Pressure Production Data Analysis using Automatic Outlier Filtering and Bayesian Derivative Calculations. SPE Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition, Virtual Event, October 27–29. SPE-201404-MS. Interactive artifact
• 2018Fulford, D.S. A Model-Based Diagnostic Workflow for Time-Rate Performance of Unconventional Wells. SPE/AAPG/SEG Unconventional Resources Technology Conference, Houston, Texas, USA, 23 – 25 July. URTeC-2903036-MS.
• 2018Hassen, R.A., Fulford, D.S., Burrows, C.T., and Starley, G.P. Decision-Focused Optimization: Asking the Right Questions About Well-Spacing. SPE Liquids-Rich Basins Conference, Midland, Texas, USA, 05 – 06 September. SPE-191783-MS.
• 2017Carpenter, C. Integrating Technology and Organizational Alignment for a Portfolio Implementation. J Pet Tech 69 (12): 52–56. SPE-1217-0052-JPT.
• 2017Fulford, D.S., Starley, G.P., Berry, M., Turk, D.W., DuBois, J.R. People and Process: Integration of Technology and Organizational Alignment for Successful Implementation of a Strategic Capital Investment Portfolio. SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, San Antonio, Texas, USA, 9 – 11 October. SPE-187162-MS.
• 2017Fulford, D.S. Approximation of Multi-Fractured Horizontal Well Composite Reservoir Models Using Decline Curves. SPE/AAPG/SEG Unconventional Resources Technology Conference, Austin, Texas, USA, 24 – 26 July. URTeC-2697557.
• 2016Carpenter, C. Unconventional Risk and Uncertainty: What Does Success Look Like? J Pet Tech 68 (12): 49–50. SPE-1216-0049-JPT.
• 2016Fulford, D.S. Unconventional Risk and Uncertainty: Show Me What Success Looks Like. SPE Hydrocarbon and Economics Symposium, Houston, Texas, USA, 17 – 18 May. SPE-179996-MS.
• 2016Fulford, D.S., Bowie, B., Berry, M., Bowen, B., Turk, D.W. Machine Learning as a Reliable Technology for Evaluating Time-Rate Performance of Unconventional Wells. SPE Econ & Mgmt 8 (1): 23–29. SPE-174784-PA.
• 2015Fulford, D.S., Bowie, B., Berry, M., Bowen, B., Turk, D.W. Machine Learning as a Reliable Technology for Evaluating Time-Rate Performance of Unconventional Wells. SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Houston, Texas, USA, 23 – 29 September. SPE-174784-MS.
• 2013Fulford, D.S., and Blasingame, T.A. Evaluation of Time-Rate Performance of Shale Wells using the Transient Hyperbolic Relation. SPE Unconventional Resources Conference – Canada, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 5 – 7 November. SPE-167242-MS. Interactive artifact

Presentations

• 2026Knowledge Capture, Not Task Performance: Stop Prompting. Start Documenting. Saga Wisdom Sökkvabekkr Annual Technical Conference, Louisville, Kentucky, USA, September 21.
• 2026What Took a Day Now Takes a Coffee: Agents on the Reservoir Engineering Desk. ComboCurve AI Summit, Houston, Texas, USA, May 7.
• 2025How You Get Paid – How Physical Volumes of Oil & Gas Are Priced and Sold. Saga Wisdom Sökkvabekkr Annual Technical Conference, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, September 22–24.
• 2025Closing Remarks. SPE Workshop: Data Under Pressure – Real-World Impact and Innovation in Oil & Gas, Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, 27 – 29 January.
• 2024Transforming Perspectives on Analog Well Sets for Type Well Profiles. S&P Upstream Engineering Seminar, Houston, Texas, USA, November 6.
• 2024Sorry, You’re Not My Type… Well. Whiston Whitcon, Houston, Texas, USA, September 19.
• 2024Sorry, You’re Not My Type… Well. Whiston webinar, Virtual Event, August 7.
• 2024Fast, Inexpensive, Reliable: A Parametric Approach to Type Well Profiles. Saga Wisdom Sökkvabekkr Annual Technical Conference, Charleston, South Carolina, USA, May 6–8.
• 2023Non-Op Investing – Making Money Without Drilling Wells. Saga Wisdom Sökkvabekkr Annual Technical Conference, Nashville, Tennessee, USA, April 3–5.
• 2023Barriers and Best Practices on the Path to a Data-Driven Culture. SPE Analytics and Data Science: The Results Accelerator Workshop, Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, January 29–31.
• 2022From Probabilistic Decline Curves To Discrete Project Economic Percentile Scenarios – A Soup-to-Nuts Workflow. Combo Curve Super User Group, Houston, Texas, USA, October 27.
• 2022Making Cents (¢) of Machine Learning: Underwriting with Algorithms. Saga Wisdom Sökkvabekkr Annual Technical Conference, Fort Worth, Texas, USA, 11 – 13 April.
• 2022Bayesian Probabilistic Rate-Pressure Deconvolution by use of Hamiltonian Monte Carlo. SPE New Perspectives in Well Performance: Analysis and Production Forecasting Workshop, Galveston, Texas, USA, 4 – 6 April.
• 2020The World is Round… and Other Misconceptions. SPE Rate/Pressure Transient Analysis in Unconventional Reservoirs – Solutions for Practical Problems Workshop, Virtual Event, 7 – 10 December.
• 2019Application of Deep Learning Computational Paradigms to Analysis of Time-Rate-Pressure Data. Saga Wisdom Sökkvabekkr Annual Technical Conference, St. Augustine, Florida, USA, 17 – 19 November.
• 2019It’s (Not) Hip to be Square — The Importance of Cost Functions in Production Forecasting. SPE Subsurface Data Analytics Workshop, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 26 – 27 June.
• 2019It’s (Not) Hip to be Square — The Importance of Cost Functions in Production Forecasting. Hanson Wade 3rd Applied Data Analytics: Upstream, Houston, Texas, USA, 18 – 21 March.
• 2019It’s (Not) Hip to be Square — The Importance of Cost Functions in Production Forecasting. Hanson Wade 9th Reserves Estimation for Unconventionals Conference, Houston, Texas, USA, 18 – 20 June.
• 2018Multi-Phase Production Forecasting: “Bubble Point Death?” Hanson Wade 8th Reserves Estimation for Unconventionals Conference, Houston, Texas, USA, 19 – 21 June.
• 2018Multi-Phase Production Forecasting: “Bubble Point Death?” SPEE Midland Chapter Month Meeting, Midland, Texas, USA, 2 May.
• 2018Machine Learning for Production Forecasting: Accuracy Through Uncertainty. Hanson Wade Applied Data Analytics Upstream Conference, Houston, Texas, USA, 6 – 8 March.
• 2018Multi-Phase Production Forecasting: “Bubble Point Death?” SPEE Midland Chapter Month Meeting, Midland, Texas, USA, 10 January.
• 2018Machine Learning for Production Forecasting: Accuracy Through Uncertainty. SPE Gulf Coast Section Data Analytics Study Group, Houston, Texas, USA, 25 January.
• 2017Optimized for Success. Apache Technical Conference, Houston, Texas, USA, 11 – 12 November.
• 2017Machine Learning for Production Forecasting: Accuracy Through Uncertainty. 7th Annual Hanson Wade Reserves Estimation for Unconventionals Conference, Houston, Texas, USA, 20 – 22 June.
• 2016Machine Learning for Production Forecasting: Accuracy Through Uncertainty. 13th Annual Ryder Scott Reserves Conference, Houston, Texas, USA, 14 September.
• 2016Optimized for Success. Rose & Associates Risk Coordinators Meeting, Houston, Texas, USA, 17 October.
• 2016Machine Learning for Production Forecasting: The RAPID System (with Turk, D.W.). Houston Petro-Analytics Group Meetup, Houston, Texas, USA, 24 August.
• 2016Machine Learning for Production Forecasting: Accuracy Through Uncertainty. SPE Gulf Coast Section Technical Forum, The Woodlands, Texas, USA, 5 May.
• 2016Machine Learning as a Reliable Technology for Evaluating Time-Rate Performance of Unconventional Wells. American Business Conferences Well Site Automation Congress, Houston, Texas, USA, 27 – 28 January.
• 2015Insight to Better Modeling — Learning For Empirical Models. SPE Learning From Reservoir Response – History Matching and Production Analysis Workshop, Galveston, Texas, USA, 17 – 18 November.
• 2015Using the Transient Hyperbolic Model to Evaluate Time-Rate Performance of MFHW. American Business Conferences Reservoir Engineering for Unconventional Oil & Gas, Houston, Texas, USA, 25 – 26 March.
• 2014Conventional Exploration Project Modeling in GeoX’s Full Cycle. Apache Technical Forum, Houston, Texas, USA, 22 – 23 October.
• 2014Probabilistic Exploration Modeling of Unconventional Resources. Apache Technical Forum, Houston, Texas, USA, 22 – 23 October.
• 2014Evaluation of Time-Rate Performance of Shale Wells using the Transient Hyperbolic Relation. SPE Optimizing Liquids-Rich Development Workshop, Sonoma, California, USA, 20 – 22 May.
• 2013Revising a Priori Estimates in Unconventional Resources. SPE Production Forecasting Workshop, Banff, Alberta, Canada, 17 – 18 October.
• 2013Evaluation of Time-Rate Performance of Shale Wells using the Transient Hyperbolic Relation. SPE Production Forecasting Workshop, Banff, Alberta, Canada, 17 – 18 October.
• 2011A Transient Hyperbolic Exponent in the Arps Equation. Devon Reservoir Engineering Forum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, 8 February.
• 2011A Transient Hyperbolic Exponent in the Arps Equation. Hanson Wade 1st Reserves Estimation for Unconventional Resources, Houston, Texas, USA, 22 – 24 August.