PhD Student / PhD Student

Your Tasks

The project Reactive Transport Modeling (Hydraulic Chemical) at the Pore Scale and Upscaling to Reservoir Scale develops advanced pore-scale reactive transport modeling capabilities. It extends an in-house lattice Boltzmann-based transport solver to explicitly resolve microstructural evolution in reservoir rocks driven by mineral dissolution and precipitation. These simulations quantify how coupled flow, transport, and chemistry processes lead to 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 improve 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. This integration enables realistic simulations, efficient parameter exploration, and reduced-order model generation.

Expected Outcomes

• Implement the Lattice Boltzmann (LB) solver for modeling processes at the pore scale in 2D/3D realistic multimineral pore structures (synthetic and tomography-driven).
• Develop surrogate models to accelerate the simulation of chemistry and couple them 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 the University of Bern. 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 die 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 method would be beneficial.
• Understanding of geochemical modeling and reactive transport fundamentals.

Horizon Europe MSCA Mobility Rule: Candidates must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the host organization (Switzerland) for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately preceding the recruitment date, unless as part of a compulsory national service or a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention. Horizon Europe MSCA Eligibility Criteria: Doctoral Candidates (DC) must, at the date of recruitment by the host organization, not have been awarded a doctoral degree. Applicants must be eligible to enroll in a PhD program at the University of Bern.

We Offer

PSI: Our institution thrives on interdisciplinary, innovative, and dynamic collaboration. You will benefit from systematic on-the-job training, personal development opportunities, and our rich vocational training culture. If you wish to optimally balance work and personal life, our modern employment conditions and on-site infrastructure can support you.

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.

Apply online using the form below. Only applications matching the job profile will be considered.

Application Details

Application Deadline: April 30th, 5 PM CET

Applications and enclosures received after the deadline will not be considered.

Expected Starting Date: October 1st, 2026.

Please refrain from inquiring about the status of the selection process; we will inform you as soon as there is an update.

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.