University of Texas - Austin

Postdoctoral Fellow - CO2 Mobility and Subsurface Transport in Nanoporous Rocks

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Job Posting Title:

Postdoctoral Fellow - CO2 Mobility and Subsurface Transport in Nanoporous Rocks

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Hiring Department:

Bureau of Economic Geology

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Exempt from FLSA

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Earliest Start Date:

Aug 01, 2026

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue Until Jul 31, 2027

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Location:

PICKLE RESEARCH CAMPUS

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Job Details:

General Notes

This is for a one-year, in-person position at the J.J. Pickle Research Campus in North Austin.

About the Research Group:

The successful candidate will join an elite, fast-moving, and tightly integrated research cohort at the Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG), Jackson School of Geosciences, UT Austin. We are a small but exceptionally strong team dedicated to pioneering innovative experimental and modeling techniques that bridge the gap between laboratory-scale physics and field-scale implementation. Our mission centers on developing next-generation solutions for energy security, efficiency, and sustainability.

This position is backed by robust, newly secured project funding. This position offers a premier opportunity for an ambitious researcher to publish high-impact science, develop highly sought-after expertise in complex subsurface fluid transport, and collaborate directly with leading industry and federal stakeholders. We provide a rigorous, supportive environment designed to launch successful careers in both advanced industrial R&D and academic leadership.

Purpose

The primary objective of this role is to quantify and simulate the complex transport dynamics, mobility, and structural interactions of gases and fluids confined within tight, stressed reservoir matrices of shale rocks (unconventional reservoirs). This role combines rigorous laboratory operations (measuring effective permeability, diffusion, and adsorption) in rock samples with nano-Darcy permeability with analytical or numerical modeling to investigate how dynamic stress-sensitivity governs macro-scale reservoir performance.

Responsibilities

  • Core Transport Experiments: Operate and modify advanced gas expansion/liquid transient flow systems to measure CO2 (gas and supercritical phase) mobility, effective permeability, molecular 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 petrophysical, diffusion, relative permeability, and stress-dependent parameters into compositional reservoir models to perform robust sensitivity and production forecast studies.

  • Strategic Integration: Work closely with the lab formulation team to translate fluid-interface mechanics into numerical transport constraints, preparing technical frameworks for upcoming field-scale pilot deployments.

Required Qualifications

  • PhD in Petrophysics, Petroleum Engineering, Geomechanics, Chemical Engineering, Geosciences, or a closely related geosystems discipline.

  • Proven experimental expertise in high-pressure core experiments, petrophysical measurements (effective permeability, porosity), or fluid transport phenomena.

  • Deep fundamental understanding of fluid transport mechanisms in tight/unconventional formations (diffusion, adsorption, Darcy vs. non-Darcy flow).

  • Strong capability in data analysis, scripting, or laboratory automation (Python, MATLAB, or LabVIEW).

PhD must have been obtained within 3 years from date of hire.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Extensive proficiency with commercial compositional reservoir simulators (e.g., CMG GEM, ECLIPSE) and a proven track record of history-matching laboratory core-floods.

  • Experience or strong fundamental training in Geomechanics (stress-strain relationships, fracture conductivity, or rock mechanics).

  • Experience utilizing digital rock physics, image analysis, or CT scanning to evaluate multi-phase flow displacement.

Salary Range

$65,000+ depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

  • May work around chemical fumes

  • May work around chemicals

  • May work around standard office conditions

  • Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation

  • Use of manual dexterity

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

  • Occasional travel intrastate, interstate, and international

  • Occasional fieldwork as necessary

Required Materials

  • Resume/CV

  • 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor

  • Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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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.

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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.

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Background Checks:

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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:

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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.