March 25th 1945, Utrecht, The Netherlands – August 7th 2025, Golden, Colorado
Prof. Ir. Maximiliaan Peeters dedicated his life to science, education, and international service. After his retirement, he taught Petrophysical courses for Petro-Skills,
sharing his expertise with professionals around the world. He also served as the Honorary Consul of the Netherlands in Denver and volunteered as an assistant Park Ranger,
reflecting his deep commitment to both his homeland and his adopted state of Colorado.
From 1998 to 2007, Max was Professor of Borehole Geophysics and Petrophysics at the Colorado School of Mines, where he held the distinguished Baker Hughes Chair. He founded and directed the Center of Petrophysics at the School of Mines and mentored countless students who went on to shape the field. Earlier, from 1992 to 1998, he served as Professor of Petrophysics at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, while also working as Petrophysical Adviser at Shell Research.
Max’s career began with a Master of Science degree in Physics from Delft University of Technology in 1968, after which he spent two years teaching at the Royal Dutch Naval Academy. In 1970 he joined Shell International, where he worked as a Petroleum Engineer and Chief Petrophysicist in Australia, England, Brunei, and California. In 1988 he returned to the Netherlands, leading Shell’s global Formation Evaluation team and later directing a Petroleum Engineering group focused on developing business opportunities in the former Soviet Union.
As an internationally recognized expert, Max published more than 20 scientific papers on petrophysical subjects and held two patents for wireline logging tools. He was one of the editors of Petroleum Geoscience and Geophysical Prospecting journals, and served as a visiting professor at Curtin University in Perth, Australia, in 2002. That same year, he was selected as a Distinguished Lecturer for the Society of Professional Well Log Analysts (SPWLA). His contributions were honored with the SPWLA Distinguished Technical Achievement Award in 1996 and the Colorado School of Mines Technical Advancement Award in 2003.
Throughout his life, Max combined scientific excellence with integrity, generosity, and humor. His work, mentorship, and character left a lasting impact on colleagues, students, and the many communities he served.