Vetle Vinje heads CGG’s Oslo-based seismic imaging research team, is a recipient of a number of professional awards and an occasional EAGE lecturer. He also rowed for Norway in two Olympics winning a silver medal (quadruple skulls) at the 1988 Games in Seoul.
What hooked you on geoscience?
From a very young age I was interested in all aspects of our earth and borrowed loads of books from the local library. But when I was 19 and needed to decide on a career, my first choice was to become a medical doctor or a chiropractor. My grades from college were not sufficient to get into the medical school in Oslo, and if I wanted to be a chiropractor, I needed to move to England. So instead, I opted for geology/geophysics at the university in Oslo. This also provided me with the optimal conditions to realize my goal of becoming the best rower in the world, which was my all-consuming focus for a period of 12 years.
Your dad (Finn-Erik Vinje) is a well known linguistics professor and media academic in Norway. Was he disappointed when you opted for science?
Absolutely not. My dad has written more than 100 books on linguistics and was a national celebrity in Norway in the 70s and 80s. But despite this he had a great admiration for hard science and its achievements, so he was 100% supportive when I decided on geophysics.
What has given you most satisfaction so far in your professional career?
It gives me great satisfaction to work hard towards a goal for several years. I guess the three main achievements in my career as a geophysicist would be work on the wavefront construction method in the 90s, leading and growing pre-stack depth migration activity in CGG and the development and implementation of the company’s TopSeis seismic acquisition method.
Are there any lessons from sport for a career in geoscience?
To be successful in sport you need to work hard, and be dedicated and persistent over long periods of time with no instant gratification. You should never be content with past glory but always strive for improvement. Another lesson is that no matter how talented and hard-working you are, you will never succeed alone. Olympic medals are not a coincidence. They grow out of a culture and traditions as is the case with Norwegian rowing which has been exceptionally successful over the last 50 years. I found the same culture for excellence when I entered CGG in 2005, and this is why CGG remains at the forefront in processing and imaging.
What’s special about rowing as a sport?
Few other sports employ so many of the muscles in the body, at the same time as improving the capacity of heart and lungs. But above all it is a very aesthetic sport as expressed in the quote I wrote in a book about Norwegian rowing in (Gold and Pain, 2012): ‘As all life pulsates, rowing shifts between phases where work and rest are repeated and repeated. Like the pulsating heartbeat, or like the changes of seasons, rowing alternates between work-rest-work-rest. Like the mantra of meditation, the repetitive monotony of rowing gives the soul harmony and balance’
Do you have any special memories from the Seoul Olympics and your home reception in Norway?
I recall a high level of stress before the final, as the coaches forgot to put the number on our boat and we had a false start. I also remember the fun and the parties afterwards in an Olympic village with 8000 athletes from all over the world.
Are you still competing?
Yes, I join international veteran regattas with rowing buddies from USA, Canada and the UK. The training is mostly from our summer house by the sea close to Oslo where I have my own Lite boat which is excellent in the rough waters in the Oslo fjord.
Your wife Kristin was a Norwegian member of parliament for four years. How was that for you?
I was very proud of her and I joined her on several events where I had the opportunity to gain a deeper insight into the political system in Norway and to meet the central politicians and decision makers.
Last question. Got to ask. Do rowers like to party?
Definitely. In my active career, we could not party for months before the important events, which meant that the parties afterwards were pretty wild involving large quantities of alcohol and risky activities like swimming in canals or climbing outside buildings to visit French female rowers.
