From the President
Jennifer Miskimins, 2026 SPE President
Jennifer L. Miskimins is a professor and the department head of the petroleum engineering department at the Colorado School of Mines (Mines), where she holds the F.H. Mick Merelli/Coterra Energy Distinguished Department Head Chair.
SPE President in the News
Journal of Petroleum Technology
US Energy Secretary Urges Industry To Double Oil and Gas Output
05 February 2026
Major increases in hydrocarbon production require both incremental and revolutionary technologies, industry leaders said during the SPE Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Conference.
Energizing Tomorrow: SPE’s Scholarly Publishing
01 February 2026
From JPT to SPE Journal, OnePetro to technical guidance documents, SPE’s publishing portfolio is broader and more dynamic than many members may realize. In this column, I unpack the Society’s current publication options, explore how AI and open access are reshaping scholarly publishing, and share what SPE is doing to strengthen paper quality, transparency, and impact in an evolving digital landscape.
SPE President Breaks Down Venezuela’s Oil Challenges on Science Friday
13 January 2026
SPE President Jennifer Miskimins lent her expertise to Science Friday’s conversation about Venezuelan oil, explaining the reality of what it would take to extract and refine it.
Energizing Tomorrow: Rethinking Membership
01 January 2026
What do today’s membership trends mean for SPE? While declining numbers and an aging demographic can be unsettling, the reality is that these challenges are not unique to SPE. As professional associations everywhere face generational shifts, SPE members have an opportunity to hear about the success stories ongoing now and reflect on what will sustain our community in the years ahead.
SPE Recognizes Volunteers on International Volunteer Day
05 December 2025
SPE CEO Simon Seaton and 2026 SPE President Jennifer Miskimins share a special message to SPE's volunteers on International Volunteer Day.
Energizing Tomorrow: YOUR SPE Board of Directors
01 December 2025
Ever wonder how someone ends up on the SPE Board of Directors—or whether the path is reserved for a select few? In this article, I pull back the curtain on how the Board actually works, what it takes to get involved, and the key outcomes from our most recent meeting at ATCE in Houston. A little transparency can go a long way for understanding and insight.
Energizing Tomorrow: SPE’s Scholarly Publishing
February 2026
SPE’s Mission is “to connect a global community of engineers, scientists, and related energy professionals to exchange knowledge, innovate, and advance their technical and professional competence regarding the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas and related energy resources to achieve a safe, secure, and sustainable energy future.”
When I summarize this to explain to somebody that doesn’t know much about SPE, I usually say something along the lines of “SPE’s main goal is technology transfer.” SPE accomplishes this through a variety of routes including in-person events, webinars, online training, etc., but perhaps the most well-known and long-lasting impact SPE has in this space is through its scholarly publishing...
Listen to the podcast in the embedded player above, or read the full transcript on JPT.
About Jennifer Miskimins
Jennifer L. Miskimins is a professor and the department head of the petroleum engineering department at the Colorado School of Mines (Mines), where she holds the F.H. Mick Merelli/Coterra Energy Distinguished Department Head Chair.
She has over 30 years of experience in the petroleum industry, starting with Marathon Oil Company as a production engineer. Miskimins began teaching at Mines in 2002 and has held various appointments since then. From 2013–2015, she held a part-time appointment at Mines while working at Barree & Associates. In 2016, she returned full-time to the university.
Miskimins served as the first Completions Technical Director on the SPE International Board of Directors. She was an SPE Distinguished Lecturer in 2010–2011 and 2013–2014. She was awarded the 2014 SPE Completions Optimization and Technology Award, and in 2022, she received the SPE Distinguished Achievement Award for Petroleum Engineering Faculty.
Miskimins has served on a variety of conference organizing committees, including chairing the 2023 and 2024 SPE Hydraulic Fracturing Conference and Exhibition, and as a technical editor for SPE journals, including serving as the executive editor of Production & Operations for 3 years. She was the editor in chief for the 2019 SPE Monograph update “Hydraulic Fracturing: Fundamentals and Advancements.” Miskimins has served on the AIME Board of Trustees since 2018 as an SPE trustee and was the 2022 AIME president.
Miskimins holds a BS from the Montana College of Mineral Science and Technology and MS and PhD degrees from the Colorado School of Mines, all in petroleum engineering.