As the global geoscience community gathers in Aberdeen for the 87th EAGE Annual Conference & Exhibition, one question remains central to every subsurface interpretation workflow:
For exploration, appraisal, field development, and reservoir characterization teams, the challenge is rarely a lack of data. The challenge is knowing how to connect seismic observations to the rock properties that actually matter: lithology, facies, porosity, saturation, pressure, reservoir quality, and the geological processes that shaped them.
This is where rock physics becomes critical.
On Tuesday, 9 June 2026, from 12:40–1:30 PM, Ikon Science invites EAGE attendees to join Dr. Stephan Gelinsky, Senior Technical Advisor for Rock Physics and Reservoir Characterization, for a focused technical talk at the Ikon Science booth:
Seismically characterizing the subsurface is never simple. Reservoir rocks and their bounding lithologies are heterogeneous, complex, and variable across multiple scales. While many rock physics models have been developed to connect seismic-derived elastic properties to geological and petrophysical meaning, selecting the right model — and calibrating the right parameters — can be a time-consuming and uncertain process.
Dr. Gelinsky’s talk will explore how a facies-based rock physics approach helps reduce that uncertainty.
By investigating the fundamental geological controls on elastic and petrophysical rock properties, geoscientists can group rocks with similar provenance, depositional environment, mineralogy, texture, and burial history into meaningful facies. With adequate seismic data, those facies can then be identified and quantitatively characterized away from well control, allowing teams to constrain static and dynamic models in a more confident and geologically consistent way.
For teams working in complex depositional settings, unconventional reservoirs, carbonates, tight rocks, or mixed lithology systems, this connection between facies, rock physics, and seismic interpretation can make the difference between a technically plausible model and a model that is truly grounded in geological reality.
Seismic data can reveal patterns in the subsurface, but it does not automatically explain what those patterns mean. Rock physics provides the translation layer between elastic response and geological interpretation.
In this session, Dr. Gelinsky will show how understanding facies behavior through a rock physics lens can help teams:
This is especially important when dealing with heterogeneous reservoir systems where conventional endmember assumptions do not fully capture the complexity of the rocks.
Dr. Stephan Gelinsky brings deep technical authority in rock physics, quantitative interpretation, and integrated reservoir characterization.
As Senior Technical Advisor at Ikon Science, Stephan works closely with Ikon’s R&D team to advance rock physics modeling, quantitative interpretation, and geopressure workflows. Through Ephangeli Subsurface Consulting, he also supports rock physics and integrated reservoir characterization projects.
Before launching his own business in 2025, Stephan spent 25 years at Shell, where he held senior roles including Principal Technical Expert & Advisor for QI Petrophysics, QI Manager, and project lead for integrated basin evaluations worldwide. His work has supported opportunity evaluation and risk reduction across the full E&P lifecycle, with a strong emphasis on data integration and interdisciplinary field development planning for major reservoirs.
His career began in the service sector in 1996, specializing in borehole acoustics, VSP processing, and pore pressure prediction before moving into QI and rock physics. Stephan holds a PhD from Karlsruhe University in Germany and is an active member of SEG, EAGE, SPE, DPG, and SPWLA.
If you are attending EAGE Annual 2026 in Aberdeen, make time to join us during the lunch hour on Tuesday.
Talk: Facies and the Rock Physics Link Between Seismic and Geology — Concept and Case Study
Speaker: Dr. Stephan Gelinsky, Senior Technical Advisor, Rock Physics and Reservoir Characterization
Date: Tuesday, 9 June 2026
Time: 12:40–1:30 PM
Location: Ikon Science Booth, EAGE Annual 2026, Aberdeen
Whether you are working in quantitative interpretation, seismic inversion, rock physics modeling, reservoir characterization, exploration, or field development, this session will provide practical insight into how facies-based rock physics can help turn seismic data into more reliable subsurface decisions.
Reserve your lunch, join the technical conversation, or stop by the Ikon Science booth to meet the team.
At EAGE 2026, let’s talk about how better rock physics leads to better geological confidence — and better decisions below the surface.