Distinguished Lecturer Committee
Distinguished Lecturer Committee
Overview
The Distinguished Lecture (DL) Committee is responsible for the Society’s Lecture Programs, including:
- The SEG Distinguished Lecture Program
- The SEG Honorary Lecture Program
- The Near-Surface Global Lecture Program
The SEG Distinguished Lecture program honors outstanding individuals noted for high quality in their contributions to geophysics on a global level, and who are outstanding communicators of ideas and concepts.
The Honorary Lecture program focuses on transfer of knowledge within a region and/or topic, recognizing prominent geophysicists and strengthening the services that SEG provides to an expanding global membership.
The Near-Surface Global Lecture Program focuses on the transfer of knowledge on a topic in the discipline area of Near-Surface Geophysics and recognizes discipline and technical leaders on a global level who are working in this disciple area.
The common goals of these programs are to:
- Recognize an individual’s contributions to advancing the science and technology of geophysics.
- Disseminate discipline knowledge via speaking tours of SEG Sections, Associated Societies, Student Chapters, and other venues as appropriate.
- Foster a sense of community among geophysicists by providing opportunities for local meetings and exchange of ideas.
- Encourage students by providing the opportunity to discuss scientific and career issues with a leading expert.
Objectives
III.12.C.1. Distinguished Lecture Program
The Distinguished Lecture program singles out and honors individuals noted for high-quality contributions to geophysics on a global level, and who are outstanding communicators of ideas and concepts.
Two Distinguished Lecturers are chosen for each even-numbered year:
- SEG Distinguished Lecturer (1Q/2Q)
- SEG/AAPG Distinguished Lecturer (3Q/4Q)
Three Distinguished Lecturers are chosen for each odd-numbered year. The third lecture is the AAPG-coordinated SEG/AAPG DL:
- SEG Distinguished Lecturer (1Q/2Q)
- SEG Distinguished Lecturer (3Q/4Q)
- SEG/AAPG Distinguished Lecturer (3Q/4Q)
The SEG Distinguished Lecturer selected by the SEG DL Committee is expected to focus on the geophysics discipline. The SEG/AAPG Distinguished Lecture is a cooperative effort between SEG and AAPG and is therefore jointly supported by both organizations. The purpose of such dual endorsement is to bring local geophysical and geological Sections/Societies into a common forum. The lecture should therefore be relevant to both disciplines. Each year, SEG and AAPG DL committees vote upon and submit a prioritized list of their top three candidates for the Distinguished Lecturer position for approval by the SEG Board and the AAPG Executive Committee. The top three candidates will be notified prior to this submission that they are only candidates until the SEG Board gives final approval. Scheduling and logistics are handled by AAPG in odd years and SEG in even years.
Distinguished Lecturers are expected to visit 15 to 25 locations during their tour, with a broad mix of global locations. A target schedule would consist of the lecturer filling 80% of the tour with SEG Sections and Student Chapters with the remaining 20% reserved for locations identified by SEG as strategic, and any that might be requested by the lecturer. Corporations may also request lecture presentations. Each lecturer will be recorded at least once for later offering of the lecture online by SEG. Distinguished Lecturers must be a Member of the Society.
III.12.C.2. Honorary Lecture Program
The SEG Honorary Lecture program is a companion program to the SEG Distinguished Lecture program. It differs from the Distinguished Lecture program in that it focuses on transfer of knowledge within a region and/or topic, recognizing prominent geophysicists, and strengthening the services that SEG provides to an expanding global membership. Candidates for the SEG Honorary Lecture program should be experts on topics of specific interest to the region. Honorary Lectures may be given in English or a language more appropriate for the region.
The SEG Honorary Lecture program is aligned with six geographic regions. These have been defined based on considerations of the number of SEG affiliated Sections and cost efficiency. The Near-Surface Global Lecture tour is a virtual tour, whereas regional Honorary Lecturers typically require at least some travel within each geographic region. The 6 Honorary Lecture regions are designated as follows:
- South & East Asia
- The Pacific South
- Europe
- The Middle East & Africa
- Central and South America
- North America
The objective is that each Honorary Lecturer will visit approximately 10 to 20 locations in the region. Honorary Lecturers can be hosted across regions where it makes sense and distances are reasonable. The goal of the program is to field one Honorary Lecturer in each region annually and to visit Sections and Student Chapters at least once in any three-year period with either the SEG Honorary Lecturer or an SEG Distinguished Lecturer. A target schedule would consist of the lecturer filling 80% of the tour with SEG Sections and Student Chapters with the remaining 20% reserved for locations identified by SEG as strategic, and any that might be requested by the lecturer. Corporations may also request lecture presentations, and if logistically feasible, will be at the expense of the corporation. Outstanding Honorary Lecturers should be considered as possible candidates for a Distinguished Lecturer the following years based on feedback from the region lecture sites visited and the Distinguished Lecturers’ Committee evaluation that the regional parameters (speaker and topic) could be successful on a global scale.
The Near-Surface Global Lecturer is designated primarily as a virtual tour and will be delivered globally principally through a combination of live and recorded lecturers. If future funding allows for selected face-to-face Near-Surface lectures, these can be added to the itinerary.
All Honorary and Near-Surface Lecturers must be Members of the Society.
III.12.C.3. Program Funding
A sufficient budget will be established for each Distinguished, Near-Surface, and Honorary Lecturer. This will cover travel expenses for lecture locations. Honorariums will not be paid.
A minimum of two SEG Distinguished Lecturers will be supported each year, with an expectation of global lecture coverage. A minimum of six Honorary Lecturers will be fielded each year to cover the six geographic regions defined above. All regions will be served equally by the Honorary Lecture program during the year. Typically, three regions will be served in the first six months of the year and the other three regions served in the latter half of the year. At least one Near-Surface Lecturer will be fielded each year.
The funds to support the Distinguished, Near Surface, and Honorary Lecturers may come from the SEG operating budget, the SEG Foundation, the Lecturer’s employer, or through external sponsorship.
Composition and Membership
The DL Committee is comprised of a Chair, a Vice Chair, and committee members. The Chair is appointed annually by the President, with the advice of the previous committee chair. A Vice Chair may be appointed annually by the Chair, after consulting with the President-Elect, Board liaison, and the committee members.
The composition of the committee should represent the demographics of the Society so that it can adequately represent the views of global constituents served by the SEG Distinguished Lecturers and the SEG Honorary and Near-Surface Lecturers, as well as the many different people who make up current and potential Society members. Any member of the committee or SEG at large can nominate an additional member to represent any group that is under-represented on the committee. Committee members must be members of the Society.
Committee members will include the five most recent SEG Technical Meeting and Exhibition Technical Program Committee Chairs, the Distinguished Lecturers from the past three years, and other qualified SEG Members at the discretion of the Committee Chair and Board Liaison, including, but not restricted to, former Honorary Lecturers and past or present board members of local, regional or global geophysical societies. The Committee Chair will ensure that the committee is representative of SEG membership at large, considering technical fields, geographic location, experience level, gender, industry etc. Members other than past technical chairs will serve a three-year term. Upon completion of their terms, individuals will roll off the committee unless eligibility is extended on a year-by-year basis by the Committee Chair. The Committee should remain large enough that a broad and active base of members are always available to vote on nominees.
Current Leadership (2026–2027):
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Chair | Nimisha Vedanti |
| Board Liaison | Aiman Bakhorji |
| Staff Liaison | Melissa Presson |
Policy and Procedures
The official SEG Policy and Procedures Manual section for this committee can be accessed here: → SEG Policy and Procedures Manual
Annual Reports
Below are recent annual reports submitted to the SEG Board:
- {2024 Report}
- 2025 Report
Meetings
The Distinguished Lecture Committee may meet during the Society’s Annual Meeting and as needed by teleconference or Web conference throughout the year, in addition to regular e-mail communication.
Resources and Links
Contact
For questions or to express interest in volunteering for this committee, please contact: [email protected]