Geoscientist · Ph.D. · Oil Finder
Integrative geoscientist with broad technical, operational and commercial experience across Australia and the USA. Discoverer of the Liza oil field in Guyana — the world's largest oil find in a generation, worth nearly $1 trillion.
Signature Achievement
In 2013, Scott Dyksterhuis was the primary ExxonMobil geoscientist working full-time on Guyana. Convinced a vast trove of oil lay buried more than three miles beneath the seabed, he faced a stark challenge: persuading his bosses to spend at least $175 million drilling in a region where the industry had already drilled more than 40 consecutive dry holes.
Initial approval was denied. With ExxonMobil's Stabroek block licence months from expiry, a small group of believers found a creative commercial path forward. The well — internally dubbed "the well from hell" — was soon costing more than $1 million a day. Equipment failed. Drill bits were sheared off. Over $15 million in equipment was lost.
On May 5, 2015, the drill bit confirmed the Liza formation: more than 295 feet of high-quality oil-bearing sandstone. The rocks were dripping. It was the largest oil discovery in the industry that year — and in a generation.
Today the Stabroek block holds 12.6 billion barrels of recoverable oil. Guyana is on track to pump more crude per person than Saudi Arabia or Kuwait. The full inside story, with Dyksterhuis as its central protagonist, was published in Bloomberg Markets in August 2024.
↗ Read the Bloomberg Markets FeatureTimeline
Begins career at ExxonMobil after completing his PhD and post-doctorate in collaboration with TOTAL, working across projects spanning geologic scales from plate to pore.
Relocated to Houston. The primary geoscientist at ExxonMobil dedicated full-time to the Stabroek block. Analyses seismic data and builds the geological case for drilling Liza despite 40+ regional dry holes.
Senior geoscientists initially conclude the case hasn't been made. With the licence months from expiry, a creative commercial deal is struck enabling drilling at near-zero upfront cost.
The Deepwater Champion confirms the Liza formation: 295+ feet of high-quality oil-bearing sandstone reservoir. Described by ExxonMobil as perhaps the most significant oil find anywhere on the planet in generations.
Leads the geoscience team taking the Liza field from discovery to production in industry record time.
The Stabroek block now holds 12.6 billion barrels of recoverable resources across 46+ discoveries. Three FPSOs are producing 650,000 barrels per day, with a seventh development sanctioned to bring total capacity to 1.5 million barrels per day — making Guyana one of the most prolific deepwater oil provinces in the world.
Experience
Over two decades spanning frontier exploration, field development, and commercial decision-making across Australia, the USA and globally.
Following Santos's acquisition of Oil Search in 2022, took on the role of General Manager PNG Subsurface and Exploration, leading subsurface and exploration strategy across Papua New Guinea for one of Australia's largest oil and gas companies.
Reported directly to the EVP PNG Development and Operations, managing ~40 highly skilled technical staff and an annual budget of $150M+. Developed strategy across reservoir development, production, well services, exploration and technical computing, and prepared materials for the Executive Leadership and Board.
Worked collaboratively across functions to identify and implement performance improvements and cost efficiencies. Facilitated significant third party spend reductions resulting in annualised savings of $50M+.
Responsible for stewardship of all PNG-based exploration interests, managing the technical evaluation team and coordinating with in-country functions. Planned exploration programs and budgets, managed Joint Venture relationships, and ensured coordination with the PNG Regulator. Key achievements included influencing the Joint Venture to fund the Gobe Footwall exploration well and redirecting exploration efforts towards near-field oil opportunities.
Geoscience technical advisor leading small, highly integrated business teams focused on securing interests in discovered undeveloped oil and gas resources and corporate acquisitions. Initiated and managed analysis of a US$20B acquisition among other projects.
Led a team of seven covering mapping, reservoir modelling, formation evaluation, geophysical analysis and operations geology. Planned and executed appraisal drilling with significant evaluation programs including well testing, integrating results in short timeframes, and generating geologic models and simulations as the basis of design and funding for Liza development.
After stewarding the Liza prospect through mapping, drill-ready, execution and discovery as exploration project geologist, transferred to the development team to steward Liza through to first oil. During this period also developed new innovative assessment technology for ExxonMobil that was subsequently co-developed in collaboration with Schlumberger.
Project geologist responsible for prospect maturation, farm-down, execution and the subsequent discovery of the Liza field on the Stabroek deepwater block, Guyana. Duties included mapping multiple 3D volumes, AVO analysis and seismic forward modelling, coordination of farm-down presentations, and rank wildcat drill well planning and execution.
Worked across a wide portfolio of projects ranging in geologic scale from plate to pore, building expertise in basin modelling, structural interpretation, and integrated geoscience across Australia and the Asia-Pacific.
Post-doctoral research in collaboration with TOTAL, applying geodynamic modelling to direct industry problems in basin analysis and stress field evolution.
Doctoral research into palaeo-stress modelling and lithospheric extension, conducted in collaboration with Shell, BHP Billiton, Woodside Petroleum, and Santos. Applications spanning oil and gas exploration, gold mining, and seismic studies across Australia.
Academic
Fundamental work at the intersection of geodynamics, structural geology, and computational modelling — with real-world impact across energy and resources.
Using ABAQUS finite element software to reconstruct horizontal compressive stress of the Indo-Australian plate from the Jurassic to present. Part of the TRAPS collaborative project with Shell, BHP Billiton, Woodside, and Santos — creating a framework for predicting tectonic fault reactivation.
Using particle-in-cell finite element code Ellipsis to study how lithospheric weaknesses influence rift geometry during basin extension. Ran thousands of parallel models using Ellipsis and Nimrod to quantify the relative importance of processes in continental rifting.
Designed and built a Graphical User Interface for the Ellipsis geodynamic modelling platform — making powerful simulation tools accessible to researchers worldwide and providing a teaching resource for the next generation of geodynamicists.
Scholarship
Peer-reviewed journals, conference abstracts, and industry contributions spanning intraplate stress, basin modelling, and geodynamic software development.
Wilson, C., Gottschalk, R., Ando, C., Reilly, J., Suarez, G., Coleman, P., Richards, F.B., Dyksterhuis, S., Stevens, J., and Allison, J. (2011), PNG Highlands — Integrating new 2D Seismic with Multiple Data Types, ExxonMobil Integrated Interpretation Symposium
Dyksterhuis, S. and Müller, R.D. (2017), Future intraplate stress and the longevity of carbon storage, Fuel, 200, 31–36
Müller, R.D., Dyksterhuis, S. and Rey, P. (2012), Australian palaeo-stress fields and tectonic reactivation over the past 100Ma, Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, 59(1)
Dyksterhuis, S., Müller, R.D. (2008), Cause and evolution of intraplate orogeny in Australia, Geology, 36(6), 495–498
Müller, R.D. and Dyksterhuis, S. (2007), Current and palaeo-stress models for central Australian Basins, Proceedings of the Central Australian Basins Symposium, NT Geological Survey Special Publication 2, 1–9
Dyksterhuis, S., Rey, P., Müller, D. and Moresi, L. (2007), Effects of Initial Weakness on Rift Architecture, Geological Society of London Special Publication, 282, 443–455, DOI: 10.1144/SP282.18
Dyksterhuis, S., Müller, D., Rey, P., Moresi, L. (2007), A Graphical User Interface for Ellipsis, Journal of Computers and Geosciences, 33(8), 1088–1093
Dyksterhuis, S., Müller, D., Albert, R. (2005), Palaeo-stress Field Evolution of the Australian Continent since the Eocene, Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol 100, B05102
Dyksterhuis, S., Albert, R., Müller, D. (2005), Finite element modelling of intraplate stress using ABAQUS™, Journal of Computers and Geosciences, 31, 297–307
Dyksterhuis, S. and Müller, D. (2004), Modelling the contemporary and palaeo stress field of Australia using finite-element modelling with automatic optimisation, Exploration Geophysics, Vol. 35, No. 4, 236–341
Dyksterhuis, S. and Müller, D. (April 2004), Modelling the contemporary stress field of the Australian continent, Preview, 109, 30–33
Dyksterhuis, S., Müller, D. and Unternehr, P. (2006), Using Geological Observations as Constraint for Inversion of the Australian Palaeo-Stress Field, AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco
Dyksterhuis, S., Unternehr, P. and Müller, D. (2006), Relating Reactivation and Inversion on the NW Australian Shelf to Stress Regimes Through Time, AAPG International Conference, Perth
Dyksterhuis, S., Müller, D. and Rey, P. (2006), Open source and easy to use geodynamic modelling tools, Australian Earth Sciences Convention, Melbourne
Müller, D. and Dyksterhuis, S. (2006), Eocene to present stress regimes in the Bass Strait region, Australian Earth Sciences Convention, Melbourne
Dyksterhuis, S., Müller, D., Rey, P., Moresi, L. (2005), Ellipsis … Geodynamic Modelling for the Masses, AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco
Dyksterhuis, S., Müller, D., Rey, P., Moresi, L. (2005), Initial Weakness Controls on Rift Architecture, Petroleum Geosciences Collaboration Conference, London
Dyksterhuis, S. and Müller, D. (2005), An Ellipsis Benchmark: Rifting of the Iberian-Newfoundland Margin, European Geosciences Union General Assembly, Vienna
Müller, D. and Dyksterhuis, S. (2005), Current and palaeo-stress models for Central Australian Basins, Central Australian Basins Symposium, Alice Springs
Dyksterhuis, S., Müller, D., Rey, P., Moresi, L. (2004), Modelling the Extension of the Iberian-Newfoundland Margin with Ellipsis, InterMARGINS Workshop, Pontresina, Switzerland
Dyksterhuis, S. and Müller, D. (2004), Palaeo-stress Field Evolution of the Australian Continent since the Eocene, 17th Australian Geological Convention, Hobart
Dyksterhuis, S. and Müller, D. (2004), Palaeo-stress Field Evolution of the Australian Continent since the Eocene, 2004 APPEA Conference, Canberra
Dyksterhuis, S. and Müller, D. (2004), Optimally Inverse modelling the evolution of the Australian Stress field with ABAQUS™ and Nimrod/o, 2004 ASEG-PESA Conference, Sydney
Connect
Open to connections with fellow geoscientists, researchers, and industry professionals.