CO2 Mobility & Subsurface Transport Research Scientist

University of Texas; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 72,000 - 76,000; Full time

Job summary

Bureau of Economic Geology at UT Austin seeks a researcher to quantify and simulate CO2 transport in tight shale reservoirs at the Pickle Research Campus in North Austin.

The role blends laboratory measurements of permeability, diffusion, and adsorption with numerical modeling to assess stress-sensitive transport, with opportunities to publish and collaborate with industry and federal stakeholders.

Qualifications

• MS in Petrophysics, Petroleum Engineering, Geomechanics, Chemical Engineering, Geosciences, or closely related geosystems discipline and at least 2 years experience.
• Proven experimental expertise in high-pressure core experiments, petrophysical measurements (effective permeability, porosity), or fluid transport phenomena.
• Strong capability in data analysis, scripting, or laboratory automation (Python, MATLAB, or LabVIEW).

Responsibilities

• Core Transport Experiments: Operate and modify advanced gas expansion/liquid transient flow systems to measure CO2 mobility, effective permeability, diffusion, and adsorption.
• Geomechanical & Stress Evaluation: Quantify rock-fluid interactions and transport degradation under dynamic net confining stress environments to evaluate reservoir stress-sensitivity.
• Compositional Reservoir Simulation: Upscale laboratory-derived parameters into compositional reservoir models for sensitivity and production forecasts.
• Strategic Integration: Collaborate with lab formulation team to translate fluid-interface mechanics into numerical transport constraints for field-scale pilots.

Skills

Data analysis

Scripting

Lab automation

Python

MATLAB

LabVIEW

Education

MS in Petrophysics

MS in Petroleum Engineering

MS in Geomechanics

Tools

CMG GEM

ECLIPSE

CT scanning

Job description

Bureau of Economic Geology at UT Austin seeks a researcher to quantify and simulate CO2 transport in tight shale reservoirs at the Pickle Research Campus in North Austin.

The role blends laboratory measurements of permeability, diffusion, and adsorption with numerical modeling to assess stress-sensitive transport, with opportunities to publish and collaborate with industry and federal stakeholders.