Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dandan Zhu | Intelligent Drilling and Completion | AI and Automation in Petroleum Award

Associate Professor at China University of Petroleum, Beijing, China

Dr. Dandan Zhu is an accomplished Associate Professor at the China University of Petroleum, Beijing, in the College of Artificial Intelligence. With a strong academic foundation and innovative research output, she has emerged as a prominent expert in the integration of artificial intelligence with petroleum engineering. Her pioneering work in intelligent drilling technologies and wellbore guidance systems has advanced subsurface automation and decision-making under uncertainty. Dr. Zhu has led numerous national projects and maintains deep collaborative ties with China’s top energy enterprises. Through publications, patents, and cross-disciplinary innovations, she has significantly contributed to the modernization of petroleum exploration and production.

Profile

Google Scholar

Education

Dr. Zhu holds a Ph.D. in Precision Engineering from the University of Tokyo, where she developed advanced modeling tools for mechanical systems. Prior to this, she earned a Master’s degree in Aircraft Design from Beihang University, building her expertise in computational mechanics and control. This unique academic trajectory provided her with a solid grounding in both high-precision design and intelligent control systems, which later became central to her work in petroleum AI. Her educational foundation is characterized by a rigorous blend of systems engineering, applied mathematics, and programming, equipping her to bridge the gap between AI theory and practical energy applications.

Experience

Since joining the China University of Petroleum in 2015, Dr. Zhu has led over 40 national and provincial-level research projects, many in collaboration with energy industry leaders such as CNPC, Sinopec, and CNOOC. She has executed 27 consultancy and industry-sponsored projects, developing intelligent geo-steering, simulation environments, and adaptive drilling systems. Her responsibilities extend beyond research to include mentoring graduate students and integrating AI pedagogy into petroleum engineering curricula. Her professional trajectory reflects a deep commitment to both academic excellence and industrial application. Her field-tested tools and platforms demonstrate practical outcomes in hydraulic fracturing, reservoir modeling, and real-time trajectory control.

Research Interest

Dr. Zhu’s research focuses on the intersection of artificial intelligence and petroleum engineering, specifically intelligent drilling systems, reinforcement learning for wellbore trajectory control, and real-time decision-making in geo-steering. She has built generative simulation environments that replicate subsurface dynamics for training AI agents. A key innovation includes a high-interaction learning framework that integrates offline modeling, real-time drilling guidance, and strategic post-drilling analysis. Her recent work emphasizes robustness and adaptability in drilling operations by accounting for geological uncertainty. Through deep reinforcement learning, data-driven optimization, and control theory, Dr. Zhu is contributing to the intelligent automation of energy exploration systems.

Award

Dr. Zhu’s impactful research has positioned her as a strong candidate for the Best Researcher Award in Petroleum Engineering. Her innovations have earned recognition across academia and industry. She has received multiple provincial and institutional grants to pursue advanced simulation and AI research. Her patented technologies in wellbore trajectory control and geo-steering optimization are used in field applications. Furthermore, her interdisciplinary efforts have been integral to national science and technology programs in China. These accolades, combined with her extensive collaboration with major energy corporations, underscore her standing as a leading researcher advancing AI integration in energy systems.

Publication

Dr. Zhu has published 39 peer-reviewed journal articles, contributing significantly to petroleum AI literature. Select publications include:

1. A target-aware well path control method based on transfer reinforcement learning.

2. Gait coordination feature modeling and multi-scale gait representation for gait recognition.

3. PPS-QMIX: Periodically Parameter Sharing for Accelerating Convergence of Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning

4. An intelligent drilling guide algorithm design framework based on high interactive learning mechanism

5. End-to-end multiplayer violence detection based on deep 3D CNN

6. Investigation on automatic recognition of stratigraphic lithology based on well logging data using ensemble learning algorithm

7. A reinforcement learning based 3d guided drilling method: Beyond ground control

Her work has received over 68 citations since 2020 and continues to shape the AI-petroleum research landscape.

Conclusion

Dr. Dandan Zhu exemplifies the integration of technical innovation and practical relevance in petroleum engineering. Through her work in artificial intelligence, simulation, and intelligent control, she is reshaping the way subsurface operations are conceptualized and executed. Her contributions extend beyond academic theory into field-proven tools and methods widely adopted by industry leaders. By mentoring future engineers, publishing transformative research, and collaborating across sectors, she has established herself as a thought leader at the intersection of AI and energy. Her continued contributions reflect not only technical excellence but also a visionary approach to sustainable and intelligent resource development.