Postdoctoral Researcher

Louisiana State University • Goodwell, OK

4d • Onsite

About The Position

The incumbent in this position will perform computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and transient multiphase flow modeling in support of PHMSA-funded pipeline safety research, including shrouding effects on pressurized liquefied natural gas (LNG) releases, atmospheric dispersion of hazardous releases, and pipeline leak detection using aerial distributed fiber-optic sensing (DFOS). The position will build, verify, and validate CFD models of multiphase, compressible, and turbulent flow with heat transfer on high-performance computing (HPC) resources, and will develop physics-based and data-informed digital twin tools for pipeline and well integrity applications. Related work in CO2 transport, injection, and well control and in geothermal thermal-hydraulics is also supported. Responsibilities include developing and validating models and simulation workflows, writing technical reports and peer-reviewed publications, presenting results, and supporting experimental facility development under faculty supervision.

Requirements

• Petroleum Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering or related with 0 years of experience
• Expertise in fluid mechanics/transport phenomena and heat transfer.
• Demonstrated experience in computational modeling/simulation of fluid flow and heat transfer, including computational fluid dynamics (CFD).
• Strong scientific programming skills (e.g., Python, MATLAB, and/or C/C++) are required.
• Evidence of peer-reviewed publication and strong written and verbal communication skills are required.
• A valid driver's license.

Nice To Haves

• Petroleum Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering or closely related with 0 years of experience.
• Demonstrated research record in CFD and transient multiphase flow, including hands-on use of CFD codes (e.g., OpenFOAM, ANSYS Fluent, STAR-CCM+) on HPC systems, turbulence and multiphase model selection, and validation against experimental data.
• Experience relevant to pipeline and facility safety: compressible or flashing releases, LNG/CO2 atmospheric dispersion modeling, leak detection, and distributed fiber-optic sensing (DFOS) data.
• Experience in wellbore thermal-hydraulics, coupled wellbore-reservoir modeling, geothermal or CO2 injection and well control, digital twin workflows, and version control is a plus.
• OSHA/University lab safety training

Responsibilities

• Perform computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and transient multiphase flow simulations for PHMSA-funded pipeline safety research, including shrouding effects on pressurized LNG releases, atmospheric dispersion of hazardous releases, and pipeline leak detection using aerial distributed fiber-optic sensing (DFOS).
• Build, verify, and validate CFD and reduced-order models of multiphase, compressible, and turbulent flow with heat transfer on high-performance computing (HPC) resources, and develop physics-based and data-informed digital twin workflows for pipeline and well integrity. Related applications include CO2 transport, injection, and well control, and geothermal thermal-hydraulics.
• Develop and validate models and simulation workflows, benchmark simulation results against experimental and field data, write technical reports and peer-reviewed publications, present results, and support experimental facility development under faculty supervision.
• Other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• health, life, dental, and vision insurance
• flexible spending accounts
• retirement options
• various leave options
• paid holidays
• wellness benefits
• tuition exemption for qualified positions
• training and development opportunities
• employee discounts

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level