About NORCE
NORCE is a forward-looking research institute, with expertise in a wide range of fields and strong communities of knowledge. We deliver research and innovation in energy, health care, climate, the environment, society and technology.
Our solutions address key challenges for society and contribute to value creation on the local, national and global levels.
About the division Energy & Technology
NORCE Energy & Technology is a division at NORCE Norwegian Research Centre AS conducting interdisciplinary research, mainly within energy resources. The division has close to 200 scientific employees, organized into four departments, and has offices in Bergen, Stavanger, Haugesund, Kristiansand, Oslo and Tromsø. Research activity in the division has a particular focus on energy savings for the petroleum industry, geological carbon utilization and storage (CCUS) and renewable energy sources, energy systems, and energy storage.
About the project
If CO2 is to be stored safely underground, it is important to understand the long-term effects of storage. CO2 is a gas that is miscible with other fluids in the subsurface, and can react with minerals in the subsurface. These properties of CO2 will affect how CO2 moves in the subsurface, and it is important to understand the combined effect of transport and reaction in order to make decisions about injection strategies. CO2 can be injected into saline aquifer, abandoned gas reservoirs, also as carbonated water into oil reservoirs both under development and abandoned. The injection strategy will therefore include various types of CO2 storage types with specific challenges.
The available simulation tools today do not capture all the effects of how CO2 reacts with the subsurface, such as phase behavior, geochemical reactions, and how these reactions affect the movement of CO2 in the subsurface. Therefore improvement of simulation models, based on process understanding and existing field data, will be needed to study CO2 injection and long-term effect for maximizing the CO2 injection rate and storage utilization.
NORCE, in collaboration with IFE and University of Stavanger, has developed a reservoir simulation tool, IORSim, that is able to describe how fluids react chemically with minerals in the subsurface. We now plan to further develop this simulator to support future project planning and operation for safe CO2 storage. In addition, data input to the model to best describe the underground CO2 behavior will need, this may be prepared from published field operation data, laboratory measurement or other sources. Machine learning can be used to select the bet data set for each particular cases covering the operation life time and the long term storage behavior.
We are looking for a motivated candidate to join us for a 3-year PHD performed over 4 years in this development of IORSim. Possible research questions are:
• How and under what conditions will CO2 / carbonated water affect reservoir chemistry?
• How much and how long will it take under different conditions to capture CO2 as minerals?
• How will geochemical reactions affect the transport of fluids in the subsurface?
The PhD candidate will be enrolled at University of Stavanger (UiS, Frontpage | University of Stavanger), associated with the ongoing Petrosenter NCS2030 (NCS2030 – National Centre for Sustainable Subsurface Utilization of the Norwegian Shelf | University of Stavanger ), and with Felix Feldmann at Equinor and Prof Aksel Hiorth at UiS as main advisors. Contact Aksel Hiorth (Aksel Hiorth | Universitetet i Stavanger) for questions related to the PhD program at UiS.
Required skills, expertise and experience
Masters degree in petroleum, reservoir engineering or computer science.
We offer:
For the right candidate we offer:
- Exciting tasks and good colleagues in an internationally leading and recognized professional environment
- Collaboration with academic staff and students at universities and colleges
- Opportunities to work with exciting research tasks and expand your network together with NORCE
- Interdisciplinary work in and across teams
- Good opportunities for professional and personal development in an organization that values good performance
- Varied and flexible working day
How to apply
Your application must include
- A brief account of your research interests and motivation for applying for the position.
- The names and contact information of two references.
- CV (including a list of scientific publications).
- Transcripts, diplomas and relevant certificates
- The application and appendices with certified translations into English or a Scandinavian language must be uploaded at our recruitment portal Jobbnorge.
Application deadline: 14th September 2025
Candidates are expected to openly offer all relevant information about themselves during the recruitment process. Furthermore, one can expect that background checks can be conducted on all final candidates who may be checked against relevant lists to ensure compliance with applicable export control and sanctions rules. Candidates will be asked to provide information about affiliation to high-risk countries for a security assessment.
Contact information
Questions about the application process can be directed to Senior HR Adviser Bente Heggdal Martinsen, bema@norceresearch.no
Questions about the position
John C. Zuta
Research director
+47 90071638
jozu@norceresearch.no
