SPE Brazil Section has the pleasure of inviting you to the Distinguished Lecturer Program: “Developing Polycrystalline Diamond Cutters (PDC) for Hard Rock and Geothermal Drilling” Lecturer: Neil Haddock Lecturer’s Employer: US Synthetic Date: November 16th, 2026 Location: RB1 Convention Center - Guanabara Room Time: 12PM About the Lecture The invention of diamond synthesis in the 1950s led to polycrystalline diamond cutters (PDC), revolutionizing oil and gas drilling. Technological advances have since expanded PDC applications to harder formations, significantly improving drilling efficiency. In this lecture, Neil Haddock will discuss strategies to increase PDC performance in hard rock, including granite, as well as applications and opportunities for geothermal drilling. The presentation will focus on identifying root-cause failure modes and developing solutions to improve cutter performance and drilling efficiency. About the Lecturer Neil Haddock has been working for more than 20 years to improve the strength, toughness, and thermal stability of polycrystalline diamond cutters for the oil and gas industry. He has extensive experience in cutter forensics and in the development of PDCs for challenging drilling environments, including hard rock and geothermal formations. Neil holds a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Brigham Young University and is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.   SAVE THE DATE! An Extra 45 Minutes Can Provide a World of Knowledge For more information about the SPE Distinguished Lecturer Program, please visit: https://www.spe.org/en/dl/