Mikael Elgo
Geophysical Engineering — ITB

Mikael Elgo

I characterize subsurface reservoirs from seismic and well data, and I'm building independent depth in petroleum geomechanics — rock mechanics, pore pressure, and wellbore stability — through a self-directed 1D mechanical earth model project.

Jakarta, Indonesia Open to geophysics, reservoir & geomechanics roles
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Portrait of Mikael Elgo JAKARTA, ID
About

Reservoir geophysics, with geomechanics as the next layer

I'm a Geophysical Engineering graduate from Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB, class of 2025), with hands-on training across seismic interpretation, seismic inversion, well log integration, and land and marine survey data preparation. My bachelor's thesis and internship work centered on quantitative reservoir characterization in the Talang Akar Formation, South Sumatra Basin — using acoustic, shear, and extended elastic impedance inversion to resolve a thin, heterogeneous sandstone reservoir that standard interpretation struggles with.

Alongside that, I've spent the past several months building Poseidon, an independent 1D mechanical earth model project — an attempt to understand, from first principles, how elastic logs, in-situ stress, pore pressure, and rock strength combine into a wellbore stability picture, and just as importantly, where that picture stops being trustworthy without field calibration. It's the project that best reflects the direction I want my career to take: toward geomechanics and integrated subsurface engineering within oilfield services.

B.Sc. Geophysical Engineering · ITB, 2025 GPA 3.30/4.0 · Dean's List ×2 Jakarta, Indonesia
Selected Work

Two projects, two ends of the subsurface

One is a seismic reservoir-characterization study grounded in a six-well, pre-stack inversion workflow. The other is an independent geomechanics project built to be explicit about what it does — and doesn't — know.

Flagship Project — Reservoir Geophysics

Sandstone Reservoir Characterization, Talang Akar Formation

Bachelor's Thesis, Institut Teknologi Bandung · Data access via Pertamina Hulu Rokan internship · Aug 2025

The study targets a mature field ("MJ") producing from the Talang Akar Formation, South Sumatra Basin — a fluvio-deltaic sandstone reservoir where thin sand-shale interbedding limits the resolution of both well logs and seismic data.

Workflow

3D pre-stack seismic and log data from six wells (MJ-70 as the key well, with complete shear-wave data) → seismic conditioning and enhancement to recover reflector continuity and amplitude fidelity → well-to-seismic tie → sensitivity analysis to identify the elastic parameters most diagnostic of hydrocarbon presence → Linear Programming Sparse Spike (LPSS) inversion for Acoustic Impedance (AI), Shear Impedance (SI), and Extended Elastic Impedance (EEI).

Findings

The prospective zone is characterized by low AI and SI together with a low Vp/Vs ratio from the EEI inversion — consistent with gas-bearing, porous sandstone. Vp/Vs slice maps show a linear low-ratio trend running southeast to northwest, and the EEI volume resolves a branching channel morphology consistent with a delta-lacustrine depositional system, tying reservoir geometry to a specific sediment-distribution pathway rather than a generic sand body.

Raw, conditioned, and enhanced seismic sections through well MJ-70
Raw, conditioned, and enhanced pre-stack seismic through well MJ-70 — conditioning recovers reflector continuity before inversion.
EEI-derived amplitude surface map showing channel geometry across the MJ field
EEI-derived amplitude surface across the "MJ" field, showing the branching channel geometry used to infer a delta-lacustrine depositional system.
Mikael Elgo on-site at Pertamina Hulu Rokan operations area
Site orientation, Pertamina Hulu Rokan operations area, South Sumatra — where the well and seismic data for this study originated.
Seismic Inversion (AI / SI / EEI) LPSS Well-to-Seismic Tie AVO / Sensitivity Analysis Seismic Conditioning Petrel HRS
Independent Project — Geomechanics

Poseidon — Self-Directed 1D Mechanical Earth Model

Personal project · Python · Increment 13 (current release) · Sep 2026

What it is. An independent project to build a 1D MEM pipeline the way I'd want to trust one — every derived value tagged with the assumptions it depends on, and every claim checked against what the underlying data actually supports before it gets used for anything.

Scope

Converts dynamic elastic logs (Vp, Vs, RHOB) into dynamic elastic moduli (E, G, K, ν); applies dynamic-to-static and rock-strength scenario models; builds a 1D stress profile (overburden, pore pressure, minimum and maximum horizontal stress); and screens wellbore stress states against a Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion across four wells.

Engineering discipline

Thirteen development increments, each locking its outputs before the next stage is allowed to consume them; an independent closed-form analytical benchmark embedded directly in the audit workbook (isotropic wall-stress check, residual below 1e-10); and an automated test suite run at every increment.

Dynamic isotropic elastic estimates for well Poseidon 2 — nu, G, K, E versus depth
Actual Poseidon output — dynamic isotropic elastic estimates (ν, G, K, E) versus depth for well Poseidon 2, generated by the pipeline at Increment 9. The "screening only, uncalibrated" caption is baked into the figure itself, not added for the portfolio.
Status — Tier C, uncalibrated, screening-level. Not for operational use. Increment 13 integrates 26 reference nodes across 4 wells, but pressure, stress, strength, and geographic orientation inputs are not yet field-calibrated for any of them. Scenario ranges are finite-case comparisons, not probability distributions — no P10/P50/P90, mud-weight, or drilling recommendation is claimed. That boundary is deliberate: the project is built to be honest about what a MEM can and can't support before real calibration data backs it.
26integrated reference nodes
4wells modeled
364sensitivity comparisons
3,822scenario-orientation cases
13development increments
1D MEM Construction Dynamic-to-Static Conversion Pore Pressure & Stress Modeling Mohr-Coulomb Wellbore Screening Uncertainty-Tracked Workflow Python (NumPy / Pandas / pytest)
Technical Project — Survey & Acquisition

3D Land Seismic Acquisition Geometry QC

LAPI ITB · SWATH 38–99 "Antara" & SWATH 1–38 "Balam South" · Aug–Oct 2024

Prepared and validated SPS, RPS, and XPS files from field observer logs for two large 3D land seismic surveys, then ran geometry quality control and survey-line visualization in VISTA across a combined acquisition area of more than 4,000 km².

Survey line and geometry QC visualization in VISTA
Survey-line and receiver/source geometry QC in VISTA, used to confirm acquisition readiness before processing.
SPS / RPS / XPS VISTA Geometry QC Field Record Digitization
Technical Project — Machine Learning & Petrophysics

Blind-Well Lithofacies Prediction, FORCE 2020 Well-Log Dataset

Self-directed study · Python · Ongoing

Built a reproducible lithofacies-classification pipeline on the public FORCE 2020 well-log dataset, using gamma ray, bulk density, neutron porosity, sonic, and resistivity curves. Applied group-based (well-level) train/test splitting so held-out blind wells never leak into training, and benchmarked Random Forest, Extra Trees, HistGradientBoosting, XGBoost, LightGBM, and CatBoost on accuracy, weighted F1, and macro F1 to test how well predictions generalize to wells the models had never seen.

Python (scikit-learn / XGBoost / LightGBM / CatBoost) Well-Log QC Group-Based Validation Formation Evaluation
Experience

Field and internship background

Geophysicist Intern

Pertamina Hulu Rokan · Prabumulih, Indonesia · April 2025 – August 2025
  • Interpreted 3D seismic and integrated well log data (sonic, density, petrophysical) in Petrel and Interactive Petrophysics to delineate thin, interbedded sandstone-shale reservoirs in the Talang Akar Formation.
  • Applied seismic inversion methods to analyze lateral reservoir heterogeneity and depositional variation across a mature field.
  • Interpreted potential bypassed-hydrocarbon zones to support field development and enhanced-recovery evaluation.

Project Assistant, Lecturer-Led Project

LAPI ITB · Bandung, Indonesia · August 2024 – October 2024
  • Prepared and validated SPS/RPS/XPS files for two large-scale 3D land seismic surveys (SWATH 38–99 "Antara" and SWATH 1–38 "Balam South").
  • Performed geometry QC and initial processing in VISTA across a combined survey area of more than 4,000 km².

Practicum Assistant Coordinator

Seismic Refraction Practicum, ITB · Bandung, Indonesia · September 2024 – January 2025
  • Led field operations and supervised 60+ students through survey design, acquisition, and processing.
  • Trained students in Refrapy for tomography and Hagiwara processing methods; average practicum score of 81.2, 16% above the passing grade.
  • Managed equipment logistics and served as liaison between students and faculty.

Also currently: Geophysicist, Mahakarya Geo Survey (Jakarta, Oct 2025–Present) — marine geophysical data QC (side-scan sonar, sub-bottom profiler, magnetometer) and 2D/3D marine seismic processing through PSDM using ProMAX SeisSpace, supporting offshore site-investigation studies.

Skills

Stated at the level I actually hold them

Geomechanics & Rock Physics

Dynamic-to-static elastic property conversion, rock strength & failure-criteria screening (Mohr-Coulomb), 1D stress and pore-pressure modeling fundamentals, wellbore stability concepts, uncertainty-tracked workflow design.

Reservoir Geophysics

Seismic inversion (AI, SI, EEI, LPSS), AVO and sensitivity analysis, well-to-seismic tie, seismic conditioning and enhancement, seismic stratigraphy and horizon interpretation.

Well Logs & Petrophysics

Sonic, density, and petrophysical log integration; formation-evaluation fundamentals in Interactive Petrophysics.

Survey & Acquisition

SPS/RPS/XPS preparation, VISTA geometry QC, land and marine survey data QC, side-scan sonar / sub-bottom profiler / bathymetry awareness.

Software

Petrel, HRS (Hampson-Russell), VISTA, ProMAX SeisSpace, Interactive Petrophysics, SonarWiz, Refrapy.

Programming & Data

Python (NumPy, Pandas, automated testing), MATLAB fundamentals, SQL fundamentals, reproducible technical workflows.

Field & Leadership

Field operations and HSE discipline, technical documentation, cross-team coordination, teaching and mentoring.

Currently strengthening

Pore-pressure prediction methods (Eaton, Bowers), calibrated wellbore-stability workflows, and SQL / Power BI for subsurface data reporting.

Leadership & Field Operations

Organizing people, safety, and execution

Apr 2024 – Mar 2025

President, HIMA TG "TERRA" ITB

Directed strategy and operations for a 200+ member geophysical engineering student association; doubled programming to 20+ academic, professional, and industry initiatives; represented the organization in inter-university and industry forums.

Jul – Aug 2023

Field Commander, KAT ITB

Led field and safety operations for university orientation programs with 10,000+ and 2,000+ participants; coordinated 300+ committee members across security and medical divisions; zero major incidents.

Jul – Aug 2022

Lead Mentor, OSKM ITB

Coordinated 80+ student mentors supporting over 3,000 incoming students through campus orientation.

Education

Institut Teknologi Bandung

B.Sc. Geophysical Engineering

Institut Teknologi Bandung · August 2025

Thesis: "Sandstone Reservoir Characterization Using Seismic Inversion of Acoustic Impedance, Shear Impedance, and Extended Elastic Impedance" (Talang Akar Formation, South Sumatra Basin)

Relevant coursework: Seismic Data Processing, Reservoir Geophysics, Petrophysics, Geostatistics, Signal Processing

3.30 / 4.0
GPA
×2
Dean's List (4th & 6th semester)
Contact

Let's talk about a role

I'm looking at geophysics, reservoir engineering, and geomechanics-adjacent roles across oilfield services and energy companies — particularly where seismic and rock-mechanics work meet.

mikaelelgo@outlook.com linkedin.com/in/mikaelelgo github.com/MikaelElgo Download CV (PDF)