Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

Ryan Wilson is a Senior Mudstone Stratigrapher and Unconventional Reservoir Quality Specialist at ExxonMobil. He received his B.S. in Geology at the University of Cincinnati where he was first introduced to the importance of mudstone sedimentology, stratigraphy, and geochemistry studying with Paul Potter, Carl Brett, and Tom Algeo. He completed his M.S. and Ph.D. at Indiana University studying with Juergen Schieber where he developed extensive skillsets characterizing unconventional resources across scales, integrating regional field investigation, subsurface datasets, core characterization, geochemistry, petrography and scanning electron microscopy, and experimental sedimentology through use of the MudFlumes.

At ExxonMobil, his technical interests focus on understanding the fundamental causes of variability in mudstone-dominated systems in order to assess unconventional resources conducted through sequence stratigraphy and quantitative reconstruction of depositional environments in all settings, from deep sea to swamps and lakes, focusing on information from fine-grained and organic-rich rocks from the modern to ancient strata. This involves the use and integration of many tools and scales, from plate tectonics to molecular and isotopic geochemistry, including paleo-oceanography, paleoclimatology, seismic reflection data, well logs, cores, outcrops, thin sections, palynology and paleontology, and geochemistry.

Through partnership with the Indiana University Shale Research Lab managed by Juergen Schieber, he has fostered development of proprietary reservoir characterization and modeling tools and workflows, as well as field-based training courses building stratigraphic and reservoir characterization competencies of unconventional reservoirs to apply to exploration and asset development.

Ryan actively publishes and reviews manuscripts for a variety of journals and serves on technical committees for IMAGE, SEPM, and URTeC national conferences.