Liang C. Shen, professor of electrical engineering and director of the UH Well Logging Laboratory, received the Gold Medal for Technical Achievement Award from the Society of Professional Well Log Analysts (SPWLA) on June 19, 2001 at the 42nd Annual SPWLA Symposium in Houston. It is the highest honor the organization bestows on an individual for outstanding achievements in the science of formation evaluation that result in significant and enduring constributions to technology.
In the award letter addressed to Professor Shen, the SPWLA noted that "your Well Logging Laboratory at the University of Houston… is not only a forum to verify and seek scientific truth, but has also served as a cradle where many outstanding borehole EM scientists were born and developed and are now active forces in their own right in the industry."
Professor Shen says "As an educator, I am particularly happy about the part of the citation that shows that our graduates are doing very well in the industry."
He has worked on research problems related to electromagnetic wave propagation and antennas. His current interest is well logging and electromagnetic subsurface sensing.
In 1972, Shen established the Well Logging Laboratory, which has been continuously supported by a consortium of oil and service companies. Present members are Baker Hughes, BP, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Halliburton, Phillips Petroleum, Schlumberger, Shell, and Statoil (Norway).
He received his Ph.D. in applied physics from Harvard University in 1967. He then joined the faculty of the University of Houston and is now a professor in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering. He served as department chairman from 1977–81. He was a full-time research consultant at Gulf Oil Exploration and Production Company in 1981–82, and at ARCO Oil and Gas Company in 1990–91.
Shen has received the Excellence in Research Award from the UH Cullen College of Engineering and the Dukler Distinguished Facutly Award from the UH Engineering Alumni Association. In 1987, he was elected as fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for contributions to antenna theory and the application of electromagnetics to geophysical exploration. He has served as an Associate Editor for Geophysics, Radio Science, and IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing. He has published a textbook and more than 80 technical papers. He is a professional engineer in Texas.