Margaretha "Peggy" C.M. Rijken
Margaretha "Peggy" C.M. Rijken leads Chevron's Productivity Enhancement Team, which focuses on research, development and consulting in the areas of formation damage, geomechanical modeling and hydraulic fracturing. Rijken received the Chevron Reservoir Management Excellence Award in 2010 and 2015 and co-holds a patent in non-aqueous stimulation.
A native of the Netherlands, Rijken graduated from Delft University of Technology in 1999 with a master's degree in Mining and Petroleum Engineering. She went on to receive her Ph.D. in petroleum engineering from The University of Texas at Austin in 2005. During her time on the Forty Acres, Rijken was the recipient of the 2003 Texas Excellence Teaching Award for Graduate Instructors and served as Secretary of the Student Chapter of the American Society of Engineering Education. Rijken studied under professor and current petroleum and geosystems engineering Chair Jon Olson, focusing on rock fracture mechanics and fluid flow through fractured media.
Rijken completed multiple summer internships with Chevron while pursuing her Ph.D. and joined the company full time after graduation. She began her career as a geomechanics specialist, solving problems related to hydraulic fracturing, fracture containment, injection decline, sanding, subsidence, fault reactivation and perforating. She has since worked on a variety of significant and complex projects across the globe.
Rijken is a well-respected member of the technical community. She served on the SPE Well Stimulation committee, the Well Completions committee and the Reservoir Engineering committee for the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition. She was chair of the Well Stimulation committee in 2009 and will be the chair of the Reservoir Engineering committee in 2016. Additionally, she has served as a technical editor for the SPE Production & Facilities Review for the past 10 years and has been a member of the SPE Talent Taskforce for the past two years.
An active member of the Cockrell School of Engineering community, Rijken was an industry representative in the Equal Opportunity in Engineering Program's Industry Superbowl for five years. She coached groups of students in their communication, teamwork and leadership skills and led her student teams to win the competition twice. Rijken has served as a mentor for the Women in Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering group and a guest leader at LeaderShape, a leadership retreat for engineering students. She has also volunteered with the Petroleum Graduate Students Association, Graduate Student Assembly, Society of Women Engineers and Women in Engineering Program.
