Meet Nina, a Petroleum Drilling Operation Support Engineer from Algeria. Her work intersects engineering, safety, and operational performance within the energy sector. In this episode, she talks about her work, which focuses on optimizing drilling operations through real-time data analysis, technical problem-solving, risk management, and the implementation of technologies that improve efficiency and sustainability:
Hi Nina. We are excited to have you join us today. Fahima spoke so highly of you and your research. We can’t wait to learn more
I am truly honored to be considered for a feature on your platform. Your initiative to amplify the voices of African women in STEM is both inspiring and deeply meaningful. I am grateful to be part of such a powerful network of stories and impact.
Thank you for the kind words, Nina!
Let us begin with a brief introduction of yourself
My name is Nina Chalah, I’m Algerian, and I’m based in Algeria. I am a petroleum drilling engineer and an aspiring writer. In my role as a Drilling Operation Support Engineer, I am engaged in monitoring and optimizing drilling operations to ensure safety, efficiency, and operational performance. My work involves analyzing real-time drilling data, providing technical support during complex operational challenges, and supporting risk and safety assessments. I also support collaborations with multidisciplinary teams to improve drilling outcomes, implement new technologies, and support sustainable energy operations.
Beyond my technical responsibilities, I am deeply committed to mentoring students. I strongly believe they represent the future of our industry. I intentionally dedicate my time, especially during my days off, to guide, support, and empower them as they navigate their own paths. This is not just something I do; it is a meaningful part of who I am.
Walk us through your journey into becoming a petroleum drilling engineer. Was this your career aspiration?
I am a Kabyle Amazigh woman, born and raised in a modest family where resilience and ambition were part of everyday life. From an early age, I knew I was not meant for a conventional 8 am to 4 pm path. I was drawn instead to exploration, systems, and challenges that push boundaries. I once dreamed of becoming an astronaut!
While many around me expected a medical path, I never identified with it. I was more fascinated by machines than by human anatomy. My curiosity was more for engineering systems rather than traditional expectations. After my baccalaureate at the Faculty of Hydrocarbons and Chemistry – University of Boumerdes, I knew what I wanted for a career. I chose to pursue hydrocarbon studies, specializing in drilling engineering. This decision challenged me and took me far outside my comfort zone.
After graduation, I joined one of the major oil and gas service companies in the world. That experience became a turning point in my journey, not only technically but personally. It allowed me to discover new dimensions of myself and to better understand the realities that are often unspoken or misunderstood. This awareness gradually shaped my purpose. I became committed to advocating for greater diversity and inclusion in the industry, and for telling the truth about field experiences as they are lived.
Today, through my work and my presence on social media, I aim to challenge narratives, decolonize mindsets, and empower young Algerian students to recognize their worth, talent, and place in this industry and beyond.
This leads us into the next question about some of the challenges you have faced along your journey as a petroleum drilling engineer
The challenges I have faced were never only technical. Some were deeply human and often invisible.
Working in the field means operating in extreme conditions where the body and mind are constantly tested. Over time, I experienced a level of physical and emotional exhaustion that I later understood as burnout. At the time, it felt like a silent fight I was expected to simply push through. It is a reality that is rarely spoken about. Long rotations, high-pressure decision-making, harsh environments, and the expectation to always remain fully functional regardless of internal limits.
As a woman, this experience carries an additional layer that is often overlooked. The field does not adapt to biological realities, hormonal cycles, or natural emotional fluctuations. Instead, it demands constant performance, stability, and endurance in conditions that can exceed 45–50°C, where even basic physical resilience becomes a challenge. It is not a question of capability, but of how differently bodies experience stress and recovery in such environments.
There were moments where I had to navigate this reality in silence. I had to balance professionalism, endurance, and internal fatigue while maintaining the same level of performance expected from everyone. It taught me that resilience is not about ignoring limits, but about learning how to survive within them without losing oneself.
These experiences did not weaken my resolve; they reshaped it. They pushed me to rethink what field reality truly means. I started wondering why certain conversations about well-being, gender dynamics, and human limits in engineering environments are still missing. Today, I see these challenges not only as personal trials but as part of a larger conversation that needs to be brought to light.
The fact that we still have you today enjoying what you do is an inspiration. How have you been able to push through these challenges?
What has inspired me to move forward is not something external; it’s something inherited. It is this Amazigh memory of endurance, passed down through landscapes that were never easy and histories that were never gentle. A resilience that doesn’t announce itself, it simply persists. It survives conquest, erasure, and reinvention and still finds a way to speak.
I come from that continuity. From women who did not wait for permission to exist, to resist, to rebuild. And when I say I am “Dihya’s daughter,” it is not lineage in the literal sense, but in the symbolic one. A reminder of Dihya, a woman who stood at the edge of collapse and chose defiance anyway. Not because victory was guaranteed, but because dignity mattered more than surrender.
So when things get heavy, I don’t think in terms of starting over. I think in terms of remembering. Remembering where I come from recalibrates what I tolerate, endure, and choose to become. That’s what moves me forward. Not the idea of escape, but the responsibility of the Amazigh legacy.
Let us talk about some of the most prestigious moments along your career journey as a petroleum drilling engineer
If I had to name the most prestigious moments in my career, I wouldn’t point to a title or an award. I would point to the field, and to the people who shaped me there. Some of the most defining moments of my journey were spent alongside field operators. Not in meeting rooms! Not behind screens! In real conditions where decisions are immediate, consequences are real, and experience speaks louder than any credential.
Learning from them felt almost disarming. Because it forced me to confront a truth we don’t emphasize enough in engineering: knowledge is not only acquired, it is lived. And theirs was built through years of exposure, discipline, and accountability in environments that don’t forgive approximation. There was something profoundly humbling in that exchange.
As an engineer, you arrive with theory, structure, and models, but in the field, you learn to listen. So the most prestigious moments in my journey were those where I was allowed into that space, where I could observe, absorb, and be taught by individuals who may never stand on a stage, but who carry the operation on their shoulders every single day. And if there is anything worth honoring in my path, it is not just what I’ve achieved but who I’ve had the privilege to learn from.
Who is Nina outside of the petroleum drilling engineering walls?
Outside of work, I’m constantly evolving, exploring, unlearning, and rediscovering what truly resonates with me. I’m passionate about books and cuisine, and I deeply enjoy the time I spend in the kitchen. I’ve also developed a real appreciation for working out, the endorphin boost, the mental clarity, the feeling of being fully present in my body.
The further I move forward in life, the more I learn to value what is simple. A quiet morning with coffee and a book, or long walks in Kabylie with my mother, chasing sunlight and a bit of Vitamin D, these moments ground me.
Being Algerian is something I carry with intention; understanding my culture isn’t optional, it’s essential. Traveling across my country is part of who I am, and with every place I discover, I don’t just see more, I become more. And in that process, I find a deeper, quieter kind of happiness.
What is your favorite quote?
“Be the change that you wish to see in the world” ~ Mahatma Gandhi.
I chose this quote because it reflects the way I approach life. I don’t believe in waiting for things to shift externally; I believe in starting with myself. Growth, responsibility, and impact begin from within. For me, it’s a reminder that becoming the person I aspire to be is already part of creating the change I want to see around me.
What is your word of encouragement for a young African girl who is interested in becoming a petroleum drilling engineer?
To a young girl entering STEM, I would say: don’t try to fit into the image of what an engineer is supposed to look like, build your own way of being one. In this field, you will be tested not only on your knowledge, but on your ability to stay soft without becoming fragile, and strong without becoming closed.
I learned that real confidence is not loud; it’s the quiet certainty you develop after solving problems alone, failing, retrying, and still showing up the next day. And don’t disconnect from yourself while trying to prove yourself. The best engineers I’ve met were not only technical, but they were also deeply human, observant, and grounded in who they are outside the job. So stay curious, stay rooted, and never reduce yourself to just your role.
Thank you, Nina, for teaching us about your journey in petroleum drilling engineering. We are proud of the work you do for Algeria and look forward to learning more about your success soon.
One Response
nice article! what prompted you to write this article?