In celebration of International Day of Women and Girls in Science, AAPG will be showcasing interviews from successful women leaders in geoscience.

Diane Woodruff is a geologist with Occidental Offshore U.S., where she works on Gulf of Mexico development assets for various fields/prospects around Southeast Green Canyon. She previously spent roughly five years working for Anadarko Petroleum Corp.,

Woodruff received her undergraduate degree in geological engineering from the Colorado School of Mines. She then completed her master’s degree and PhD in geological and earth sciences from Brown University. Here is what she had to say about her time working in geoscience.

Describe the journey that led you to become a geoscientist.

“I’ve wanted to be a geologist since the third grade when my teacher’s son, who was a geologist, brought in his rock collection to show our class. Since then, I have always collected rocks and stored them in numerous boxes in my room. I pursued my undergrad degree in geological engineering from the Colorado School of Mines, then received a master’s and PhD in geological sciences from Brown University. I was introduced to petroleum geology during my first internship in college and knew that was the career path for me. Even though I studied lunar geochemistry during my graduate work, I knew I’d enter the oil and gas industry after graduation. I started at Anadarko Petroleum Co. after my PhD and now work for Oxy exploring and developing deepwater Gulf of Mexico reservoirs.”

What is the best advice you have received from a mentor?

“As simple as it sounds, ‘The geology was determined way before our time.’ Our maps and models are all wrong, but the fun part of our job is getting closer and closer to learning what it truly looks like in the subsurface as we continually improve our geologic story.”

What is your favorite part of your job?

“My favorite part of my job is working with a large group of people from different disciplines and backgrounds to solve the subsurface puzzle! It takes the whole team to gather and interpret the data. The full integration of data is thrilling when the data starts to point to an answer, and then this reshapes our ideas on the rocks below the surface.”

What has you most excited about working in the field of geoscience right now?

“As geoscientists, we get to work on some of the biggest projects and challenges our world is facing. We also get access to some of the latest technologies to aid our interpretation and business plans. I thoroughly enjoy seeing how we as an industry continue to innovate and how it unlocks new opportunities globally. There is never a dull moment when working in oil and gas.”

What has been the most memorable project you have worked on and why?

“The most memorable project for me has been acquiring a whole core from deepwater Gulf of Mexico. It took many people to coordinate the project, but it was so fun to finally see what the rock looked like after seven years of drilling and producing the reservoir. After it was drilled and brought back to Houston from offshore, we spent a month describing hundreds of feet of rock. This whole core completely changed our story for how the sands were deposited millions of years ago.”

What advice would you give to a young girl aspiring to become a geoscientist?

“Find opportunities to go outside and learn more about the geology around you! Have a teacher or family member help you find some field guides or rock and mineral identification, or read collecting or hunting books or apps, then go out and find rocks around you. I learned so much this way when I was young, and I got my friends and family to go on some fun adventures with me! These were some of my favorite memories growing up that ultimately shaped my career today."