Research Engineer

Leidos; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 75,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Leidos is seeking a Research Engineer to join the NETL Pittsburgh site, pursuing cutting-edge research to enhance oil recovery from unconventional reservoirs. You will work with DOE scientists and engineers on lab-scale studies, reservoir characterization, and process optimization to advance fossil energy technology.

You will contribute to rock and fluid characterization, design and execution of laboratory tests, data analysis, and dissemination of findings in reports and presentations,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering or related field with 3+ years of relevant experience.
• Experience with interfacial science including contact angle measurements, interfacial tension and wettability alteration.
• Experience interpreting XRD, CT and SEM for mineral analysis.
• Experience operating a high-pressure/high-temperature vessel and analyzing multiphase flow in porous media.
• Experience with chemical EOR design such as surfactants, polymers and injected gas systems.
• Ability to meet NETL campus access requirements.

Responsibilities

• Assist rock characterization of oil saturation mapping, mineral analysis, porosity and permeability.
• Assist fluid characterization including pressure–volume–temperature measurements, interfacial tension, contact angle measurements and additive evaluation.
• Assist with design and conduct of laboratory tests to enhance oil and gas recovery in unconventional reservoirs by simulating subsurface conditions, quantifying oil and gas recovery rates and determining dominant recovery mechanisms under various injection scenarios.
• Assist in evaluation of fracture and proppant properties under varying stress conditions.
• Perform literature reviews and summarize the state of knowledge for various topics relevant to enhanced oil recovery.
• Interpret model outputs and document findings in peer‑reviewed studies, technical reports, and internal/external presentations.
• Collaborate with an interdisciplinary team, including geologists, geographers, chemists, computer scientists, environmental scientists, and other researchers.

Skills

Interfacial science expertise

XRD/CT/SEM analysis

High-pressure/high-temperature systems

Chemical EOR design (surfactants/polym

Multiphase flow in porous media

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering or related field

Job description

Description

Leidos is seeking an exceptional and motivated Research Engineer interested in pursuing their passion by working side-by-side with world experts as a research scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory’s (NETL) Pittsburgh, PA site. In this role, you will work as part of Leidos’s leading Research & Development laboratory team supporting DOE at NETL to pursue cutting-edge research on enhancing oil production from unconventional reservoirs. Specifically, you will work with NETL’s Production team to address the challenges of low permeability and complex fluid dynamics in shale formations by developing and testing secondary recovery methods, such as the injection of water, natural gas, or carbon dioxide with additives. In this role, you will engage with world-class researchers and engineers integrating expertise in reservoir engineering, subsurface geochemistry, fluid characterization, geomechanics, and advanced diagnostic imaging, including leading DOE scientists and external partners to advance fossil energy technology through scientific and technological innovation that addresses the optimization of oil recovery mechanisms.

What this opportunity with Leidos supporting NETL uniquely provides you:

• Working on applied, cutting-edge projects with global impact while being mentored by the nation’s leading energy scientists and engineers.
• Real-world experience supplemented with technical development and discussions that provide unique insight into the broad range of mission critical engineering and scientific disciplines NETL leverages to support national energy research and policy development.
• Access to world‑class, customized facilities and computational assets specific to high impact energy research, technology generation, and product development.
• Support proposal development focused on expanding industry and scientific partnerships and developing new technical opportunities for NETL with federal guidance.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Assist rock characterization of oil saturation mapping, mineral analysis, porosity and permeability.
• Assist fluid characterization including pressure-volume-temperature measurements, interfacial tension, contact angle measurements and additive evaluation for fluid selection optimization.
• Assist with the design and conduct of laboratory tests aimed at enhancing oil and gas recovery from unconventional reservoirs by simulating subsurface conditions, quantifying oil and gas recovery rates and determining dominant recovery mechanisms under various injection scenarios.
• Assist in evaluation of fracture and proppant properties under varying stress conditions.
• Perform extensive and comprehensive literature reviews and summarize the state of knowledge for various topics relevant to enhanced oil recovery.
• Interpret model outputs and document findings in peer-reviewed studies, technical reports, and internal/external presentations.
• Collaborate with an interdisciplinary team, including geologists, geographers, chemists, computer scientists, environmental scientists, and other researchers to accomplish project related tasks.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering or related scientific/engineering field with 3+ years relevant experience or higher level degree as a substitute for experience.
• Experience with interfacial science by conducting contact angle measurements, interfacial tension and wettability alteration.
• Experience interpreting XRD, CT and SEM for mineral analysis.
• Experience operating a high-pressure/high-temperature vessel and analyzing the physics of multiphase flow in porous media.
• Experience with chemical EOR design such as surfactants, polymers and injected gas systems.
• Ability to meet the requirement for gaining access to work on the NETL campus.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience utilizing Nuclear Magnetic Resonance scanning for oil saturation mapping.
• Experience interpreting complex experimental data using tools like python or MATLAB.

Salary Range for this position: $75K to $80K

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.

Original Posting

August 12, 2026

For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.

Pay Range

Pay Range $69,550.00 - $125,725.00

About Leidos

Leidos is an industry and technology leader serving government and commercial customers with smarter, more efficient digital and mission innovations. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with 47,000 global employees, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $16.7 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2025. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com

Pay and Benefits

Pay and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. That's why we craft compensation packages that reflect the importance of the work we do for our customers.

• competitive compensation
• Health and Wellness programs
• Income Protection
• Paid Leave
• Retirement

Securing Your Data

Beware of fake employment opportunities using Leidos’ name. Leidos will never ask you to provide payment-related information during any part of the employment application process (i.e., ask you for money), nor will Leidos ever advance money as part of the hiring process (i.e., send you a check or money order before doing any work). Further, Leidos will only communicate with you through emails that are generated by the Leidos.com automated system – never from free commercial services (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail) or via WhatsApp, Telegram, etc. If you received an email purporting to be from Leidos that asks for payment-related information or any other personal information (e.g., about you or your previous employer), and you are concerned about its legitimacy, please make us aware immediately by emailing us at [e-mail].

If you believe you are the victim of a scam, contact your local law enforcement and report the incident to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

Commitment to Non-Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.