Isabelle Lecomte

Position

Professor, Reservoir and Near-Surface Geophysics

Research groups

Short info

I am a geophysicist (Solid Earth Physics) working mostly with developing methods for seismic modelling and imaging, but also highly interested in various geophysical methods for mapping the near-surface, especially Ground-Penetrating Radar and electrical methods, beside seismic ones.
Research

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Seismic modelling and imaging with application to petroleum/reservoir and near-surface geophysics, including finite-difference wavefield simulation, Eikonal solver (first-arrival traveltimes), tomography, generalized diffraction tomography, imaging/inversion in seismology and seismics, hybrid modelling ray-tracing/finite-difference, refraction seismic modelling, seismic resolution, SAR techniques applied to seismic imaging, simulated prestack imaging using Point-Spread Functions (PSF); seismic modelling from outcrops via PSF convolution, imaging in other domains (GPR, etc), CO2 and geothermal site assessments, near-surface geophysics, ground-penetrating radar (GPR), geohazards, and E-learning.

Research work involving theoretical studies, method developments and applications, originally within seismic modelling and imaging in relation to O&G applications and equivalent (geothermal, CCS), but also in near-surface geophysics (e.g., geophysics for geohazards in ICG-related projects, 2003-2012), especially using GPR for education and very-shallow ground applications (e.g., archaeology).

CV available here
 

SELECTED PROJECTS

  • 2023-present: NFR kompetanse- og samarbeidsprosjekt (344437)Sound TRAnsport NETworks (S-TRANET): Establishing the cause of hazard events on railway infrastructure using a distributed sensor network”, Peter J. Thomas (NORCE, leader); participating as work package leader and main supervisor of PhD.
     
  • 2023-present: NFR ENERGIX-Stort (336559)4SWIND: Advancing seismic seabed survey techniques”, Prof. H. Haflidason (leader, UiB/GEO); participant in geophysics.
     
  • 2021-present: Sand Injection Research Group (SIRG), University of Aberdeen, Phase 4 and 5 (under preparation), A. Hurst/M. Brettke project leader (industry consortium); participating for geophysics and seismic modelling, principal researcher.
     
  • 2021-2023: partner in 2-year industry project with NORCE (leader) and Lundin; modelling of paleokarst reservoirs; advisor of postdoctoral fellow at NORCE.
     
  • 2020-present: NFR Petromaks2 (308805, KMP), “Rift and rifted margin deep-water depositional systems: Application to Late Jurassic – Early Cretaceous rifting on the NCS - DeepRift”, Prof. R. Gawthorpe (leader, UiB/GEO); participant.
     
  • 2020-2023: "Environmental factors in minimal-invasive Cultural Heritage Management. The Vestfold Monitoring Project - VEMOP", Dr. P. Schneidhofer project leader, Vestfold og Telemark fylkeskommune; member of the reference group.
     
  • 2019-2023: European COST Action SAGA (CA17131), “The Soil Science & Archaeo-Geophysics Alliance”, C. Cuenca Garcia project leader, Dept. of Archaeology and Cultural History, NTNU; acting as MC substitute 2 for Norway 2019-2021; participating to Working Group 3 “Data integration, visualization and Parameterization”.
     
  • 2017-2020: project leader for UiB/GEO participation in “Forecasting of architecture, seismic characteristics and flow behaviour in paleokarst reservoirs - FOPAK”, NFR Petromaks2 project 267634, led by NORCE/CIPR, Jan Tveranger project leader.
     
  • 2014-2018: project leader for NORSAR participation in the UiO “TriasNorth: Reconstructing the Triassic northern Barents Shelf; basin infill patterns controlled by gentle sags and faults”, NFR Petromaks project 234152.
     
  • 2008-2010: Project leader of the NORSAR Innovation AS “Fast Elastic Inversion of Multi-offset Prestack Depth Migrated Seismic Data”, NFR Petromaks project 187318, in cooperation with the Norwegian Computing Center, O. Kolbjørnsen and colleagues, and ConocoPhillips and Statoil.
     
  • 2007-2009: Project leader and grant owner of the NORSAR Strategic Institute Program “Flexible local seismic imaging in an integrated dynamic modelling framework”, NFR project 181688.
     
  • 2003-2012: Guest researcher in the International Center for Geohazards (ICG), NFR-funded Norwegian Research Centre of Excellence (SFF), in cooperation with NGI, NGU, UiO and NTNU. Theme coordinator for “Geophysics for Geohazards”.
     

EDUCATION

1990 PhD Geophysics: Disputation date: 18.12.1990, Université Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg 1, France.

1988 Civ. Eng. Geophysics, Ecole de Physique du Globe de Strasbourg, France.

1987 M.Sc. Geophysics, Université Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg 1, France.
 

CURRENT AND PREVIOUS POSITIONS

2021-present Professor, Reservoir and Near-Surface Geophysics, Geodynamics and Basin Studies, Department of Earth Science, University of Bergen (UiB), Norway

2021-present Visiting Professor, Seismic Modelling, NORSAR, Kjeller, Norway

2016-2021 Associate Professor, Reservoir Geophysics, Basin and Reservoir Studies, Department of Earth Science, University of Bergen (UiB), Norway

2016-2021 Visiting Associate Professor, Seismic Modelling, NORSAR, Kjeller, Norway

2016/(01-06) Associate Professor (adjunct), Reservoir Geophysics, Department of Earth Science, University of Bergen (UiB), Norway

2012-2016 Associate Professor (adjunct), Near-Surface Geophysics, Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo (UiO), Norway

2003-2012 Guest researcher, International Centre for Geohazards (ICG), NFR-funded Norwegian Research Centre of Excellence (SFF), partners NGI (lead), NORSAR, NGU, UiO and NTNU.

1993-2016 Principal Research Geophysicist, Seismic Modelling, NORSAR, Kjeller, Norway
 

FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS

2014 Norwegian Geophysical Award, Norwegian Petroleum Society.

2001 Best Paper award, Geophysical Prospecting, EAGE.

1992 NTNF Postdoctoral fellowship, NORSAR, Kjeller, Norway.

1991 EU Postdoctoral fellowship, NORSAR, Kjeller, Norway.

1988-1990 PhD grant, IFREMER, Brest/Strasbourg, France.

1988 NATO Scientific Division, Young Researcher, Summer School, Les Houches, France.

Teaching

University of Bergen - UiB                                                                                                                            

  • GEOV111, “Geofysiske Metodar”, mandatory intro-course for geologists and geophysicists, responsible teacher from 2018 - 2017-present
  • field course "Reservoir Geophysics: from outcrop to seismic", Spain, for geologists and geophysicists (2017, 2019, 2023), co-teacher
  • Lectures in GEOV272 (2016-present), PTEK100 (2016-2019)
  • education board member 2017-2024; education board leader 2024-present.               

University of Oslo - UiO                                                                                                                                 

  • GEO4120, “Near-Surface Geophysics”, responsible teacher - 2012-2016
  • GEO4260, “Reservoir Geophysics”, responsible teacher - 2015
  • GF281, “Inverse metoder”, responsible teacher - 1995
  • Lectures in GEO4170 (2012), GEO4171 (2013), GEO4360 (2012-2014), GEO4620 (2013), GEO4181 (2015-2016), GEO4240 (2016-2017)                                                                                                  

University Centre of Svalbard - UNIS                                                             

  • AG222, “Integrated Geological Methods: from Outcrop to Geomodel” - 2018-2022
  • AG335/835, “Arctic Seismic Exploration”, lectures in micro-seismicity, seismic modelling and GPR - 2015, 2017
  • partner in the UNIS UArctic education projects “Circum-Arctic Geology for Everyone: An integrated approach to learning and teaching in the Arctic” (2016-2018) and “Svalbox2020: digital teaching and outreach of Arctic Geology” (2019-2020).

SVALEX - multidisciplinary integration of students, Norwegian Universities (UiO, UiB, NTNU, UiT, UiS and UNIS)                                                                                                                                                         

  • Lectures/demos in near-surface geophysics and participation to petroleum-related student exercises - 2005-2009
Publications

Google Scholar

ResearchGate

ORCID

Scopus author

Selected/recent publications:

•    Dimmen, V., Rotevatn, A., Prestegård, M., Lecomte, I., and I. G. Andersen, 2024. Imaging along-strike variability in fault structure; insights from seismic modelling of the Maghlaq Fault, Malta. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 165, 106891.

•    Dimmen, V., Rotevatn, A., and Lecomte, I., 2023. Imaging of small-scale faults in seismic reflection data: Insights from seismic modelling of faults in outcrop. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 147, 105980.

•    Volatili, T., Agosta, F., Cardozo, N., Zambrano, M., Lecomte, I., and E. Tondi, 2022. Outcrop-based characterization and seismic modelling of an extensional fault zone in Mesozoic platform carbonates of the Fucino Basin, central Italy. Journal of Structural Geology, 155, 104515.

•    Faleide, T. S., Braathen, A., Lecomte, I., and I. Anell, 2021. Exploring detection and resolution thresholds of fault architecture and gas seeps in the shallow subsurface with seismic modelling. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 143, 105776.

•    Jensen, K., Lecomte, I., Gelius, L.-J., and Kaschwich, T., 2021. Point-Spread Function convolution to simulate prestack depth migrated images: a validation study. Geophysical Prospecting, 69, 1571-1590.

•    Faleide, T.S., Braathen, A., Lecomte, I., Mulrooney, M.J., Midtkandal, I., Bugge, A.J., and S. Planke, 2021. Impacts of seismic resolution on fault interpretation: Insights from seismic modelling. Tectonophysics, 816, 229008.

•    Bradaric, A. D., Andersen, T., Lecomte, I., Løseth, H., and C. H. Eide, 2021. Recognition and characterization of small-scale sand injectites in seismic data: Implications for reservoir development. Journal of the Geological Society.

•    Jensen, K., Johansen, M. K., Lecomte, I., Janson, X., Tveranger, J., and T. Kaschwich, 2021, Paleokarst reservoirs: Efficient and flexible characterization using point-spread function-based convolution modeling, Interpretation, 9, 2, 1-65.

•    Mascolo, V., and I. Lecomte, 2020, Seismic modelling of outcrop carbonate systems: an application to the Cretaceous platform-to-basin system of the Maiella Mountain (Central Apennines, Italy), in Seismic characterization of carbonate platforms and reservoirs, Special Publications, Geological Society, 509.

•    Wrona, T., Fossen, H., Lecomte, I., Eide, C.H., and Gawthorpe, R.L., 2020, Seismic expression of shear zones: Insights from 2-D point-spread-function based convolution modelling, Journal of Structural Geology, 140.

•    Rabbel, O., Galland, O., Mair, K.; Lecomte, I., Spacapan, J. B., Senger, K., and R. Manceda, 2018, From field analogues to realistic seismic modelling: a case study of an oil-producing andesitic sill complex in the Neuquén Basin, Argentina, Journal of the Geological Society, 175(4), 580.

•    Eide, C. H., Schofield, N., Lecomte, I., Buckley, S. J., and J. A. Howell, 2018, Seismic interpretation of sill complexes in sedimentary basins: Implications for the sub-sill imaging problem, Journal of the Geological Society, 175(2), 193-209.

•    Lecomte, I., Lubrano Lavadera, P., Anell, I., Buckley, S. J., Eide, C. H., Grippa, A., Mascolo, V., and S. Kjoberg, 2016, 2(3)D convolution modelling of complex geological targets – beyond 1D convolution, First Break, 34, 99-107.

•    Botter, C., Cardozo, N., Hardy, S., Lecomte, I., Paton, G., and A. Escalona, 2016, Seismic characterisation of fault zones in 3D using mechanical and seismic modelling techniques, Marine and Petroleum Geology, 77, 973-990.

•    Lecomte, I., Lubrano Lavadera, P., Anell, I., Buckley, S. J., Schmid, D. W., and M. Heeremans, 2015, Ray-based seismic modelling of geological models: understanding and analyzing seismic images efficiently, Interpretation, 3, no. 4, SAC71-SAC89.

•    Botter, C., Cardozo, N., Hardy, S., Lecomte, I., and Escalona, A., 2014, From mechanical modeling to seismic imaging of faults: A synthetic workflow to study the impact of faults on seismic, Marine and Petroleum Geology, 57, 187-207.

•    Sauvin, G., Lecomte, I., Bazin, S., L'Heureux, J. S., Vanneste, M., Solberg, I. L., and Dalsegg, E., 2013, Towards geophysical and geotechnical integration for quick-clay mapping in Norway, in Special Issue on Geotechnical Assessment and Geo-environmental Engineering, Near Surface Geophysics, 11, no 6, 613-623, ICG contribution 395.

•    Lecomte, I., 2008. Resolution and illumination analyses in PSDM: A ray-based approach, The Leading Edge, 27, 650-663.

•    Lecomte, I., Thollet, I., Juliussen, H., and Hamran, S.-E., 2008, Using geophysics on a terminal moraine damming a glacial lake: the Flatbre debris flow case, Western Norway, Advances in Geosciences, 14, 301-307, ICG contribution 191, doi: 10.5194/adgeo-14-301-2008.

•    Lecomte, I., Hamran, S.-E., and Gelius, L.-J., 2005. Improving Kirchhoff migration with repeated Local Plane-Wave imaging? a SAR-inspired signal-processing approach in prestack depth imaging, Geophysical Prospecting, 53, 767–785

•    Gelius, L.-J., Lecomte, I., and Tabti, H., 2002. Analysis of the resolution function in seismic prestack depth imaging, Geophysical Prospecting, 50, 505-515.

•    Lecomte, I., Gjøystdal, H., Dahle, A., and Pedersen, O. C., 2000. Improving modelling and inversion in refraction seismic with a first order Eikonal solver, Geophysical Prospecting, 48, 437-454, Cit. 57. 

•    Podvin, P., and Lecomte, I., 1991. Finite difference computation of traveltimes in very contrasted velocity models: a massively parallel approach and its associated tools, Geophys. J. Int., 105, 271-284

Projects