PESA ACT/NSW July Technical Talk

Guest Speaker(s): Talline Zarzavatjian

Talline Zarzavatjian is an accomplished Development Geologist with over two decades of experience in geological modelling, volumetric analysis, and hydrocarbon field development. Since 2016, she has worked as a consultant development geologist based in Sydney, Australia, offering specialised geomodelling services. Her recent projects include full static model builds and reviews, data room participation, uncertainty analyses, and volumetric evaluations. One notable assignment involved constructing a full-scale model of a mature gas field in the Bass Basin to support dynamic simulation and forecasting of production and reserves.

Before her consultancy role, Talline was a Senior Development Geologist at Drillsearch, where she led significant modelling efforts in the Cooper Basin. She played a key role in the discovery and development of the Bauer Oil Field, which became one of the largest oilfields in the region. Her work supported a drilling campaign that achieved a 78 percent success rate across 51 wells. Her responsibilities included technical leadership, pre-drill volume estimates, reserves auditing, and integration within multidisciplinary teams to align geological insights with engineering and commercial strategies.

Talline’s earlier career included senior roles at Tullow Oil, where she contributed to exploration and appraisal programs in Uganda’s Albert Rift Basin. Her work included regional and field-scale model development and technical presentations to the Ugandan government. Prior to that, she held technical positions in the UK with Enterprise Oil, Roxar, and Granby Oil & Gas, where she gained early experience in geomodelling and field development across projects in the North Sea, Europe, and Africa.

She holds an MSc in Petroleum Geology and a BSc in Geology from Imperial College London. Her academic work included theses on the Polish Carpathians and geological mapping of the Italian island of Elba, supported by sponsorships from Enterprise Oil, Mobil plc, and the UK’s National Environmental Research Council. Talline has shared her work at several industry conferences, including the EABS IV Conference and the PESGB/HGS Africa Conference, underscoring her dedication to advancing geoscientific knowledge.