Catherine Hickson, PhD

Catherine Hickson is a geologist and senior executive who has been involved in the geothermal industry for more than 40 years. Starting as a student running temperature logs in gradient wells, she then went on to finish her PhD at UBC investigating the Wells Gray Clearwater volcanic field and its potential for geothermal energy. She then became a research scientist with the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) and was head of its Cordilleran Office in Vancouver for seven years. While at the GSC she continued working on projects that tied together geothermal energy and volcanology. In 2008 she left the GSC to join a pure play geothermal company as VP Exploration. Since then, she has been working globally on projects in over 14 countries overseeing all facets of the industry - from green field exploration projects to reservoir modelling and injection strategies, to raising funds for development companies. She joined Geothermal Canada (then the Canadian Geothermal Association) in 1981 and has continued to participate in the association for the past 40 years, serving several stints as President. She currently serves as its Vice president. Catherine is CEO of Alberta No. 1 and Chief Geoscientist for Terrapin Geothermics, she is also President of Tuya Terra Geo Corp maintaining a global geothermal practice.

Emily Smejkal

Emily is a geologist by training (BSc. 2007) with over 10 years of experience in the Oil and Gas sector. Her work has been primarily with the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin, where she spent the first portion of her career working on heavy oil deposits. There, she planned and executed drilling programs for both new and existing oil fields. While working on SAGD (steam assisted gravity drainage) heavy oil projects, Emily was a geologic specialist for both wellbore integrity and surface facility geochemistry projects. She is also experienced in GIS, subsurface mapping, 3D and 4D modelling, project management, facies modelling and sedimentary depositional environments.

Presently Emily works with Terrapin Geothermics and Alberta No. 1 as a consultant geologist and is serving as the Geothermal Canada secretary.