Geothermal Postdoctoral Fellow

The University of Texas at Austin • Austin, TX

10d • Onsite

About The Position

The Bureau of Economic Geology at The University of Texas at Austin is seeking a 1-year Postdoctoral Fellow in Geothermal Engineering. This role will focus on reservoir flow conformance and control technologies for next-generation Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS). The fellow will conduct research to characterize and manage fracture connectivity, optimize fluid distribution in granites and sedimentary rocks, maximize heat sweep efficiency, reduce preferential flow, delay thermal breakthrough, and enhance long-term thermal recovery from EGS. The position also involves modeling, evaluating, and optimizing innovative engineering solutions, including chemical, mechanical, completion-based, and operational flow control strategies. Research will integrate 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.

Requirements

• 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

Nice To Haves

• 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

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.

Benefits

• Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) or Optional Retirement Program (ORP)
• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree