PhD Student / PhD Student

Your Tasks

The project Reactive Transport Modeling (Hydraulic Chemical) at the Pore Scale and Upscaling to Reservoir Scale focuses on developing advanced pore-scale reactive transport modeling capabilities by extending an in-house lattice Boltzmann-based transport solver. This extension explicitly resolves microstructural evolution in reservoir rocks driven by mineral dissolution and precipitation. These simulations quantify how coupled flow, transport, and chemistry processes cause dynamic changes in pore geometry, transport properties, and reactive surface area under geothermal conditions.

Building on these high-resolution models, the project establishes robust upscaling strategies to transfer pore-scale process understanding to geothermal reservoir scale reactive transport formulations while preserving key mechanistic controls.

To enhance computational performance and multiphysics couplings, the work integrates AI/ML methods (e.g., neural networks, neural operators) to accelerate both pore scale simulations and the associated upscaling workflows, enabling realistic simulations, efficient parameter exploration, and reduced-order model generation.

Expected Outcomes

• Implement Lattice Boltzmann (LB) solver for modeling processes at pore scale in 2D/3D realistic multimineral pore structures (synthetic and tomography-driven)
• Develop surrogate models to accelerate simulation of chemistry and couple with LB
• Quantify the impact of reactions and microstructural evolution on permeability and transport properties relevant to resource extraction, and derive mechanistic correlations for upscaling
• Integrate AI/ML-assisted sensitivity analysis and uncertainty quantification to evaluate prediction reliability and account for input data variability

You will be enrolled at the University of Bern and receive your PhD title from there. This position is part of the Marie Sklodowska Curie Action (MSCA) Doctoral Network (DN) -MiningBrines- (Multidisciplinary Integration and Networking for Increased Sustainability and Multi-Resources Valorization of Geothermal BRINES). You will have the status of a -SERI-funded MSCA DN Grantee-. As part of the MSCA DN, you will visit the Instituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Osservatorio Vesuviano (INGV) in Naples, Italy, the Geological and Mining Bureau (BRGM) in Orléans, France, the GFZ Helmholtz-Zentrum für Geoforschung in Potsdam, Germany, and Collaboration Betters the World (CBTW) in Germany for approximately 2 months each. You will collaborate closely with other MiningBrines research projects and participate in network training and workshops.

Your Profile

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant discipline
• Strong motivation for interdisciplinary research
• Excellent command of spoken and written English (mandatory)

Desirable Skills:

• Programming skills (e.g., Python or C). Familiarity with machine learning techniques is a plus
• Background in porous media flows or CFD. Experience with the lattice Boltzmann would be beneficial
• Geochemical modeling and reactive transport fundamentals

We Offer

PSI: Our institution is built on interdisciplinary, innovative, and dynamic collaboration. You will profit from systematic on-the-job training, personal development opportunities, and a strong vocational training culture. We support a balance between work and personal life through modern employment conditions and on-site infrastructure.

MiningBrines: An international network of 32 academic and industrial partners across multiple disciplines offers an innovative doctoral training program addressing Europe's strategic need for sustainable access to critical raw materials, energy gases, and renewable energies. You will benefit from interdisciplinary training in geosciences, biogeochemistry, artificial intelligence, and socio-economic analysis. The position is funded for 36 months with a competitive salary, allowances, and additional funding for technical training and conference participation.

Interested candidates are invited to apply online using the form below. Only applications matching the job profile will be considered.

Expected Starting Date

1 October 2026

Please refrain from asking about the status of the selection process; we will inform you as soon as there are any updates.

For further information, please contact Dr. Nikolaos Prasianakis at nikolaos.prasianakis@psi.ch

Paul Scherrer Institute, Human Resources Management, Serdal Varol, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland