Erika Calderon Medina | Earth | Best Researcher Award

Published on by Soil Scientist

Dr. Erika Calderon Medina | Earth | Best Researcher Award

Erika Calderon Medina | University of Leeds | United Kingdom 

Erika Elizabeth Calderon Medina is a senior geoscientist with over 16 years of combined industry and academic experience across Europe, Africa, and South America, specialising in 3D subsurface modelling, geomechanical analysis, seismic and petrophysical interpretation, and CO₂ storage assessment. Her PhD at Durham University (2024) advanced understanding of pore pressure evolution in basins such as the Gulf of Mexico, New Zealand, and West Africa through innovative thermo-hydro-mechanical modelling and geological reconstruction. She has held key roles at the University of Leeds, OMV Petrom in Romania, and Petrobras in Argentina and Ecuador, successfully leading multidisciplinary teams, enhancing reservoir development strategies, and improving hydrocarbon recovery. Erika has contributed to both exploration and mature field optimisation, delivering workflows that informed drilling, reservoir connectivity, and risk mitigation. Her research outputs are recorded on ORCID, reflecting impact across academic and industry domains. Fluent in English and Spanish, with additional proficiency in Portuguese and Japanese, she combines technical expertise with cross-cultural collaboration. Alongside her professional work, she remains engaged with emerging developments in energy transition, CO₂ storage, and subsurface risk reduction.

Profile:  Orcid 

Featured Publications

Calderon Medina, E. E., Obradors‐Prats, J., Aplin, A. C., Jones, S. J., Rouainia, M., & Crook, A. J. L. (2025). Modeling overpressure development and the mechanical behavior of sediments in a complex, tectonically active setting: East Coast Basin, New Zealand. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth.

Obradors-Prats, J., Calderon Medina, E. E., Jones, S. J., Rouainia, M., Aplin, A. C., & Crook, A. J. L. (2023). Integrating petrophysical, geological and geomechanical modelling to assess stress states, overpressure development and compartmentalisation adjacent to a salt wall, Gulf of Mexico. Marine and Petroleum Geology.

Calderon Medina, E. E., Obradors-Prats, J., Aplin, A. C., Jones, S. J., Rouainia, M., & Crook, A. J. L. (2023, April 24). 1D hydro-geomechanical modelling of pore pressure on an active convergent margin: East Coast Basin, New Zealand. In Proceedings of the Offshore Technology Conference.

Calderon, E., & Gangatharan, G. (2015, June 1). Limitation of data in model generation – Zemeș Field, Romania. In Proceedings of the 77th EAGE Conference and Exhibition 2015.

Aysen Davraz | Earth | Best Researcher Award

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Prof. Dr. Aysen Davraz | Earth | Best Researcher Award

Aysen Davraz | Suleyman Demirel University | Turkey

Prof. Dr. Aysen Davraz is a distinguished hydrogeologist with an extensive academic and research portfolio that spans over three decades. Born on November 17, 1970, she earned her BSc, MSc, and PhD in Geological Engineering and has steadily advanced through academic ranks, becoming a full professor in 2016. With a prolific research output of 45 indexed documents, her work has garnered 2,323 citations across 2,059 citing documents, demonstrating her broad influence in the fields of hydrogeochemistry, geothermal systems, groundwater sustainability, climate change impacts, and water resource management. Her scholarly impact is further reflected in an impressive h-index of 20, highlighting both productivity and sustained citation relevance. She has supervised numerous master’s and doctoral theses, contributed chapters to international books, authored a scientific monograph, and actively participated in 25 research projects as director or investigator. Prof. Davraz has published widely in leading SCI and SCI-Expanded journals and presented her findings at international conferences through 28 full papers and 14 abstracts. She also holds leadership roles as President of the Association of Hydrogeological Engineers and Water Resources Research and is an active member of the International Association of Hydrogeologists, reinforcing her standing as a globally recognized expert in groundwater science and environmental geosciences.

Profiles:  Scopus | Orcid

Featured Publications

  • Davraz, A., Nalbantçılar, M. T., İştin, A. E., Kadırhan, G., & Çelik, S. (2025). Hydrogeochemistry properties of thermal waters and health risk assessment in Şırnak geothermal fields (Turkey). Carbonates and Evaporites. 

  • Şener, E., & Davraz, A. (2025). Future drought projections with CMIP6 in Eğirdir Lake basin (Türkiye). Natural Hazards. 

  • Davraz, A., & Aksever, F. (2025). Geochemical processes in groundwater chemistry: A case study. Carbonates and Evaporites. 

  • Şener, E., & Davraz, A. (2025). Prediction of future drought characteristics over the Southwest Turkey using CMIP6 models. Pure and Applied Geophysics.

  • İştin, A. E., Kadırhan, G., Çelik, S., Nalbantçılar, M. T., & Davraz, A. (2025). Evaluation of thermal tourism potential of Şırnak. Journal of Multidisciplinary Academic Tourism. 

  • Şener, E., & Davraz, A. (2024). Comparison of drought indices in the analysis of temporal and spatial changes of climatic drought events: A case study in the Eğirdir Lake basin (Isparta/Turkey). Natural Hazards.