Research Faculty

The Geosciences Department at Virginia Tech invites applications for a postdoctoral associate in CO2 sequestration and geothermal energy working under the supervision of Dr. Manoochehr Shirzaei (Geosciences).
The candidate will join an interdisciplinary team of faculty and students researching carbon capture, enhanced geothermal energy, induced seismicity, and their links to future water-energy security and climate change. The candidate's major task (~80% of the time) is developing and applying sophisticated poromechanical fluid diffusion and earthquake nucleation models to understand better the induced seismicity process at CO2 sequestration sites and enhanced geothermal plants that lead to journal publications. The successful candidate will also have the opportunity to mentor students (~20% of the time) and collaborate on grant proposals.

Required Qualifications

- Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering, mechanical engineering, mathematics, physics, earth sciences, or related fields. PhD must be awarded no more than four years prior to the effective date of appointment with a minimum of one year eligibility remaining.
- Knowledge of poromechanical modeling.
- Candidate must have strong skills in a technical programming language, such as MATLAB, PYTHON, or C++.

Preferred Qualifications

- Knowledge of GIS, numerical modeling, leadership skills, teaching, and writing experience.

Appointment Type

Restricted

Job Description

The Geosciences Department at Virginia Tech invites applications for a postdoctoral associate in CO2 sequestration and geothermal energy working under the supervision of Dr. Manoochehr Shirzaei (Geosciences).
The candidate will join an interdisciplinary team of faculty and students researching carbon capture, enhanced geothermal energy, induced seismicity, and their links to future water-energy security and climate change. The candidate's major task (~80% of the time) is developing and applying sophisticated poromechanical fluid diffusion and earthquake nucleation models to understand better the induced seismicity process at CO2 sequestration sites and enhanced geothermal plants that lead to journal publications. The successful candidate will also have the opportunity to mentor students (~20% of the time) and collaborate on grant proposals.

Required Qualifications

- Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering, mechanical engineering, mathematics, physics, earth sciences, or related fields. PhD must be awarded no more than four years prior to the effective date of appointment with a minimum of one year eligibility remaining.
- Knowledge of poromechanical modeling.
- Candidate must have strong skills in a technical programming language, such as MATLAB, PYTHON, or C++.

Preferred Qualifications

- Knowledge of GIS, numerical modeling, leadership skills, teaching, and writing experience.

Appointment Type

Restricted

Review Date

November 15, 2022

Additional Information

Interested candidate should upload a cover letter, an updated CV, and the contact information of two references.

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.