Jacob Smith is a Senior Geologist on the Operating team at Phoenix Energy, bringing nine years of experience across geologic mapping, well planning, subsurface characterization, and data science. He holds degrees from Texas A&M University (BS Petroleum Geology, MBA) and the University of Texas at Arlington (MS Petroleum Geoscience). His background includes roles as an Associate Geologist, Operations Engineer, and GIS lead at a private equity energy investment firm, followed by several years with Hess Corporation/Chevron as a Development and Operations Geologist in the Bakken.

Known for blending technical expertise with innovative thinking, Jacob enjoys building workflows that improve accuracy and efficiency. One of his proudest achievements is developing a pore pressure and fracture gradient prediction web application—hand-coded in Python—which was later adopted into Hess/Chevron’s standard operating procedures. He’s drawn to the creative side of subsurface work, where science, intuition, and problem-solving intersect.

A Midland, Texas native, Jacob comes from a large, spread-out family. Outside of work, he enjoys playing electric guitar (mostly metal), woodworking, hunting, fishing, and building and shooting guns. He’s especially proud of finally mastering the guitar solo in “Domination” by Pantera. At Phoenix Energy, he aims to enhance subsurface workflows, challenge outdated processes, and contribute a thoughtful, forward-looking approach to operations.