PhD Candidate DeepNL project: Numerical modelling and geophysical inversion for characterization of the Dutch subsurface

Job description

The global initiative to complete the energy transition by 2040 puts tremendous pressure on governments and industries. The need for any nation to know the potential of its subsurface to meet the future demand for energy and raw materials, as well as its storage capacity (e.g. CO2, H2) and associated hazards (e.g. induced seismicity, subsidence), is more critical than ever for informing exploration efforts, strategic economic planning, environmental policies, and decision-makers.

The Netherlands has invested a significant part of its GDP in data acquisition programs in the past 30 years. However, the formal integration and inversion of all available and complementary data (e.g. seismic, satellite, borehole, gravity, magnetic, etc.) have not been yet fully exploited for obtaining unifying, multi-parameter and internally consistent models of the subsurface at scales relevant for informing regional and nation-wide exploration efforts and strategic environmental planning. This project will develop novel ways of characterizing the physical state of the subsurface beneath the Netherlands via the formal integration of multiple geophysical, geochemical/petrological and petrophysical data into a single physics-based framework. Specifically, you will adopt and expand a simulation-based, multi-observable probabilistic platform (e.g. Afonso et al., 2016; 2022) capable of inverting all available datasets simultaneously. Advanced numerical (e.g. FE methods, reduced order methods) and inversion (e.g. AI-based, McMC-driven) techniques will be applied and expanded to create innovative multi-observable inversion platforms for subsurface characterization.

You will collaborate closely with researchers at Delft University of Technology, Utrecht University, and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. You will be a member of a large and dynamic geophysics/computational geodynamics team of PhD students and post-doctoral fellows.

Your profile

• MSc degree in Geophysics, Physics, Engineering Geology or equivalent
• Enthusiastic attitude to conduct research individually and as part of a team
• Experience with geophysical datasets (e.g. seismic, potential fields, etc).
• Experience in scientific computer programming (e.g. Fortran, Matlab or Python)
• Familiar with Numerical Methods for Partial Differential Equations. Familiarity with geochemistry, inverse theory and/or thermodynamics is highly desirable, but not essential.
• Good communication and writing skills in English

Our offer

• An inspiring multidisciplinary, international and academic environment. The university offers a dynamic ecosystem with enthusiastic colleagues in which internationalization is an important part of the strategic agenda
• Full-time position for 4 years with a qualifier in the first year
• A professional and personal development programme within Twente Graduate School
• Gross monthly salary of € 2,770.- in the first year that increases to € 3,539.- in the fourth year
• A holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary and a year-end bonus of 8.3%
• Excellent support for research and facilities for professional and personal development
• A solid pension scheme
• A total of 41 holiday days per year in case of full-time employment
• Excellent working conditions, an exciting scientific environment, and a green and lively campus

Information and application

For more information about the position, you can contact Dr J.C. Afonso (e-mail: j.c.afonso@utwente.nl). You are also invited to visit [our homepage[(https://www.itc.nl).

Please submit your application before 30 April 2024 including:

• A motivation letter (maximum 1 A4 pages) clearly stating your specific research interest, qualifications and motivation to apply for this position
• A detailed CV with (at least two) references, including a list of publications
• A list of all courses that you have attended, and the grades obtained

Applications that do not include all three will not be considered.

Short-listed candidates will be invited for an online interview which will probably take place in the 3rd week of June 2024.

About the department

The department of Applied Earth Sciences combines earth scientific knowledge with dynamic modelling and advanced remote sensing, to analyse earth systems and processes in space and time. Our goal is to contribute to global challenges concerning future demands for earth resources and to help reduce disaster risk and the impact of natural hazards on communities living in changing environments.

About the organisation

The Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) provides international postgraduate education, research and project services in the field of geo-information science and earth observation. Our mission is capacity development, where we apply, share and facilitate the effective use of geo-information and earth observation knowledge and tools for tackling global wicked problems. Our purpose is to enable our many partners around the world to track and trace the impact – and the shifting causes and frontiers – of today’s global challenges. Our vision is of a world in which researchers, educators, and students collaborate across disciplinary and geographic divides with governmental and non-governmental organisations, institutes, businesses, and local populations to surmount today’s complex global challenges and to contribute to sustainable, fair, and digital societies.