UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Luis Ayala, professor of petroleum and natural gas engineering and holder of the William A. Fustos Family Professor in Energy and Mineral Engineering at Penn State, has been honored as a distinguished member by the Society of Petroleum Engineers.
SPE Distinguished Membership, limited to 1% of SPE professional membership, recognizes SPE members who achieve distinction deemed worthy of special recognition, who made significant contributions to the society, or who have attained eminence in the petroleum industry or the academic community. Ayala is one of six recipients selected for 2022.
"I am humbled to have been elected a distinguished member of my professional society,” said Ayala. “It is a great honor to be placed among the ranks of many incredible and talented individuals whom I look up to and have had the privilege to learn from.”
Ayala was recognized for “for his contributions as an outstanding teacher, mentor, researcher and a longstanding contributor to SPE who has attained eminence in our community.” Ayala was recognized at SPE’s Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition held Oct. 3-5 in Houston.
“It is an honor to recognize Luis for his commitment and dedication to the oil and gas industry with the SPE Distinguished Membership. SPE international award winners were nominated by their colleagues and selected by their peers for their achievement and contributions and it’s my pleasure to congratulate Luis on receiving this prestigious international award from SPE,” said 2022 SPE President Kamel Ben-Naceur.
Ayala serves as executive editor for SPE’s flagship peer-reviewed journal, the SPE Journal, and is the former editor-in-chief of SPE’s The Way Ahead. He has served on numerous technical journal boards and SPE committees, including the Reservoir Description and Dynamics Advisory Committee, Book Development Committee, and Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition technical committees. He has received several SPE Outstanding Technical Editor awards, as well as the SPE Eastern North America Regional Reservoir Description and Dynamics Award.
Ayala is currently serving as an administrative fellow in Penn State’s Office of the Senior Vice President for Research. He was a Big Ten Academic Alliance Fellow for the 2021-22 academic year and previously served as associate department head for graduate education in the John and Willie Leone Family Energy and Mineral Engineering Department in Penn State’s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.
Ayala holds degrees in chemical engineering and petroleum engineering from the University of Oriente Venezuela and Master of Science and doctoral degrees in petroleum and natural gas engineering from Penn State.
The Society of Petroleum Engineers is a not-for-profit professional association whose members are engaged in energy resources development and production. SPE serves more than 124,800 members in 134 countries. SPE provides unparalleled insights, shared expertise, life-long learning, and community strength to fuel the success of our members and the future of the industry. SPE is a key resource for technical knowledge related to the oil and gas exploration and production industry and provides services through its publications, events, training courses, and online resources.