By David Murphy

KAUST Professor of Geophysics Tariq Alkhalifah has been awarded the Virgil Kauffman Gold Medal by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG). Alkhalifah received the award at the third annual International Meeting for Applied Geoscience & Energy 2023 (IMAGE '23). IMAGE '23 served as a platform for geoscientists, energy professionals and thought leaders to meet and gain insight into the latest advancements in the field of geophysics. The international event took place in Houston, U.S., from August 28 to September 1, 2023.

According to the SEG, the Kauffman Gold Medal is awarded to “a person who has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of the science of geophysical exploration as manifested during the previous five years. The contribution may be of a technical or a professional nature.” The professor of geophysics was the lone recipient of the award this year.

In addition to his long-term involvement with the SEG, Alkhalifah also received the Society’s J. Clarence Karcher Award in 1998. His innovative work was recognized by the European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers with the Conrad Schlumberger Award in 2003.

At KAUST, he develops imaging and velocity models to explore seismic data, emphasizing media that exhibits anisotropic wave propagation characteristics. Alkhalifah is also interested in seismic acquisition and processing of near-surface data for improved near-surface treatment.
Widely acknowledged by his peers as a pioneer in the application of machine learning in geophysics, he formed, along with his colleague Professor Matteo Ravasi, the DeepWave Consortium at KAUST. The research consortium focuses on applying machine (deep) learning numerical algorithms to wave-equation-based processing, imaging and inversion.