Turning questions into answers: Maryam’s journey through drilling-fluid research

The first thing you notice about Maryam Abdollahi is the passion she holds for her work.

Adjectives like ‘exciting’ pepper explanations about her PhD research, which explores how different drilling fluids behave in porous ground.

Studying at Curtin University and based at the Drilling Analytics Research Centre, Maryam has spent three years immersed in drilling fluid experiments.

“Fluid loss is an important challenge in mineral exploration drilling because it can affect drilling efficiency, borehole condition, material use, environmental performance and the quality of information collected from the ground,” Maryam says.

Maryam’s innate curiosity and passion for delving deeper into problems is a fundamental character trait which led her down this career path.

“I enjoy understanding people, situations and problems at a deeper level. I like asking questions, finding patterns and connecting small pieces of evidence to see the bigger picture.”

Maryam’s attention to detail isn’t confined to the lab – in her spare time she can be found bringing people together at community events or gatherings.

“I like planning the small details, creating a welcoming environment and helping people connect. It is quite different from the technical side of my research, but I find it very rewarding.”

Maryam has also found a way to balance the intensity of research with her puppy Felfel; “she keeps life active!” Maryam says.

Caption: Collaboration within the Drilling Analytics Research Centre (DARC) environment has helped connect laboratory experiments with industry-focused drilling challenges

Collaboration: Bringing research to real-life

The ability to collaborate with industry and government organisations while undertaking research was an attractive opportunity for Maryam when commencing her PhD study.

“What attracted me to MinEx CRC was the strong connection between research and real industry challenges. The projects are not only focused on academic outcomes; they are designed to address practical problems in mineral exploration,” Maryam says.

“Industry brings practical challenges and operational experience, research organisations bring scientific depth and technical capability, and government-supported collaboration helps align the work with broader national priorities.

“This means the research is shaped by different perspectives and remains connected to real drilling and exploration needs.”

Caption: Maryam working with the porous-media flow setup used to study polymer-fluid behaviour in high-permeability formations.

Novel setup to examine fluid behaviour

Maryam’s research focuses on what happens after a drilling fluid enters the pore network of a formation.

To get a clear understanding of how fluid behaves within these environments, Maryam and the research team have used a dedicated flow setup.

It enables fluids to be injected and allows for pressure changes to be measured across different parts of the system.

“This setup helps us move from simply observing fluid loss to understanding and predicting it,” she says.

Caption: Maryam presenting her research on fluid-loss behaviour, polymer retention and predictive drilling-fluid design.

Moving from observation to prediction

Maryam’s long-term goals is to help the industry move drilling fluid design away from trial and error and toward more data-driven decision-making.

“If we can better predict how a fluid will behave inside the formation, we can design smarter fluid systems for mineral exploration drilling.”

When asked about a piece of advice that has stuck with her, Maryam’s response is fittingly in line with her inquisitive nature.

“One piece of advice that has stayed with me is to focus on understanding the problem before trying to solve it,” Maryam says.

“In research, it is easy to move quickly into experiments, models or results, but the most important step is often asking the right question.”