Seismologist

Fervo Energy; Houston (TX); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision plan

401(k) plan with company match

Generous paid time off

Parental leave and family support

Employee ownership opportunities

Job summary

Fervo Energy seeks a Seismologist to lead seismic network design, deployment, and processing for its EGS portfolio. You will own a 3C geophone and broadband seismometer array from geometry to calibration and continuous QC, delivering a high-precision earthquake catalog.

Proficiency with HypoDD and GrowClust is required, as is building velocity models, processing waveforms with ObsPy, and interpreting seismicity for reservoir models and hazard assessment. Travel up to 20% is expected.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Geophysics, Seismology, Applied Mathematics, or a closely related field. No minimum years of industry or post-doctoral experience required.
• Working proficiency with HypoDD and GrowClust, including generation of waveform cross-correlation differential travel times, parameter selection, and relocation uncertainty.
• Solid grounding in surface and borehole seismic monitoring — network geometry, instrument response, orientation, calibration, detection, picking, and location.
• Knowledge of earthquake source analysis, including moment tensor inversion, magnitude estimation, and stress drop estimation.
• Understanding of induced seismicity and seismic hazard concepts — completeness, b-value, Gutenberg-Richter stats, and ground-motion estimation.
• Python proficiency for seismic data processing (ObsPy, NumPy, SciPy, pandas) and Linux with shell scripting & version control.
• Ability to build velocity models and produce, quality-control, and defend earthquake catalogs.
• Willingness to travel to field sites for deployment, commissioning, and troubleshooting up to 20%.

Responsibilities

• Design, deploy, and maintain surface and borehole geophone and seismometer networks.
• Set network geometry and instrumentation to meet detection, location-accuracy, and completeness targets.
• Own instrument response, sensor orientation and calibration, timing, and data quality control.
• Run automated detection, phase picking, and event association across the network.
• Build and maintain 1D and 3D velocity models and station corrections.
• Manage field campaigns, vendor scopes, and data-delivery standards.
• Run HypoDD for double-difference relocation.
• Run GrowClust for relative relocation and clustering.
• Generate waveform cross-correlation differential travel times and keep automated relocation pipelines.
• Determine source parameters — magnitude, focal mechanism, moment tensor, and stress drop.
• Interpret relocated seismicity as fracture geometry, stimulated volume, and fault reactivation.
• Maintain a versioned production catalog with documented magnitudes, completeness, and uncertainty.
• Incorporate DAS data alongside the conventional network where beneficial.
• Perform joint processing of DAS and sensors when it improves the catalog.
• Interpret DAS response in boreholes and understand its resolution limits.
• Track b-value, magnitude of completeness, forecast seismicity rates and maximum magnitude.

Skills

HypoDD

GrowClust

Python

ObsPy

NumPy

SciPy

pandas

Linux

shell scripting

version control

Education

Ph.D. in Geophysics/Seismology/Applied Mathematics

Tools

HypoDD

GrowClust

Job description

Fervo Energy (NASDAQ: FRVO) is a modern power company developing next-generation geothermal resources to meet the growing demand for affordable, reliable, 24/7 carbon-free energy. Our mission is to transform geothermal into America’s most dependable and affordable source of clean, around-the-clock power. By combining innovations in horizontal drilling, fiber-optic sensing, and advanced reservoir engineering, Fervo has developed a repeatable approach to building utility-scale enhanced geothermal systems. Our flagship Cape Station development in Utah is planned to deliver 500 MW of firm, carbon-free power, and we are advancing a development pipeline of more than 50 GW. Join us and work alongside world-class engineers, geoscientists, operators, project builders, and business leaders working to make geothermal a cornerstone of a more reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy future.

Position Description

Fervo is seeking a Seismologist to lead the design, deployment, and processing of surface and borehole seismic monitoring networks across our EGS development portfolio. You will own our arrays of three-component geophones and broadband seismometers — sited at the surface, in shallow vaults and boreholes, and downhole in monitoring wells — from network geometry and instrumentation through calibration, data quality, and continuous processing.

The central deliverable of this role is a high-precision, defensible earthquake catalog. Proficiency with HypoDD and GrowClust is required, and you will build, relocate, quality-control, and defend the catalogs that feed fracture-network characterization, reservoir models, induced-seismicity mitigation protocols, and regulatory and community engagement.

Fervo also operates fiber-optic Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) in a number of wells, and you will incorporate DAS alongside the conventional sensor network as a complementary observing system. Familiarity with DAS is valuable, but it is not the focus of the role and is not required at hire — the conventional network and the relocated catalog come first.

Responsibilities

Surface and Borehole Geophone & Seismometer Networks

Design, deploy, and maintain surface and borehole geophone and seismometer networks.

Set network geometry and instrumentation to meet detection, location-accuracy, and completeness targets.

Own instrument response, sensor orientation and calibration, timing, and continuous data QC.

Run automated detection, phase picking, and event association across the network.

Build and maintain 1D and 3D velocity models and station corrections.

Manage field campaigns, vendor scopes, and data-delivery standards.

Earthquake Location, Relocation, and Catalog Development

Run HypoDD for double-difference relocation.

Run GrowClust for relative relocation and hierarchical clustering.

Generate waveform cross-correlation differential travel times and maintain automated relocation pipelines.

Determine source parameters — magnitude, focal mechanism, moment tensor, and stress drop.

Interpret relocated seismicity as fracture geometry, stimulated volume, and fault reactivation.

Maintain a versioned production catalog with documented magnitudes, completeness, and uncertainty.

Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) — complementary observing system

Incorporate DAS data from instrumented wells alongside the conventional network.

Perform joint DAS and sensor processing where it improves the catalog.

Interpret DAS response in a borehole setting, including its resolution limits.

Induced Seismicity, Hazard, and Risk

Track b-value and magnitude of completeness, and forecast seismicity rates and maximum magnitude.

Develop real-time hazard algorithms using physics-based, statistical, and machine-learning methods.

Maintain traffic light protocols and mitigation strategies with operations.

Link observed seismicity to Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical-Chemical reservoir models.

Represent Fervo with regulators, partners, and communities on induced-seismicity questions.

Qualifications

Required

Ph.D. in Geophysics, Seismology, Applied Mathematics, or a closely related field. No minimum years of industry or post-doctoral experience are required — recent and upcoming graduates are encouraged to apply.

Working proficiency with HypoDD and GrowClust, including generation of waveform cross-correlation differential travel times, parameter selection, and assessment of relocation uncertainty. This may have been developed through thesis work, post-doctoral research, or industry practice.

Solid grounding in surface and borehole seismic monitoring — network geometry and detectability, instrument response, sensor orientation and calibration, and earthquake detection, picking, and location.

Knowledge of earthquake source analysis, including moment tensor inversion, focal mechanism determination, magnitude estimation, and stress drop estimation.

Understanding of induced seismicity and seismic hazard concepts — magnitude of completeness, b-value, Gutenberg-Richter statistics, and ground-motion estimation.

Python proficiency for seismic data processing (ObsPy, NumPy, SciPy, pandas, or equivalent tooling) and comfort working in Linux environments with shell scripting and version control.

Ability to build velocity models and to produce, quality-control, and defend earthquake catalogs that others rely on.

Willingness to travel to field sites for network deployment, commissioning, and troubleshooting up to 20%.

Preferred

High Performance Computing and large-scale distributed processing of continuous seismic data.

Machine learning applied to seismological problems, including deep-learning phase pickers.

Location

Fervo Energy has offices in Houston, TX, Golden, CO, Reno, NV, Oakland, CA, and Salt Lake City, UT. This position will be eligible for some hybrid work flexibility, but regular in-office presence at any of the above locations will be required.

• Fervo offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your health, financial well-being, and life outside of work. Benefits for eligible employees include:
• Medical, dental, and vision plan options
• Employer-paid basic life insurance and short-term and long-term disability coverage
• A 401(k) plan with a dollar-for-dollar company match
• Flexible paid time off and paid parental leave
• Family-building, fertility, hormonal health, pregnancy, postpartum, and parenting support through Carrot
• A dependent care FSA for eligible child and elder care expenses
• An annual Lifestyle Spending Account for eligible wellness expenses, including fitness, financial planning, pet insurance, and pet care
• Employee ownership opportunities through Fervo’s Employee Stock Purchase Program, as well as stock option grants and bonus opportunities for eligible roles

Benefits and programs are subject to eligibility requirements and may change.

Our Workplace

Fervo Energy highly values having employees work in the office to foster collaboration and strengthen our company culture. This role follows a hybrid schedule, with team members expected to work in the office three days per week. Fervo considers this in-office schedule an essential function of the role. Your recruiter can share more information about the schedule.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Fervo Energy is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, gender, religion, marital status, registered domestic partner status, age, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, sex, genetic information, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state, or local law. Fervo also prohibits discrimination based on the perception that an individual has any of these characteristics or is associated with a person who has or is perceived as having any of these characteristics.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Fervo Energy’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.