Postdoctoral Scholar-Chemo-Mechanical Modeling of Porous Materials

Penn State University • University Park, IL

3d

About The Position

The College of EMS at Penn State is hiring a postdoctoral scholar to develop computational methods for modeling the coupling of chemical reactions, mechanical deformation, and failure in porous materials. The work will resolve these processes at the pore scale and connect them to engineering-scale behavior, with applications including geologic CO2 storage and mineralization, cement and concrete degradation, in-situ hydrogen generation, nuclear waste isolation, geothermal energy extraction, and electrochemical energy storage.

This is a computational position. The scholar will lead model formulation, algorithm development, and software implementation, working closely with the PI and graduate students conducting related laboratory experiments. Opportunities include mentoring students, co-leading a conference workshop, and releasing open-source software and benchmark data to the research community.

The position is funded for one year from the date of hire, with renewal for a second year anticipated upon satisfactory performance. The expected start date is Spring or Summer 2027 and is negotiable. This is a term position; continuation beyond the term discussed during the interview will depend on university need, performance, and/or funding availability.

Requirements

• A PhD in engineering, applied mathematics, geosciences, physics, computer science, or a closely related field by the date of hire.
• Demonstrated experience implementing numerical methods for partial differential equations in research code written by the candidate, rather than solely through commercial finite-element, fluid-dynamics, or multiphysics packages.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in computational solid and fracture mechanics, particularly phase-field or other diffuse-interface formulations.
• Experience in reactive transport and flow in porous media.
• Experience in poromechanics and continuum thermodynamics.
• Experience with discretization schemes for coupled multiphysics systems, such as FVM, FEM, or XFEM.
• Scientific programming experience in MATLAB, C++, or Python.
• Experience with high-performance computing.
• Experience bridging modeling and experiments.

Responsibilities

• Develop computational methods to model coupled chemical reactions, mechanical deformation, and failure in porous materials.
• Build models that resolve processes at the pore scale and connect them to engineering-scale behavior.
• Lead model formulation, algorithm development, and software implementation.
• Work closely with the PI and graduate students conducting companion laboratory experiments.
• Mentor students.
• Co-lead a conference workshop.
• Release open-source software and benchmark data to the research community.

Benefits

• Competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support personal and professional well-being.

What This Job Offers

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