PESA ETSIG/CSIRO CCS Knowledge Transfer Series: Installment 5

Guest Speaker(s): Linda Stalker (CSIRO)

Linda Stalker obtained a BSc.(Hons) in Applied Geology (University of Strathclyde, Scotland) in 1990. Her PhD on the interaction of water with sedimentary organic matter in the laboratory, specifically examining the generation of oxygenated species (including CO2), was gained at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. In 1994 she joined the University of Oklahoma (USA) on a Department of Energy
sponsored post-doctoral study into organosulphur compounds trapped in coals. From 1996 she worked in petroleum E&P at Statoil, in Norway, including 2 years on the Sleipner Field.

She joined CSIRO Petroleum in 2000 as leader in gas geochemistry specialising in analysis and interpretation of carbon and hydrogen isotopes of oil and gases for the petroleum and CBM sectors. She transitioned back to CO2 related research through activities with the CO2CRC (The Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies) conducting research in the geological storage of CO2 and in the area of monitoring and verification, with particular focus on chemical tracers. Linda has been the Science Director of the National Geosequestration Laboratory (NGL) since 2012.

Linda has held a number of roles within CSIRO including Team Leader, Group Leader in Exploration Geoscience, Onshore Gas Program, Group Leader in Exploration Geoscience in the Oil, Gas and Fuels Program. Since November 2018 she has been Acting CEO of the Western Australian Energy Research Alliance (WA:ERA), an unincorporated joint venture between CSIRO, The University of Western Australia and Curtin University. Linda’s last duty was to close the UJV at the end of the alliance contract in 2020.  She maintains her research activities through contributing to major projects in Carbon Capture & Geological Storage, in areas of geochemistry, monitoring, social licence to operate and education. The lessons learned are now being applied to other areas such as fugitive emissions and research into hydrogen industry evolution.  Linda is now State Manager for Western Australia, South Australia and Victoria for GISERA (Gas industry social and environmental research alliance).