Postdoctoral Fellow - COMobility and Subsurface Transport in Nanoporous Rocks

Overview

Postdoctoral Fellow – CO2 Mobility and Subsurface Transport in Nanoporous Rocks. This one‑year, in‑person position is located at the J.J. Pickle Research Campus in North Austin, Texas. The successful candidate will join a tightly integrated research cohort at the Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG), Jackson School of Geosciences, UT Austin, dedicated to pioneering experimental and modeling techniques that bridge laboratory‑scale physics and field‑scale implementation.

The role is funded by robust project support and offers the opportunity to publish high‑impact science, develop expertise in complex subsurface fluid transport, and collaborate with industry and federal stakeholders.

The primary objective is to quantify and simulate the complex transport dynamics, mobility, and structural interactions of gases and fluids confined within tight, stressed reservoir matrices of shale rocks (unconventional reservoirs). The role combines rigorous laboratory operations – measuring effective permeability, diffusion, and adsorption in rock samples with nano‑Darcy permeability – with analytical or numerical modeling to investigate how dynamic stress‑sensitivity governs macro‑scale reservoir performance.

• Operate and modify advanced gas expansion/liquid transient flow systems to measure CO2 mobility, effective permeability, molecular diffusion, and adsorption.
• Quantify rock‑fluid interactions and transport degradation under dynamic net confining stress environments to evaluate reservoir stress‑sensitivity.
• Upscale laboratory‑derived petrophysical, diffusion, relative permeability, and stress‑dependent parameters into compositional reservoir models to perform sensitivity and production forecast studies.
• Work closely with the lab formulation team to translate fluid‑interface mechanics into numerical transport constraints, preparing technical frameworks for upcoming field‑scale pilot deployments.

• PhD in Petrophysics, Petroleum Engineering, Geomechanics, Chemical Engineering, Geosciences, or a closely related geosystems discipline.
• Proven experimental expertise in high‑pressure core experiments, petrophysical measurements, or fluid transport phenomena.
• Deep fundamental understanding of fluid transport mechanisms in tight/unconventional formations (diffusion, adsorption, Darcy vs. non‑Darcy flow).
• Strong capability in data analysis, scripting, or laboratory automation (Python, MATLAB, or LabVIEW).
• PhD must have been obtained within 3 years from date of hire.

• Extensive proficiency with commercial compositional reservoir simulators (e.g., CMG GEM, ECLIPSE) and a proven track record of history‑matching laboratory core‑floods.
• Experience or strong fundamental training in Geomechanics (stress‑strain relationships, fracture conductivity, or rock mechanics).
• Experience utilizing digital rock physics, image analysis, or CT scanning to evaluate multi‑phase flow displacement.

$65,000+ depending on qualifications.

• May work around chemical fumes.
• May work around chemicals.
• May work around standard office conditions.
• Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation.
• Use of manual dexterity.
• Occasional weekend, overtime, and evening work to meet deadlines.
• Occasional travel intrastate, interstate, and international.
• Occasional fieldwork as necessary.

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.