SUT-US Champagne & Conversation

Melissa Gould is a Texas A&M University graduate, a Professional Engineer in Texas, and a Principal at Stress Engineering Services, Inc.  She has spent 32 years working in the Oil & Gas industry; primarily focused on offshore field development and subsea and pipeline detailed engineering.  Melissa is involved with the SUT-US Women in Industry (WIND) task force and participates on API code committees.  In her off-time, she enjoys golfing, sailing, hiking, traveling, and relaxing on the beach.

She is a geological oceanographer with a passion for horses. She holds post-graduate degrees in geological oceanography and finished a post-doctorate studying Tidal Flats, paving the way for her current 14-year career with ExxonMobil. Throughout her career, she has gained invaluable experience in the industry, having been deployed throughout the Upstream from Exploration through Production and Research, in various Geoscience roles primarily as a Stratigraphy Specialist.  Currently, Tina is a Specialist in the Site Investigation group on the Geohazards team, where she works on business issues anywhere from exploration wells through development planning. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated remarkable strengths in resilience, courage, and caring. These strengths have helped her overcome numerous challenges and succeed in a constantly evolving industry. 

Catalina Maldonado, P.E., is a highly skilled Professional Engineer with over 15 years of experience in geotechnical and earthquake engineering, specializing in offshore environments. Currently serving as President at the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) in the USA, she oversees business strategies, operations, and engineering teams, driving innovation and excellence in the field. Catalina holds a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering (Geotechnical Engineering) from the Autonomous National University of Mexico and a Bachelor in Civil Engineering from the National University (UNAL) in Colombia. Her career is marked by successful project management, client relationship-building, and technical acumen, making her a trusted leader in offshore geotechnical engineering.

Christopher Curran is an independent consultant having retired from BP in 2016 where he was an Advisor within the Upstream Facilities Technology group.  His work covers many aspects of subsea systems and controls and he is a focal point within the industry for the development of High Integrity Pressure Protection Systems for application in the Gulf of Mexico.  He is Chairman of API 17F Subsea Controls, API 17O HIPPS and API 17V for Subsea Safety.   He has over 40 years’ experience within the industry.  Christopher has a degree in Physics from Bristol University and is founding Chairman of the Society for Underwater Technology’s USA Branch.  He is a Chartered Engineer, a Fellow of the Society for Underwater Technology and of the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

Mr. Das was born and raised in India, where he earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Civil Engineering from Visvesvaraya Technological University. After working for a brief period as a software developer, he moved to College Station, Texas to earn a Master of Science degree in Geotechnical Engineering at Texas A&M University. He currently works as an Offshore Geotechnical Engineer at Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, Inc., Houston, Texas. His engineering practice focuses on offshore site investigation, geohazard risk assessment and mitigation, foundation design, and instrumentation and data management. As part of his consulting practice and academic research Mr. Das develops probabilistic and machine learning methods to assess risks related to geohazards. Mr. Das has served in the SUT-Young Professionals (YP) board since 2018. He currently serves as the Vice-Chair of the SUT-YP board and is a part of the SUT Mentoring Program leadership team. Besides his engineering practice and volunteer work, his interests lie in future technologies, renewable energy, sustainable business strategy, and investments.