K. J. (KRIS) NYGAARD is the Senior Stimulation Consultant at ExxonMobil. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering, and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering all from the University of Arizona.  In his Senior Technical Professional role at ExxonMobil, Kris is the Corporation’s recognized expert on hydraulic fracturing and is responsible for coordinating ExxonMobil’s Upstream Fracturing Center of Excellence. Kris advises the R&D program at ExxonMobil’s Upstream Research Company, and works closely with ExxonMobil’s business units on technology strategy, deployment, and applications.  During his 23-year career with ExxonMobil, he has held several technical and managerial positions in the areas of subsurface engineering, well completions, drilling, and unconventional resources.  Over the last 3-years, he has also lead ExxonMobil’s efforts to address risks of induced seismicity associated with unconventional resource development, and is engaged with several industry trade groups efforts on this topic.  He also serves as technical advisor to the recently formed State Oil & Gas Regulatory Exchange Induced Seismicity Working Group that is focused on enhancing knowledge and sharing approaches for managing risks of induced seismicity.  He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Michael Ashcroft works in the Innovation Team at the Carbon Trust, a UK based organisation with a mission to accelerate the move to a sustainable low carbon economy. He currently supports government-backed ventures that are developing innovative low carbon technologies, and has advised the UK and international governments on low carbon innovation policy, specifically around prioritising public innovation spending.

Michael is also co-founder of a company developing an innovative crowdsourcing platform built around the student and alumni communities of Imperial College London and the Royal College of Art. He holds an MSc in Environmental Technology, specialising in energy policy, and a BSc in Physics, both from Imperial College London.