Research Fellow in Reservoir Physics – Centre for Sustainable Subsurface Resources (CSSR)

Research Fellow in Reservoir Physics – Centre for Sustainable Subsurface

Resources (CSSR)

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Research Fellow in Reservoir Physics – Centre for Sustainable Subsurface

Resources (CSSR)

There is a vacancy for a PhD Research Fellow in Reservoir Physics at the Department of physics and Technology. The position is part of the recently established Centre for Sustainable Subsurface Resources, which is a collaboration between NORCE and the University of Bergen and receives funding from the Norwegian Research Council and industry stakeholders. The position is for a fixed-term period of 3 years, starting as soon as possible.

About the project/work tasks:

Assessing the efficiency of short-term energy storage, zero-emission hydrocarbon recovery and CO2 storage in the subsurface requires new understanding of physical processes and determining mechanisms during storage and withdrawal cycles. It is sought to develop multiscale, multi-physics models for quantification of efficiency of these processes based on reliable experimental results. The PhD work involves developing models and implementation of computational tools for cycling or intermittent flows with application to underground energy storage, CO2 storage from ships, variable water injection for hydrocarbon recovery.

The PhD candidate will work in an interdisciplinary research team focusing on mathematical models and implementation of computational tools for cyclical injection into subsurface reservoirs, and the impacts of fluid-fluid/fluid- rock processes and biochemical interactions on injectivity, storage efficiency and productivity. The tasks of the PhD candidate will mainly be modelling and computational, and include developing mathematical models for cycling and intermittent injection and withdrawal at relevant storage conditions in porous media on multiple length scales. The PhD student will be involved in collaboration between the Department of Mathematics (Kundan Kumar), Norce (Sarah Gasda), and Department of Physics and Technology (Geir Ersland). The PhD student will collaborate on a regular basis with industry partners in our consortium and take active part in a larger professional environment in applied research. The position is part of the Center of Sustainable Subsurface Resources (CSSR). The main ambition for CSSR is to provide the knowledge required for the low carbon transition the Norwegian petroleum industry foresee for the next decade. A key point is the impact of increased electrification and how operations will be impacted by the intermittency associated with renewable energy supply and fluctuating electricity prices. A new energy system necessitates new knowledge of physical processes. This project will emphasize reservoir flow and short-term energy storage concepts, using energy carriers such as hydrogen.

A sustainable use of the Norwegian continental shelf is vital to meet committed goals of cutting greenhouse gas emissions in Norway and will promote climate-neutral technologies world-wide. CSSR aims to establish better understanding and develop modelling capabilities of complex processes in the subsurface, relevant for 1) storage of CO2, 2) hydrogen and other low-carbon energy carriers and 3) efficient reservoir drainage. The PhD candidate we seek will collaborate with the experimental results in another project to investigate coupled processes during short-term cyclic processes in the subsurface.

Qualifications and personal qualities:

Applicants must hold a master's degree or equivalent education in energy, petroleum, or geoscience, applied mathematics, scientific computing or computational engineering. Master students can apply if they have submitted his/her master's thesis for assessment prior to the application deadline. It is a condition of employment that the master's degree has been awarded.

Strong expertise in at least one of the following topics is a requirement (expertise in multiple is an advantage): mathematical modelling, continuum mechanics, numerical methods for partial differential equations, numerical solvers for linear and/or non-linear problems, numerical analysis, scientific computing.

Good programming skills in Python, Matlab, C++ or similar languages are requirered

Experience from any of the following topics is an advantage: mathematical and/or data-driven modeling of (coupled) engineering systems, flow and transport processes in porous media, experience in modelling and simulation of carbon storage or energy storage.

Applicants must be able to work independently and in a structured manner and demonstrate good collaborative skills.

Applicants must be proficient in both written and oral English.

In the assessment of relevant candidates, a holistic assessment of both quality and breadth in the candidates' background will be carried out. Personal and relational qualities will be emphasized. Ambitions and potential will also count when evaluating candidates.

The University of Bergen is subjected to the regulation for export control system. The regulation will be applied in the processing of the applications.

About the PhD position:

About the PhD position: The duration of the PhD Research Fellow is 3 years.

The employment period may be reduced if you have previously been employed in a qualifying post (e.g. research fellow, research assistant).

About the research training: As a PhD Research Fellow, you must participate in an approved educational programme for a PhD degree within a period of 3 years. The deadline for applying for admission to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences is 2 months after you start your position or after the start of the research project that will lead to the PhD degree. It is a condition that you satisfy the enrolment requirements for the PhD programme at the University of Bergen.

We can offer:

a good and professionally stimulating working environment

salary as PhD research fellow (code 1017) in the state salary scale. This constitutes a gross annual salary of NOK 501 200 (equivalent to pay grade 54). Further increases in salary are made according to length of service in the position.

enrolment in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund

good welfare benefits

Your application must include:

a brief account of the applicant's research interests and motivation for applying for the position

the names and contact information for two referees. One of these should be the main advisor for the master's thesis or equivalent thesis

CV

transcripts and diplomas showing completion of bachelor's and master's degrees. If you have not yet completed your master's degree, please submit a statement from your institution confirming that the master's thesis has been submitted

relevant certificates/references

approved documentation of proficiency in English (if required, cf. English language requirements for PhD admission)

a list of any works of a scientific nature (publication list)

your MSc thesis (or a two-page description if it is not yet submitted), and any publications in your name you wish to be considered. If the thesis is not written in a Scandinavian language, or one of the major European languages (English, French, Spanish, Dutch or German), a 2-page English summary must be provided.

The application and appendices with certified translations into English or a Scandinavian language must be uploaded at Jobbnorge.

General information:

For further details about the position, please contact Associate Professor Geir Ersland, Department of Physics and Technology, e-mail: [email protected] or Associate Professor Kundan Kumar, Department of Mathematics, e-mail: [email protected]

The state labour force shall reflect the diversity of Norwegian society to the greatest extent possible. Age and gender balance among employees is therefore a goal. It is also a goal to recruit people with immigrant backgrounds. People with immigrant backgrounds and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply for the position.

We encourage women to apply. If multiple applicants have approximately equivalent qualifications, the rules pertaining to moderate gender quotas shall apply.

The University of Bergen applies the principle of public access to information when recruiting staff for academic positions.

Information about applicants may be made public even if the applicant has asked not to be named on the list of persons who have applied. The applicant must be notified if the request to be omitted is not met.

The successful applicant must comply with the guidelines that apply to the position at all times.

For further information about the recruitment process, click here.

Life as a PhD candidate at UiB

Marion Claireaux tells about life and work as a PhD candidate at UiB.

About UiB

The University of Bergen is a renowned educational and research institution, organised into seven faculties and approximately 54 institutes and academic centres. Campus is located in the centre of Bergen with university areas at Nygårdshøyden, Haukeland, Marineholmen, Møllendalsveien and Årstad.

There are seven departments and several centres at Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. Read more about the faculty and departments.

Deadline

9th March 2023

Employer

University of Bergen

Municipality

Bergen

Scope

Fulltime (1 positions) Fulltime (%)

Duration

Fixed Term

Place of service