Geothermal Postdoctoral Fellow

University of Texas at Austin; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Texas at Austin invites applications for a Geothermal Postdoctoral Fellow at the Pickle Research Campus in North Austin. The ideal candidate will lead research on reservoir flow conformance, flow control, and intelligent injection strategies to enhance geothermal energy production in granites and sedimentary rocks.

Responsibilities include modeling, data analysis, and dissemination through peer-reviewed work and conferences; the role requires a PhD within 3 years, and

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in petroleum/geothermal engineering or earth sciences with relevant geothermal energy experience.
• Experience in porous and/or fractured-media flow and subsurface fluid transport.
• Expertise in reservoir flow conformance, flow control, fluid diversion, and well completions.
• Proficiency with CMG, TOUGH, MOOSE, ResFrac or similar simulation tools.
• Strong grasp of multiphase flow, heat transport, and fractured reservoir behavior.
• Programming experience in Python or MATLAB.
• Excellent data management and scientific writing skills.
• Strong interpersonal and written communications, with ability to work across disciplines.
• Ability to collaborate across geoscience and engineering teams.
• PhD must be obtained within 3 years from date of hire.

Responsibilities

• Characterize fracture connectivity and optimize fluid distribution to maximize heat sweep and long-term recovery.
• Model, evaluate, and optimize innovative flow-control strategies including chemical, mechanical, and operational options.
• Publish in peer-reviewed journals and present at conferences.
• Identify funding opportunities and assist in proposal writing.

Skills

Fractured-media flow

Reservoir flow conformance

Flow control

Fluid diversion

Well completions

CMG/TOUGH/MOOSE/ResFrac

Python

MATLAB

Data management

Scientific writing

Interpersonal communication

Multidisciplinary collaboration

PhD within 3 years

Education

Ph.D. in petroleum engineering, geothermal engineering, earth sciences or related disciplines

Tools

CMG

TOUGH

MOOSE

ResFrac

Job description

Job Posting Title:

Geothermal Postdoctoral Fellow

––

Hiring Department:

Bureau of Economic Geology

––

Position Open To:

All Applicants

––

Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

––

FLSA Status:

Exempt from FLSA

––

Earliest Start Date:

Immediately

––

Position Duration:

Expected to Continue Until Aug 13, 2027

––

Location:

PICKLE RESEARCH CAMPUS

––

Job Details:

General Notes

This position is located at the J.J. Pickle Research Campus in North Austin.

Purpose

Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin, invites applications for a 1-year Postdoctoral Fellow in Geothermal Engineering, with a primary focus on reservoir flow conformance and flow control technologies for next-generation Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS). The successful candidate will conduct cutting-edge research to characterize and manage fracture connectivity and optimize fluid distribution within granites and sedimentary rocks, maximize heat sweep efficiency, reduce preferential flow through highly conductive fractures, delay thermal breakthrough, and enhance long-term thermal recovery from EGS. This position also aims to model, evaluate, and optimize innovative engineering solutions, including chemical, mechanical, completion-based, and operational flow control strategies to optimize geothermal energy production performance. Research will combine reservoir simulation, field data analysis, and coupled modeling to investigate fluid diversion, fracture flow management, conformance improvement, and intelligent injection strategies under high-temperature geothermal conditions in granites and sedimentary rocks.

Responsibilities

• Conduct research to characterize and manage fracture connectivity and optimize fluid distribution within granites and sedimentary rocks, maximize heat sweep efficiency, reduce preferential flow through highly conductive fractures, delay thermal breakthrough, and enhance long-term thermal recovery from geothermal systems. Model, evaluate, and optimize innovative engineering solutions, including chemical, mechanical, completion-based, and operational flow control strategies.
• Write peer-reviewed journal publications and conference papers. Present at conferences.
• Identify new funding opportunities and help write proposals.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in petroleum engineering, geothermal engineering, earth sciences, and related disciplines with experience in geothermal energy or unconventional oil and gas well completions.
• Demonstrated experience in porous and/or fractured-media flow and subsurface fluid transport.
• Demonstrated experience in reservoir flow conformance, flow control, fluid diversion, and well completions.
• Experience with simulation programs such as CMG, TOUGH, MOOSE, ResFrac, or similar tools.
• Strong understanding of multiphase flow, heat transport, and fractured reservoir behavior.
• Programming experience in Python, MATLAB, or similar scientific computing languages.
• Excellent data management skills
• Demonstrated scientific/technical writing and publications
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and professional demeanor
• Ability to work effectively with multiple disciplines, including geosciences and engineering
• PhD must have been obtained within 3 years from date of hire

Preferred Qualifications

• Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) and geothermal reservoir engineering
• Unconventional well completions and multistage hydraulic fracture stimulation.
• Hydraulic fracture propagation modeling, characterization, and flow diagnostics
• Reservoir conformance control, fluid diversion, and flow control technologies used in oil and gas, and geothermal reservoirs.
• Familiarity with polymer, gel, foam, particle-based, or smart fluid flow diversion technologies.
• Zonal isolation, selective injection/production, completion-based flow control, or other flow management strategies
• Discrete Fracture Network (DFN) and Embedded Discrete Fracture Modeling (EDFM)
• Tracer design and interpretation
• Machine learning or optimization for reservoir management
• Experience working with field-scale geothermal or oil and gas datasets and industries

Salary Range

$65,000

Working Conditions

• May work in all weather conditions

• May work in extreme temperatures

• May work around chemical fumes

• May work around standard office conditions

• May work around chemicals

• May work around electrical and mechanical hazards

• Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation

• Use of manual dexterity

• Climbing of stairs

• Climbing of ladders

• Lifting and moving

• Occasional weekend, overtime, and evening work to meet deadlines

• Occasional travel intrastate, interstate, international

• Occasional fieldwork as necessary

Required Materials

• Resume/CV

• 3 work references with their contact information

• Letter of interest

Employment Eligibility:

Please make sure you meet all the required qualifications and you can perform all of the essential functions with or without a reasonable accommodation.

Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. This position has the option to elect the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) instead of TRS, subject to the position being 40 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

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.

Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

––

E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

––

Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.