Yan Zaretskiy

Why did you decide to study your PhD at Heriot-Watt University?

At the time I was looking for a PhD position offering to work on a problem related to the physics of porous media flows. My ideal position had to satisfy two other criteria: it had to be from a top-tier university and based outside of the US. Most of the research work in porous media flows deals with the numerical aspect of solving the existing physical models, and in the end I only found two positions which matched my requirements. I applied to both of them but received only one response, from Heriot-Watt.

What was your experience of studying your PhD with the Carbonate Reservoirs group at Heriot-Watt University?

My experience was positive through and through. The scientific project was interesting and engaging. My colleagues were outstanding, we have spent many hours discussing everything from the C++ programming to the philosophy of science. But the overarching reason for my great time at Heriot-Watt was the dynamics that developed between me and my colleagues on one side and our scientific advisor Sebastian Geiger on the other. A scientific advisor is a complicated role which requires juggling scientific, career, and general life advice with occasional sprinkles of psychotherapy when a student struggles most. I can say without a reservation that Sebastian has served (and hopefully continues to serve) this role admirably.

Can you tell us a bit about what you're currently doing?

I am a researcher at the Aramco Research Center in Houston, Texas. I work in the Geology Technology Team, where I help my fellow colleagues develop computational models of various geological processes, such as crust deformation, sediment routing and deposition and so on.

The overarching reason for my great time at Heriot-Watt was the dynamics that developed between me and my colleagues on one side and our scientific advisor, Sebastian Geiger, on the other.