PDRA for ENI UK Energy Futures Project

Job Description

We are seeking a motivated and collaborative individual to join our team as a Postdoctoral Research Associate. This role offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research supporting the UK’s energy transition, as part of the UK Energy Futures Research Partnership.

The post will focus on advancing research into CO₂ Plume Geothermal (CPG) systems. This is a fixed-term Grade 6 role, starting July/August 2026, based at The University of Manchester.

Responsibilities

• Developing advanced thermodynamic and compositional reservoir simulations for CO₂-based geothermal systems
• Investigating the impact of geological heterogeneity on CO₂ flow, heat extraction and long-term storage
• Applying GPU-based modelling frameworks and machine-learning-enhanced approaches to fluid flow in porous media
• Collaborating with academic and industry partners across the UK Energy Futures consortium
• Disseminating research through high-quality peer-reviewed publications, reports and conference presentations

Essential Criteria

• A PhD in a relevant engineering discipline (e.g. chemical engineering, fluid mechanics or reservoir engineering)
• Proven research expertise in fluid flow modelling in porous media
• Experience with advanced computational approaches, including GPU-based modelling and/or data-driven methods
• A strong publication record relevant to the project area
• Ability to work collaboratively within multidisciplinary and international research teams

Desirable Criteria

• Expertise in fluid flow modelling across multiple length scales
• Experience contributing to supervision of postgraduate research projects
• Experience developing or working with in-house or industry-standard simulation tools