Judges

John Duhault is a “Interpreter Trainer” geoscientist with over 46 years of industry experience, including more than 50,000 hours as a geoscience interpreter in Canada and internationally. Known as “The Sage,” he is passionate about teaching the business value of integrated geophysics through the “storytelling” of case histories. He has presented papers in North America, Europe, and New Zealand.

Mr. Duhault is the President of Starbird Enterprises, a consulting and training company. He specializes in seismic interpretation for conventional exploration (Onshore and offshore), unconventional resource plays, CCS, Helium, and wastewater injection projects. He has been a subject matter expert in acquisition and structural geophysics. He loves to teach “Rock Stories” to elementary school students.

Mr. Duhault is a Past President of the Canadian Society of Exploration Geophysicists (CSEG) and the Past Vice-Chair of the Council for the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG).

He graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geological Engineering and is a member of APEGA, CSEG, SEG, and CEGA.

Dilpreet Khehra is a geoscientist-in-training with hands-on experience across the full subsurface value chain — from technical reservoir characterization to real-time wellsite decision-making. Currently completing his Master of Science in Geology at the University of Calgary, Dilpreet splits his time between academic research, teaching, and field operations as a Wellsite Geologist with Chinook Consulting Services.

Previously, he served as a Geologist-in-Training and Operations Manager at Spectrum Geosciences, where he oversaw data acquisition workflows and managed day-to-day business operations. His early career experience includes roles with Syncrude, Enhance Energy, and the University of Calgary, which have provided him with a wide range of experience.

Dilpreet’s work is grounded in the integration of clastic and carbonate datasets — core, cuttings, thin sections, and outcrops — to support operational decision-making and opportunity generation. Beyond his technical expertise, he brings strengths in leadership, financial literacy, and stakeholder communication.

Dilpreet is passionate about the evolving role of geoscientists in the energy transition. When he’s not in the field or lab, Dilpreet bridges academia and industry as a volunteer in organizations such as the Canadian Geoscience Energy Association as Outreach director, and as mentor to geoscience students. He brings a grounded and focused perspective to the future of energy and subsurface innovation.

David is a professional geoscientist with more than a decade of experience in mineral exploration and mining. His technical experience has been gathered throughout the Americas and Europe in exploration and resource geology roles, with various technical consultancies and major mining companies. David’s commodity experience is diverse, including both base and precious metals, in addition to critical materials such as Rare Earth Elements, Lithium, and Antimony. Now a full-time entrepreneur, David is the founder and principal consultant of Resourceful Geoscience Solutions; a value focused geological consultancy committed to responsible mineral exploration. David also proudly serves as director of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada where he acts as chair of the Human Resources Development Committee which guides the association's student and early career programming.

Shae Nickerson graduated with a B.Sc. with honours in Earth Science from St. Francis Xavier University in 2020, followed by a Master’s in Geology from Acadia University in 2022. During her graduate studies, she worked with the Nova Scotia Department of Energy and Mines as a field assistant mapping different areas in Nova Scotia. Since graduating from Acadia University, she has worked for Brunswick Exploration as an exploration geologist-in-training. She prospected for Li in granitic pegmatites across many provinces in Canada and internationally with the company.

Taylor Chew, P.Geo., is a senior exploration geologist working for St. Barbara Ltd in Nova Scotia. Taylor graduated with a degree in Geology from Acadia University in 2016 and also holds a BA in geography from the University of Waterloo and a diploma as an Earth Resources Technician from Fleming College. Taylor has been working in the mineral exploration industry since 2011 across Canada and Northern USA exploring for a variety of commodities which have included gold, diamonds, and nickel. Most of his experience (since 2017) has been working on gold deposits in Nova Scotia which have included Cochrane Hill, Fifteen Mile, Beaver Dam, and the Touquoy mine. Aside from geology work, Taylor stays busy going on a variety of adventures with his wife and two girls.