Many of Canada’s top geoscientists have made an appearance in the pages of the CSEG Recorder, the official publication of the Canadian Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

Professional geophysicist Satinder Chopra—who served as the publication’s chief editor for more than a decade—has interviewed and profiled close to 200 of them.

Although all of their stories are unique, common threads appear. In fact, says Chopra, these professionals all share similar traits and behaviours that have helped them achieve much success in their careers:

• a passion and enthusiasm for their work
• attention to detail
• a desire to stay current with the latest techniques and methods
• continuously setting technical goals to keep motivated
• sharing technical knowledge by presenting and publishing their work

Chopra, too, lives by these principles.

“All of this requires hard work and discipline,” he explains. “The best credentials will not be sufficient if they are not continually updated, so individuals should make lifelong–learning their priority.”

Raised in India in the lower foothills of the Himalayas, Chopra holds a master’s degree in science and a master’s degree in philosophy of physics. He began his geophysics career at the state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation before embarking on a new life and career in Calgary in 1998.

Today, he’s chief geophysicist at Reservoir Services at TGS, a company that provides global subsurface data products and services to the energy industry.

Over the course of his 35-year career, he’s written eight books, including two high school math textbooks and five on his specialty: seismic attributes.

A recipient of numerous awards and honours for his contributions to the field of geophysics, including the APEGA Frank Spragins Technical Summit Award, Chopra has published more than 250 papers and has delivered a similar number of presentations at conferences around the world. He also enjoys sharing ideas and information with fellow geoscientists through Chopra Seismic, his online blog.

Chopra believes the keys to his own success are his lifelong passion for the geoscience he practices and his zeal to stay current and connected to other professionals.

“My passion for geophysics prompts me to keep exploring,” he shares. “I like to address challenges. Presenting our research work has been motivating and inspiring. I like to teach, and whatever I have learned, I must disseminate that information to other people.”

Satinder Chopra, P.Geoph. is a passionate geophysicist, lifelong learner, and presenter.

Photo courtesy of Satinder Chopra, P.Geoph.