FACULTY PROFILE

Dr Sarkar has working on shale gas for the past 10 yrs.  He earned his master’s in Geophysics from Banaras Hindu University and doctoral in Petrophysics and Rock Physics from IIT Bombay. Prior to joining RGIPT Dr Sarkar also worked as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Applied Geophysics IIT (ISM) Dhanbad for almost two years. Dr Sarkar's core area of specialization represents a diverse spectrum of topics including theoretical and methodological aspects of geophysics, petrophysics, reservoir characterization, rock physics modeling, reservoir geomechanics, effective medium theory, pore network modeling, fractals, digital rock imaging and numerical simulation of image segmentation. He used effective medium theory to analyze the elastic anisotropy in Indian Gondwana shale. Dr Sarkar mainly focuses on multi-disciplinary research on integrating rock physics, reservoir geomechanics and machine learning, and their broad applications in reservoir characterization and value of information in Earth sciences. A reliable geomechanical, as well as a petrophysical model of porous sedimentary strata, lay the foundation for unconventional resource evaluation. It will create a new understanding and generate new information in this arena of research.

Education
Ph D 2019 Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
M Sc 2012 Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi
B Sc 2009 Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 
Experience
July 2021 – Till Date Assistant Professor, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology, Jais, Amethi
September 2019 – June 2021 Assistant Professor, Indian Institute of Technology (ISM) Dhanbad, Jharkhand
December 2018 – May 2019 Research Associate, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay 
UG Courses
  • Formation Evaluation
  • Petroleum Exploration and Prospecting
  • Petroleum Geomechanics
  • Unconventional Hydrocarbon Resources
  • Petroleum Engineering and Practices
  • Universal Human Values
  • Community Internship course
  • Software Practices in Petroleum Industry
  • Workshop Practices
PG Courses
  • Advanced Formation Evaluation
  • Reservoir Characterization
  • CBM, Shale gas, Gas Hydrate
Research Interests
  • Petro-physical properties of reservoir rocks (Shale, Carbonates, Gas-hydrate sediments).
  • Rock physics modeling (Effective Medium Theory).
  • Digital image segmentation of rock micrographs and pore network modeling.
  • Fluid-Flow in porous media.
  • Fractal characteristics of the pore system.
Research Projects
  • Characterization of petrophysical properties and microstructure of Indian Gondwana Shale (P2133)
    RGIPT, SEED Grant
    Amount: 10 Lakh
    October 2021 – October 2023
  • Assessment of reservoir pore pressure using machine learning models
    RGIPT, DIC Grant
    Amount: 0.15 Lakh
    October 2021 – March 2022
  1. Delivered online lectures on Energy Resources as a resource person under UGC-IIT (ISM) Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Programme: Six-day online Short term / Faculty development programme Climate Change, Energy Resources and Natural Hazards   between January 13 – 18, 2025.
  2. Appointed as External examiner for conducting Viva/practical at the Department of Geophysics, BHU by Controller of Examiner, BHU.
  3. Session Chair at National Conference on Geoscience for Sustainable World (GSW-24) Department of Geophysics, Banaras Hindu University, held on 06-03-2024 to 07-03-2024. 
Journal Publications

Chandra, A., Sarkar, P., Singh K.H., Singh, T.N. 2025. A comprehensive study on topology of pore systems of Lower Gondwana shale using pore-scale 2D micrographs.  Journal of Earth System and Sciences. 134(57), 1-18.

Brijesh Kumar; Ravi Kant; S. P. Maurya; G. Hema; Piyush Sarkar; K. H. Singh; S. K. Sharma. 2025 Reservoir characterization using simultaneous inversion of pre-stack seismic data based on traditional conjugate gradient methods and particle swarm optimization: A comparative case study. Earth Science Informatics. 18(137), 1-14.

S.P. Maurya; Nitin Verma; Ravi Kant; G. Hema; Raghav Singh; K.H. Singh; Piyush Sarkar. 2025 Seismic inversion based on principal component analysis and probabilistic neural network for prediction of porosity from post-stack seismic data. Earth Science Informatics. 18(1), 1-24.

Sarkar, P., Singh, K. H., & Ghosh, R., 2024. 3-D Microstructure Reconstruction and Porosity Analysis of Indian Gondwana Shale. J. Geophys. 45(1), 26-28.

Sarkar, P., Sahoo, S., Nagpal, U., Singh, T. N., 2024. A quantitative study of the microstructure of Indian Gondwana shale: a fractal and algebraic topology approach. Petroleum Geosciences. 30(3). https://doi.org/10.1144/petgeo2023-105.

Shukla, A., Sahoo, S., & Sarkar, P., 2024. Assessment of micro-structure and flow entrapment in Indian Gondwana shale reservoir using digital rock analysis. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2024.107066

Kant, R., Hema, G., Maurya, S.P., Singh, R., K. H., & Sarkar, P. (2024) Enhancing porosity prediction: integrating seismic inversion utilizing sparse layer reflectivity, and particle swarm optimization with radial basis function neural networks. Geophysical Prospecting. 73(1), 49–66. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2478.13651

Kant, R., Kumar, B., Maurya, S.P., Hema, G., Singh, R., Singh, K. H., and Sarkar, P., 2024 Identification of the reservoir using seismic inversion based on particle swarm optimization method: A case study. Journal of Earth System and Sciences, 133:227. doi.org/10.1007/s12040-024-02436-7.

Singh, R., Kant, R., Maurya, S. P., Richa., Singh, K.H., Srivastava, M.K., Sarkar, P., 2024. Integrated thin layer classification and reservoir characterization using sparse layer reflectivity inversion and radial basis function neural network: a case study. Marine Geophysical Research. 45(1), 3. doi.org/10.1007/s11001-023-09537-w.

Singh, H. K., Sarkar, P., 2023. Exploration and production challenges of Coalbed Methane in India. Journal of Geosciences Research. 2, 31-35.

Sarkar, P., Ghosh, R., Singh, K.H., Singh, T. N., 2021. Pore Characteristics of Gondwana Shale of Eastern India. Journal of Geological Society of India. 97, 363–374. Doi: 10.1007/s12594-021-1694-2.

Ghosh, R., Sarkar, P., Singh, K. H., 2021. Elastic anisotropy modeling of organic-rich lower Gondwana shale in eastern India. Pure and Applied Geophysics. 178, 123-139. DOI: 10.1007/s00024-020-02620-

Sarkar, P., Kumar, A., Singh, K. H., Ghosh, R., Singh, T. N., 2018. Pore system, microstructure and porosity characterization of Gondwana shale of Eastern India using laboratory experiment and watershed image segmentation algorithm. Marine and Petroleum Geology. 94, 246-260.  DOI: 10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2018.04.006

Sarkar, P., Singh, K.H., Ghosh, R., Singh, T.N., 2018. Estimation of elastic parameters, mineralogy and pore characteristics of Gondwana shale in Eastern India for evaluation of shale gas potential. Current Science. 115, 710-720. DOI: 10.18520/cs/v115/i4/710-720.

Maurya, S. P., Sarkar, P., 2016. Comparison of Post stack Seismic Inversion Methods: A case study from Blackfoot Field, Canada. International Journal of Scientific and Engineering Research. 7, 1091-1101.

Book

Sarkar, P., Singh K.H., Singh, T.N., Ghosh, R. 2025. Laboratory Characterization of Shale: Measurement and Simulation, Springer Geophysics. Switzerland AG 2025.

Book Chapters/Proceedings

Saroj, and P. Sarkar, 2025. Evaluating Rock Physics Models for Accurate Elastic Property Prediction in CO2 Sequestration: A Case Study in the Newark Basin. Geoscience for Sustainable World. Springer Nature (In Press).

A. Saroj, and P. Sarkar, 2025. Pore pressure and fracture pressure prediction to reveal the hidden layer for efficient CO2 sequestration in the southern Newark basin. Geoscience for Sustainable World. Springer Nature (In Press)

A. Saroj, A. Muttalib, and P. Sarkar, S.P. Maurya. 2025. Prediction of elastic attributes of reservoir rocks under fluid substitution circumstances: An implication for CO2 sequestration in Krishna-Godavari Basin India. Emerging Trends in Earth Sciences, Springer Nature Proceeding. (In Press) 

Conference Publication

Sarkar, P., Singh, K.H., 2016, Petrophysical Characterization of Gondwana Shales of South Karanpura Coal Field, Jharkhand, India. ASEG-PESA-AIG-2016, 25th International Geophysical Conference and Exhibition, 21-24 Aug., Adelaide, Australia.

Sarkar, P., Singh, K.H., Ghosh, R., Singh, T.N., 2017, Laboratory characterization of shale rock for assessing shale gas potential of Barakar and Barren Measures shale, Eastern India. 54th Annual Convention of Indian Geophysical Union (IGU)-2017, Hyderabad, India.

Sarkar, P., Singh, K.H., Ghosh, R., Singh, T.N., 2017, Pore structure and size characterization of Cambay shale using nitrogen gas adsorption and mercury injection capillary pressure techniques. Conference on Challenges in petrophysical evaluation and rock physics modeling of carbonate reservoirs, likely elucidations & way forward”, 30th November -01st December 2017, Victor Menezes Convention Centre (VMCC), IIT Bombay, India.

Sarkar, P., Singh, K.H., Ghosh, R., 2018, 3D microstructure reconstruction and porosity analysis of Indian Gondwana shale. 40th Annual Convention, Seminar and Exhibition on Exploration Geophysics, The Association of Exploration Geophysicist (AEG)-2018, Mumbai, India.

Singh, N. P., Singh, R. K., Sarkar, P., & Maurya, S. P. (2017). Estimating Petrophysical Parameters due to Fluid Substitution in Sandstone Reservoir using Gassmann Equation. Challenges in petro-physical evaluation and rock physics modelling of carbonate reservoirs, likely elucidations & way forward, 3th November–1st December, India, Bombay.

Shukla, A., Sahoo, S., Sarkar, P., Characterization of non-Darcy flow of shale gas in southern Karanpura shale sample with lattice Boltzmann method. AGU annual meeting 2023, 11-15 Dec 2023, San Francisco, CA & online Everyware. DOI: 10.22541/essoar.170365302.24414596/v1

Singh, H. K., Sarkar, P., 2023. Coal bed methane –present status and exploration and production challenges in India" for the conference "Conventional, Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Perspective" Gondwana Society of India, Nagpur, 23-24th June 2023.

Saroj, A., Sarkar, P., 2024. Prediction of elastic properties of reservoir rocks under fluid substitution conditions -An implication for CO2 sequestration in Krishna-Godavari Basin India. SEG Symposium on “Role of Geosciences in Carbon Storage, 19-21 March 2024, Mumbai, India.

A. Saroj, and P. Sarkar, 2024. Evaluating Rock Physics Models for Accurate Elastic Property Prediction in CO2 Sequestration: A Case Study in the Newark Basin. National conference on Geoscience for Sustainable World (GSW-2024), 06-07 March 2024, Department of Geophysics, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.

A. Saroj, and P. Sarkar, 2024. Pore pressure and fracture pressure prediction to reveal the hidden layer for efficient CO2 sequestration in the southern Newark basin. National conference on Geoscience for Sustainable world (GSW-2024), 06-07 March 2024, Department of Geophysics, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.

A. Chandra, P. Sarkar, 2024. Micro Fracture Characterization of Indian Gondwana Shale Using High-Resolution Images: Unveiling the complexity of Unconventional Reservoir for Enhanced Exploration. National conference on Geoscience for Sustainable World (GSW-2024), 06-07 March 2024, Department of Geophysics, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.

A. Shukla, S. Sahoo, T. Barman, P. Sarkar, 2024. Pore-scale characterization of Indian Gondwana Shale for Potential Carbon dioxide Sequestration. National conference on Geoscience for Sustainable World (GSW-2024), 06-07 March 2024, Department of Geophysics, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.

Ayush Chandra, Piyush Sarkar, Swarandeep Sahoo, Akash Chandra, T. N. Singh, K. H. Singh, 2024. Fractal and pore characteristics of lower Indian Gondwana shale. National Conference on Emerging Trends in Earth Sciences: Geohazard and Resource Management (ETES-2024) 27th-29th Sep 2024, Organized by Department of Applied Geophysics, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad.

A. Saroj, A. Muttalib, and P. Sarkar, 2024. Predicting Elastic Properties of Reservoir Rocks: Implications for CO2 Sequestration and Gas Hydrate Extraction in the Krishna-Godavari Basin, India. In: International Conference on Transforming Upstream: Breakthrough Technologies and Sustainability (ICTU-2024) 30th Sep and 1st Oct 2024, Organized by Department of Petroleum Engineering and Geoengineering, RGIPT Jais, Amethi.

Ayush Chandra, Piyush Sarkar, Akash Chandra, 2024 Micro-fracture Characterization and its connectivity analysis using high-resolution images of Indian Gondwana Shale: Unveiling Unconventional Reservoir Complexity. In 6th South Asian Geosciences Conference and Exhibition, organized by the Association of Petroleum Geologists (APG) GeoIndia-2024, 15-17 Nov 2024, Greater Noida.

Ayush Chandra, Piyush Sarkar, Akash Chandra, 2024 Quantification of Microfractures Indian Gondwana Shale: An Image Processing Approach. In Advances in Earth System Sciences with special reference to weather and climate, 3-5 Dec 2024, 61st Annual Convention of Indian Geophysical Union (IGU), Banaras Hindu University.

  • Warden (Boys Hostel, from August 2021 to till date)
  • Member secretary, Department purchase committee
  • Member, Institute Security Committee
  • Examination -In charge, PE & GE (April-2023 to till date)
  • Chairman (Mess committee, August 2021 to till date)
  • Member DUGC, DPGC
  • Member (Accommodation committee) 7th Convocation of RGIPT
  • Member, Painting Assessment Committee, RGIPT
  • Co-In charge, Petroleum Prospecting Lab, PEGE
  • Member Secretary, Hostel purchase committee
  • Member Secretary, purchase committee, Industry Grant (ONGC) of Dr. Tushar Sharma
  • Member Secretary, purchase committee, DST sponsored Grant of Dr. Tushar Sharma
  • Member Secretary, purchase committee, SEED Grant of Dr. Hemant Kumar Singh
  • Member, purchase committee, Power Grant of Dr. Shivanjali Sharma
  • Member, purchase committee, Industry Grant (HMEL) of Dr. Amit Saxena
  • Member, purchase committee, Industry Grant (OIL) of Prof.  Alok Kr Singh
  • Member, purchase committee, DGH sponsored Grant of Prof.  Satish Kr Sinha
  • Member interview committee for M.Tech/PhD admission
  • Panel member, BTP Evaluation
  • Co-chairman (Hostel allotment committee)
  • Member, RIPE Internship Application Evaluation Committee PEGE (2023-2024; 2024-25)
  • RPEC member for PhD students of PEGE
  • Young Researcher Award" on 07-03-2024 by the Department of Geophysics, Banaras Hindu University in the National Conference title "Geosciences for Sustainable World (GSW-24)". 
  • Ayush Chandra (External PhD student, RGIPT)
  • Arvind Saroj (External PhD student, RGIPT)
  • Abdul Muttalib (Full Time Regular PhD student, RGIPT)

Dr Piyush Sarkar

Assistant Professor
Geophysics
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