Job Description

• • About the job

    The postdoctoral fellowship position is a temporary position where the main goal is to qualify for work in senior academic positions.

    Safe subsurface CO2 storage requires no leakage from the reservoir to the top surface (seafloor or on land) over an indefinitely long time. The required containment has implications for characterization and operation of the storage site, and not least, for the surrounding rock. This is an area where geomechanical evaluation together with seismic characterization and monitoring is crucial for a successful CCS project.

    The postdoctoral project is focused towards geomechanical processes associated with injection operations where pore pressure, stresses and temperature change within the storage reservoir as well as in the surroundings. The work will be based on experiments performed in SINTEF's Formation Physics laboratory, supported by data available from open literature. The work will be performed in collaboration with the PhD on numerical modelling, supervised by Prof. Alexandre Lavrov. The main objective of the work described here will be to contribute to a toolbox for assessing the influence of injection-induced stress, pore pressure and temperature changes on cap rock integrity and within the storage reservoir. Emphasis will be on identification of crucial parameters for assessment of geomechanical and rock physics contributions to 4D seismic monitoring and forecasting of leakages.

    Overall, the proposed project will aim to address the following research questions:

    • How does cooling of reservoir and overburden formations affect stress and pore pressure changes during injection?
    • What are the key parameters required to perform required analysis of cap rock and reservoir integrity, and how can they most reliably be measured or obtained through indirect measurements / modelling?

    Your immediate leader is Head of Department.

    Duties of the position

    • Thermo-Poro-Elastic laboratory characterization of anisotropic shale and reservoir rock cores
    • Analysis of experimental data to extend to numerical simulations (VISAGE), with collaboration with Prof. Alexandre Lavrov

    Required selection criteria

    • You must have completed a Norwegian doctoral degree or corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognized as equivalent to a Norwegian PhD in Geoscience or Engineering. If you can document that the PhD thesis has been submitted, your application can be assessed even if you have not yet defended your dissertation. Documentation of the obtained doctoral degree must be presented before you can take up the position. 
    • Document a good understanding of the role of stress, temperature and fluids on the mechanical properties of rocks or similar materials
    • Document a strong background in laboratory experiments
    • Demonstrate competence in programming or numerical modelling
    • Provide a strong scientific record in peer-reviewed publications 

    The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, Ph.D Candidate, research assistant and specialist candidate.

    Preferred selection criteria

    • Interest in carbon capture and storage
    • Knowledge of shale mechanical properties
    • Good written and oral English language skills

    Personal characteristics

    • Focused
    • Collegial
    • Good communication skills

    Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities.

    We offer 

    • exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment 
    • an open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues 
    • favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund 
    • employee benefits 

    Salary and conditions

    As a Postdoctoral Fellow (code 1352) you are normally paid from gross NOK 594 500 per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund

    The period of employment is 3 years.

    The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU.  

    After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

    The position is subject to external funding.

    It is a prerequisite you can be present at and accessible to the institution on a daily basis.

    About the application 

    The application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English.

    Publications and other scientific work must be attached to the application. Please note that applications are only evaluated based on the information available on the application deadline. You should ensure that your application shows clearly how your skills and experience meet the criteria which are set out above.  

    If, for any reason, you have taken a career break or have had an atypical career and wish to disclose this in your application, the selection committee will take this into account, recognizing that the quantity of your research may be reduced as a result. 

    The application must include: 

    • CV and certificates
    • transcripts and diplomas for bachelor's-, master's- and PhD degrees. If you have not yet completed your Ph.D, you must provide confirmation on your estimated date for the doctoral dissertation, or that your PhD thesis has been submitted
    • A copy of the doctoral thesis. If you are close to submitting, or have recently submitted your thesis, you can attach a draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed doctoral degree must be presented before taking up the position.
    • Academic works - published or unpublished - that you would like to be considered in the assessment (up to 3 items)
    • Research plan
    • Name and contact information of three referees

    If all, or parts, of your education has been taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education. Description of the documentation required can be found here. If you already have a statement from NOKUT, please attach this as well. 

    Joint works will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint works, you must attach a brief description of your participation. 

    In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal and interpersonal qualities. Motivation, ambitions, and potential will also count in the assessment of the candidates. 

    NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA. 

    General information 

    Working at NTNU 

    NTNU believes that inclusion and diversity is a strength. We want our faculty and staff to reflect Norway’s culturally diverse population and we continuously seek to hire the best minds. This enables NTNU to increase productivity and innovation, improve decision making processes, raise employee satisfaction, compete academically with global top-ranking institutions and carry out our social responsibilities within education and research. NTNU emphasizes accessibility and encourages qualified candidates to apply regardless of gender identity, ability status, periods of unemployment or ethnic and cultural background.

    NTNU is working actively to increase the number of women employed in scientific positions and has a number of resources to promote equality. (tas bort hvis ikke aktuelt) 

    The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the innovation capital of Norway with a population of 200,000. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality.  

    As an employee at NTNU, you must at all times adhere to the changes that the development in the subject entails and the organizational changes that are adopted. 

    A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you want to reserve yourself from entry on the public applicant list, this must be justified. Assessment will be made in accordance with current legislation. You will be notified if the reservation is not accepted.

    If you have any questions about the position, please contact professor Jessica Ann McBeck, e-mail jessicmc@ntnu.no, or professor Suzanne McEnroe, e-mail suzanne.mcenroe@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Consultant Anne-Lise Brekken, e-mail: anne.lise.brekken@ntnu.no.

    If you think this looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates attached. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Upon request, you must be able to obtain certified copies of your documentation. 

    Application deadline: 30.07.2024. 

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