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About John
John McLennan is a Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Utah, appointed as Professor on July 1, 2020, following his role as USTAR Associate Professor since October 2009. He also holds an adjunct professorship in Civil and Environmental Engineering and serves as a Senior Research Scientist at the Energy & Geoscience Institute. McLennan earned his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (Rock Mechanics) from the University of Toronto in 1980, M.A.Sc. in Civil Engineering (Soil Mechanics) in 1976, and B.A.Sc. in Geological Engineering in 1974 from the same university. Prior to joining the University of Utah, he had nearly thirty years of experience with petroleum service and technology companies such as Dowell Schlumberger in Denver, Tulsa, and Houston; TerraTek in Salt Lake City; Advantek International in Houston; and ASRC Energy Services in Anchorage. His professional experience encompassed coalbed methane recovery, mechanical properties determinations, produced water and drill cuttings reinjection, casing design issues related to compaction, and optimized gas production from shales and unconsolidated formations.
McLennan's academic interests center on geomechanics related to exploration, drilling, completion, stimulation, and production. He is a key figure in the Utah Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (Utah FORGE) project, serving as Co-Principal Investigator and Technical Lead for Resource Management, supported by a $140 million U.S. Department of Energy grant. His contributions include advancements in hydraulic fracturing, shale gas development, and enhanced geothermal systems. Major publications feature the Underbalanced Drilling Manual (1997), Underbalanced Completion Guide (2001), and highly cited papers such as "Poroelasticity considerations in in situ stress determination by hydraulic fracturing" (1989, 131 citations), "The Utah Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE): an international laboratory for enhanced geothermal system technology development" (2019, 135 citations), and others on FORGE activities. McLennan has earned the 2025 University of Utah Distinguished Research Award, Fellowship in the American Rock Mechanics Association (2013), American Rock Mechanics Association Service Award (2021), and Society of Petroleum Engineers Rocky Mountain Regional Service Award (2012). His research has impacted hundreds of subsurface energy projects globally.
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