Postdoctoral Position in Process

pOrganisation/Company ETH Zürich Research Field Engineering » Chemical engineering Engineering » Mechanical engineering Engineering » Other Physics » Thermodynamics Physics » Other Technology » Energy technology Technology » Environmental technology Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Application Deadline 11 Jan 2027
- 22:59 (UTC) Country Switzerland Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No /p h3Offer Description /h3 pPostdoctoral Position in Process Energy Systems Modeling /p pThe Geothermal Energy Geofluids (GEG) Group is a renowned research unit in the Department of Earth Planetary Sciences at ETH Zurich in Switzerland investigating subsurface mass and energy transfer processes alongside thermal-fluid energy conversion and process plant systems. We conduct fundamental and applied research addressing societal challenges related to geothermal energy exploration, extraction, and utilization, geologic CO₂ sequestration, subsurface energy and fluid storage, direct lithium extraction from brines, and coupled surface-subsurface systems. /p pProject background /p pWe are seeking a bProcess Energy Systems Modeling Engineer/Scientist /bto strengthen our group as a bPostdoc /b in physics-based numerical modeling, software development, and engineering analysis of engineered energy and fluid systems, ranging from geothermal power plants to fluid (e.g., water, brine, CO2, H2, hydrocarbons) and mineral (e.g., lithium) processing facilities. /p pA core focus of this position is the bco-development of an open-source power plant and wellbore flow simulator /bnatively integrated into TANGO, our platform for techno-economic analysis of a wide range of geoenergy systems, and capable of standalone simulation. Functioning as the engineering counterpart to our geothermal reservoir simulator (RAFT), you will advance this tool, couple it to RAFT and other TANGO modules, and conduct techno-economic assessments across geothermal direct heat and power plants, district heating systems, CO₂ utilization and sequestration, direct lithium extraction, and natural hydrogen systems. /p pbThis unique hybrid role spans the entire development chain: /btranslating physical thermal-fluid problems into mathematical models, implementing them into robust engineering and scientific software tools, simulating complex engineering systems, and conducting techno-economic evaluations. The position complements our existing scientific software team by bringing dedicated expertise in power plant engineering, process technology, thermal-fluid system design, and techno-economic optimization. /p ul liPhysics-Based Modeling Tool Development: Formulate, implement, and maintain numerical models and custom scientific modeling software for energy and process components, such as heat exchangers, expanders, turbines, pumps, compressors, separators, condensers, piping networks, and wellbores /li liSystem Simulation Optimization: Simulate, optimize, and analyze integrated energy conversion systems, including geothermal power plants, binary/Organic Rankine Cycles (ORC), flash steam systems, thermal utilization networks, CO₂ compression/injection facilities, and process streams /li liTechno-Economic Assessment: Integrate physical process models with economic calculations to evaluate project viability, estimating Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE), Levelized Cost of Heat (LCOH), Levelized Cost of Lithium (LCOL), equipment cost estimation (cost correlations, cost-index scaling, CAPEX/OPEX), net present value (NPV), and sensitivity analyses /li liCoupled Surface-Subsurface Engineering: Develop and apply computational models for coupled surface-subsurface fluid flow, heat transfer, and pressure/temperature evolution across surface facilities and wells /li liScientific Software Implementation: Write clean, modular, and reusable scientific code (primarily in Python) following modern development practices, including version control (Git), automated testing, code style/linting, and clear technical documentation /li /ul pProfile /p pbRequired Qualifications Experience /b /p ul liEducation: PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Process Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Energy Engineering, Thermal Engineering, Computational Engineering, or a related engineering field /li liCore Engineering Physics: Strong technical grounding in engineering thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and energy conversion systems /li liNumerical Modeling Programming: Proven capability in developing physics-based numerical simulators and models of thermal-fluid or power plant systems from governing equations, implementing them in scientific/engineering software (preferably Python, using scientific libraries) using version control and testing in a collaborative environment /li liEngineering Mindset: A strong passion for bot