Ali Ghalambor is an American Petroleum Institute Endowed Professor and Head of the Department of Petroleum Engineering at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He has more than 30 years of industry and academic experience and has served as a consultant to petroleum production and service companies, governmental agencies, professional organizations, and the United Nations. Ghalambor is an expert in the areas of drilling, well completion, and engineering assessment and accreditation. He is the author or coauthor of 10 books and manuals and more than 100 technical articles published in numerous journals and conference proceedings. Ghalambor holds BA and MS degrees in petroleum engineering from the University of Louisiana and a PhD degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. A highly distinguished member of many professional organizations, he is a recipient of the SPE Distinguished Member Award and has served as an Associate Editor of SPE Production & Operations and a Technical Editor of SPE Drilling & Completion. Ghalambor has served as a commissioner on the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology and as Director of the Central and Southeastern North America Region on the SPE Board of Directors.

Syed A. Ali is currently a research advisor with Schlumberger. He recently retired after 31 years of service from Chevron Energy Technology Company as a Chevron Fellow. Ali holds a BS degree from the University of Karachi in Pakistan, MS degrees from the University of Karachi and Ohio State University, and a PhD degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He was the 2006 recipient of the SPE Production and Operations Award, and he served as chairperson for the 2006 SPE Applied Technology Workshop on Deepwater Completions. A past executive editor of SPE Production & Operations, Ali currently serves on seven SPE committees including the Oilfield Chemistry Program Committee, the JPT Editorial Committee, the Production and Operations Advisory Committee, and the Drilling and Completions Advisory Committee. He is a Distinguished Member of SPE and has served as a Distinguished Lecturer.

W. David Norman is currently a research consultant with Chevron Petroleum Technology Company in the Completion Engineering unit, where his work areas include completion processes and engineering, reservoir stimulation, sand control, well flow efficiency issues, flow systems dependability and assurance, and stimulation, drilling, and completion fluids. Norman has more than 30 years of industry experience; before joining Chevron, he spent 20 years with the Dowell division of Dow Chemical. A pioneer of high-permeability fracturing, Norman teaches classes on acidizing, workovers, completions, sand control, and frac packing. He holds multiple patents, is the coauthor of several technical papers, reference books, and textbook chapters, and served as technical editor of two SPE monographs. Norman holds a BS degree in chemistry from Mississippi College and did MS work in biochemistry at the University of Southern Mississippi.