Dr. Zhi Ye is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geology and Geological Engineering at South Dakota Mines. His research focuses on reservoir geomechanics, rock mechanics, and experimental rock deformation, with applications in geo-energy recovery and storage. Over the past decade, he has been involved in various aspects of reservoir geomechanics, including rock deformation under HPHT conditions, hydraulic fracturing, in-situ stress determination, induced seismicity, and frictional fracture slip due to fluid injection. Dr. Ye has participated in the two flagship geothermal projects sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE): EGS Collab and Utah FORGE. His research work has been published in reputable journals and conferences, such as Geophysical Research Letters and Journal of Geophysical Research. In 2019, he received the prestigious Rock Mechanics Research Award from the American Rock Mechanics Association (ARMA).

Dr. Shubham Chajed, who earned his Ph.D. in Rock Mechanics from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee), has accepted an offer to join our group as a postdoctoral research associate.

Khomchan (Pun) is a Ph.D. student in Geology at South Dakota Mines, researching the physical controls on induced seismicity during subsurface fluid injection using rock experiments, numerical modeling, and machine learning. Originally from Thailand, he holds a Bachelor of Science in Geology from Chiang Mai University and a Master of Engineering in Tunnel Engineering from Graz University of Technology in Austria.

Rommel Hassen is an M.S. student in Geological Engineering at South Dakota Mines. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Geological Engineering from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana. His current research focuses on numerical modeling for cave stability evaluation.

Wriston Jay is a junior and an incoming M.S. student in Geological Engineering at South Dakota Mines. His research interests include numerical modeling and AI/ML for engineering applications. He is also actively involved in laboratory research, assisting with the fabrication of synthetic rare earth element (REE) samples.