Erica Fredrick’s engineering background shaped her to be a critical thinker, able to manage complexity and navigate uncertainty. She brings these skills into her data science role, where she helps teams use data to solve business challenges and stay on strategy.
You started your career as an engineer — what led you to shift into data science?
I started in completions before moving into reservoir engineering, which gave me a strong foundation in subsurface understanding. As a reservoir engineer, I worked closely with a data scientist to integrate reservoir and completion information into the machine learning models and we saw results improve. I’m not a data scientist myself, but I saw how powerful it could be to pair technical expertise with data science.
That project focused on identifying the most impactful levers (wellbore placement, stage spacing, fluid, sand, and so on) to optimize well performance, and that collaboration unlocked real value. From there, it felt like a natural progression to step into a role where business and data science come together.
What does the Data Sciences team do? And what does success look like?
The team exists to transform how we work by turning data into actionable insights. We partner with the business to understand their challenges and then apply tools like statistical modeling, machine learning and process augmentation to solve them.
For example, the Drilling OSC uses a tool the team built to predict and prevent bottom-hole assembly (BHA) failures, reducing non-productive time (NPT) and cost, and improving drilling efficiency. Our goal is to make data science operational and fully integrated into daily work. If you have an idea, reach out and let’s talk about it!
Success for us is when our solutions are trusted, adopted and embedded in decision-making. It’s when teams across the business see us as partners in defining and solving problems. And longer term, it means building a data-driven culture where curiosity, experimentation and continuous learning are part of how we work.
What encourages you about AI and what keeps you up at night?
The more I learn, the more I see how AI can reshape how we work, how we think and how it fits into everyday life. It’s accelerating breakthroughs, solving complex business problems and showing up in practical ways. Simple personal examples, like organizing a cluttered shelf or building a personalized travel itinerary in seconds, show how accessible and useful it is. AI is quickly becoming more intuitive and embedded into daily activity.
At the same time, the pace of change is unlike anything I’ve experienced and can easily outpace understanding. AI isn’t always the right solution, and without proper education, transparency and thoughtful governance, unintended consequences are possible. We need to be intentional about how we use it, how we guide it and how we ensure it aligns with our values. That’s a responsibility we should all take seriously.
Why does ‘disrupt’ as a core value, resonate with you?
Disruption is about challenging assumptions and reimagining what’s possible. It’s not about change for the sake of change or being disruptive for attention. It’s about being thoughtful, purposeful and impactful.
I resonate with ‘disrupt’ because it encourages bold thinking, continuous improvement and the courage to lead transformation — even when it’s uncomfortable. It’s a mindset that pushes us to ask better questions, explore new approaches and stay focused on creating meaningful impact.
How do you spend your time outside of the office?
You’ll usually find me with my husband and our two daughters. I enjoy creative outlets like calligraphy, scrapbooking (I make one each year) and planning family trips.
One of my most fun extracurriculars is joining in on my husband’s many hobbies and adventures. He’s a true “serial hobbyist.” From cooking experiments to flying airplanes, co-owning a mushroom farm and even running our own oilfield business, there’s always something happening.
The best part is that these adventures turn into family experiences. They are opportunities to learn new things and make memories (to fill those scrapbooks) along the way.
