Dr. Eric R. Upchurch is a Senior Principal Wells Advisor for Chevron.  

 He has 38 years of experience in drilling, completions, and production engineering in North and South America, Asia, Africa and Australia – holding engineering, superintendent and project manager roles in onshore, shelf and deepwater environments. Presently, Dr. Upchurch is Chevron’s Wells lead for coordinating global efforts in carbon sequestration and non-traditional geothermal energy – providing strategy, technology and project management guidance on numerous active projects. 

He has authored numerous papers covering the fields of petroleum engineering, mechanical engineering, system dynamics, and fluid mechanics, and holds patents in the areas of drilling rig design and rock fracture mechanics.  He holds a BS in petroleum engineering, one MS in mechanical engineering, another MS in renewable energy and sustainability, and a PhD in aerospace engineering. He is a registered professional engineer in Texas and Colorado.   

Dr. Upchurch was chosen as an SPE Outstanding Technical Editor in 2012 and has assisted in the planning of many SPE conferences. He is a recipient of the Chevron Chairman’s Award for his innovations in drilling rig design.