Scholarships

Michael S. Johnson Scholarship for students doing research in petroleum exploration, development, and reservoir characterization.

The Michael S. Johnson Scholarship is awarded to a graduate student at any accredited college or university who is pursuing petroleum-related research.  It was established by a generous gift to the RMAG Foundation from Michael Johnson, a well-known and highly successful petroleum geologist in the Denver area. Michael has been active professionally throughout his long career in the Rocky Mountains and in international plays.

The 2026 Michael S. Johnson Scholarship was awarded to:

Jutamas Charoensuk, Ph.D. Candidate, Geology, Colorado School of Mines

Jutamas’s study investigates the distribution and controls of organic matter within the Lewis Shale of the Greater Green River Basin to better understand its petroleum potential and depositional history. Building on prior work that identified significant basin-wide heterogeneity, Jutamas focuses on clarifying the relationships between organic matter type, total organic carbon, and depositional facies in submarine systems. A central goal is to resolve how marine and terrestrial organic inputs interact and are preserved across different environments, addressing key gaps in understanding organic matter variability and carbon cycling in these settings.

This work centers on developing a comprehensive basin-wide organic matter database by integrating new outcrop samples with existing core and published datasets. This includes targeted sampling of representative depositional facies, geochemical analyses such as total organic carbon and pyrolysis, and organic petrology to constrain organic matter origin. By combining these data with stratigraphic and sedimentological frameworks, Jutamas will generate regional maps and predictive models of organic carbon distribution, providing improved insight into source rock quality, depositional controls, and resource potential in the basin.

Jutamas’ work is under the direction of Dr. Zane Jobe.

Recent winners of the Michael S. Johnson Scholarship:

2025 Abigail Tucker, University of Texas at Austin

2024 Izabelle Buentello, Oklahoma State University

2023 Brigham Cardon, Brigham Young University