Field Research Manager

SMU’s Lyle School of Engineering is seeking a Field Research Manager for Well-to-Mine Proving Ground (W2M-GROUND), a DOE/NETL-funded project creating a first-of-its-kind synthetic critical-minerals mine inside an industrial drilling test facility in Navasota, Texas.

This is an opportunity for an experienced field professional to help translate research into practical demonstrations, working with NOV and five partner universities. The manager will lead daily field operations while supporting technology testing, university research teams, workforce training, and industry workshops.

This role connects hands-on field leadership with collaborative research and workforce development, helping teams evaluate technologies in a controlled industrial test facility setting.

• Plan and execute well workovers, engineered rock-plug placement, drilling and coiled-tubing campaigns, and sensing deployments.
• Coordinate schedules, rigs, service providers, logistics, site readiness, and daily reporting to the Principal Investigator.
• Lead field health, safety, and environmental responsibilities, including job safety analyses, pre-job briefings, permits, and regulatory compliance with the site HSE team.
• Supervise field technicians and graduate and undergraduate researchers, and coordinate visiting university test teams.
• Direct rock-plug placement and verification, baseline logging, fiber-optic and distributed acoustic sensing installations, and data acquisition.
• Manage equipment, consumables, procurement, and vendor services within the approved budget.

A bachelor’s degree in petroleum, mechanical, civil, or mining engineering, or a related field, is required. Seven or more years of drilling, well-site, or oilfield operations experience is preferred. Well-control and HSE certifications are a plus.

This is a full-time, 12-month, grant-funded staff position based at the Navasota proving ground, with frequent travel to SMU in Dallas.

SMU benefits include a retirement plan with a generous university contribution; medical, dental, and vision coverage; tuition benefits for employees and eligible dependents; paid vacation, holidays, and winter break; and wellness, recreation, and professional development programs.

Do you know someone whose field leadership could help advance the mine of the future? Please share this opportunity with your network.