Postdoctoral Position in Process & Energy Systems Modeling

Organisation/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

Offer Description

Postdoctoral Position in Process & Energy Systems Modeling

The 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.

Project background

We are seeking a Process & Energy Systems Modeling Engineer/Scientist to strengthen our group as a Postdoc 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.

A core focus of this position is the co-development of an open-source power plant and wellbore flow simulator natively 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.

This unique hybrid role spans the entire development chain: translating 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.

• Physics-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
• System 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
• Techno-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
• Coupled 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
• Scientific 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

Profile

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Education: PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Process Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Energy Engineering, Thermal Engineering, Computational Engineering, or a related engineering field
• Core Engineering Physics: Strong technical grounding in engineering thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and energy conversion systems
• Numerical 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
• Engineering Mindset: A strong passion for both conceptual model development ("How should this system be modeled?") and practical software creation ("How do I build robust numerical tools to solve real engineering problems?")

Desired Experience & Additional Assets

• Professional Experience: Relevant industry or applied engineering experience in power plant engineering, process plants, or thermal-fluid systems is desirable
• Domain Expertise: In geothermal power generation, ORC cycles, geologic carbon capture and storage (CCS/CCUS), direct lithium extraction (DLE) from brines, or subsurface gas/energy storage
• Simulation Tools: Familiarity with equation-based, thermodynamic, or process simulation environments (e.g., TESPy, Aspen Plus, EES, Julia Modeling Toolkit, or Modelica), and fluid property libraries (e.g., CoolProp, REFPROP)
• Techno-Economics: Experience in techno-economic modeling, equipment cost correlations,uncertainty analysis, and physical process optimization
• Subsurface Integration: Understanding wellbore dynamics, multiphase flow, or coupled reservoir-surface infrastructure
• Advanced Computing: Competency in compiled languages (such as C++, Rust, or Julia) and multi-physics co-simulation standards (e.g., FMI/FMUs) andExperience in collaborative software development (e.g., Git workflows, code review)

The ideal candidate is a process modeling engineer who translates physics into math, a scientific developer who writes robust code, and an analyst who evaluates technical and economic system performance. In this role, you will both draw from and contribute to the rich multidisciplinary expertise within the GEG Group. This includes collaborating with our dedicated computing team, currently six experts in scientific and engineering computation, AI, and IT, as well as researchers specializing in subsurface thermal-hydraulic-mechanical-chemical (THMC) processes, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and geothermal power plant systems.

• High-Impact R&D Projects: Direct involvement in the Horizon Europe FlexGeo project and related Swiss and European initiatives, with opportunities for cross-sector collaboration with process and energy industry partners and opportunity to publish in peer-reviewed journals.
• Contract & Compensation: Initially, this is a 1-year contract (employed at competitive ETH Postdoc salary rates with full social benefits as shown here ),with a strong likelihood of extension, based on performance.
• Advanced Infrastructure: Access to world-class computational resources and specialized modeling tools within the Geothermal Energy & Geofluids (GEG) group.
• Comprehensive ETH Perks: Attractive employment conditions with numerous benefits, including generous pension plans, public transport season ticket discounts, car-sharing options, university childcare, and free/discounted sports programs through ASVZ.

Working, teaching and research at ETH Zurich We value diversity and sustainabilityIn line with our values , ETH Zurich encourages an inclusive culture. We promote equality of opportunity, value diversity and nurture a working and learning environment in which the rights and dignity of all our staff and students are respected. Visit our Equal Opportunities and Diversity website to find out how we ensure a fair and open environment that allows everyone to grow and flourish. Sustainability is a core value for us – we are consistently working towards a climate-neutral future .Curious? So are we.

Flexible Start Date: January 1, 2027, or as soon as possible thereafter.

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