"Discovering is a never ending story. The more you learn from others, the more you learn about yourself."

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Vincent Vieugue

Born in St Germain en Laye, France, 1967

Master in Earth Sciences, Physics Oceanography

IPG Physics institute University, Strasbourg, France, 1988-90

Master in Marine Sciences, Geophysics

University of Toulon, France, 1986-87

DEUG in Physics

University of Orsay, France, 1984-85

Areas of interest outside work

Scuba diving, golf, photography.

In France, where I did all my studies, I found it difficult to decide which science I wanted to learn. I started with biology in Paris, switched to physics, then moved to Toulon to learn Oceanography where I discovered an interest in Geophysics, especially Geodynamics. I went on later to the institute of Strasbourg to get my degree in Geophysics during which time I did work on small research projects analyzing earthquakes activity in Europe. Those university years were mainly about theory and computer programming. I liked it somehow but deep inside I always wanted to go out in the field to discover for myself what the world was about. All those years I was crazy about sports in general. I was very active playing tennis, participating in tournaments and training up to 12 hours a week. I also started scuba diving.

Next, it was time for me to go into the army. I decided to utilize my background and apply for a job as a volunteer for the government. I got lucky and was sent for 16 months to French Polynesia to work in a small laboratory on the famous island of Tahiti. You should have seen my office—a small bungalow situated at 400 meters in the mountains, with a beautiful view over the lagoon of Tahiti and the island of Moorea.(Remember Captain Cook?) I took the opportunity to do quite a bit of sailing, surfing, fishing and lots of scuba diving. I now am certified as a scuba diving master.

Since I joined Schlumberger in 1994, I worked in various positions in the seismic exploration business. My job consisted mainly in acquiring datasets and treating images of the underground. I went to North Africa, West Africa and the North Sea. After the first 2 years in the field I moved to Norway where I met my wife. During 4 years, I supervised the field operations and participate actively to the development of new techniques in Quality Control. Then I moved to New York to work for a short period on the SEED connectivity Grant program. There, I realised the importance of the use of information and communication technologies in education and the urgency in putting into place programs to help bridging the digital divide.

When I look back, I feel really great. In all those years I visited many countries, some quite unusual, like Easter Island. I performed various jobs (from research, field engineer to manager), exchanged knowledge and ideas with various people, and as a result became more open to differences. I really do believe that discovering is a never-ending story. The more you learn from others, the more you learn about yourself.

I am married to Ragnhild Meland Vieugue, (Norwegian) and we have two little
boys: Anton (19/08/1999) and Emil (04/12/2000). I love being a father! We speak 3 languages at home: Norwegian, French and English. My sons should consider themselves lucky to have that opportunity.