Postdoctoral Scholar-Chemo-Mechanical Modeling of Porous Materials

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Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants.

This is a term position; length of the term will be discussed during the interview process. Continuation past the term length discussed will be based on university need, performance, and/or availability of funding.

POSITION SPECIFICS

The College of EMS is seeking to hire one postdoctoral scholar to develop novel computational methods for modeling the coupling between chemical reactions, mechanical deformation, and failure in porous materials. Volume-changing reactions can fracture the solids that host them, and the resulting damage governs performance across a wide range of settings. These include geologic CO2 storage and mineralization, cement and concrete degradation, in-situ hydrogen generation, nuclear waste isolation, geothermal energy extraction, and electrochemical energy storage. The successful candidate will build models that resolve these processes at the pore scale and connect them to engineering-scale behavior.

The position is computational. The candidate will lead model formulation, algorithm development, and software implementation, and will work closely with the PI and with graduate students conducting companion laboratory experiments. There will be opportunities to mentor students, co-lead a conference workshop, and release open-source software and benchmark data to the research community.

Required: A PhD in engineering, applied mathematics, geosciences, physics, computer science, or a closely related field is required by the date of hire, along with demonstrated experience implementing numerical methods for partial differential equations in research code written by the candidate, rather than solely through commercial finite-element, fluid-dynamics, or multiphysics packages.

Desired: Experience in one or more of the following is desired: computational solid and fracture mechanics, particularly phase-field or other diffuse-interface formulations; reactive transport and flow in porous media; poromechanics and continuum thermodynamics; discretization schemes for coupled multiphysics systems (FVM, FEM, XFEM); scientific programming (MATLAB, C++, Python); and high-performance computing. Experience bridging modeling and experiments is valued but not required.

Application materials: Applicants should upload:

(1) a current CV including a list of publications;

(2) a statement of research interest and experience in the context of the qualifications above; and

(3) the names and contact information of three references. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

The position is funded for one year from the date of hire, with renewal for a second year anticipated upon satisfactory performance. The expected start date is Spring or Summer 2027 and is negotiable for the right candidate.

About the group: Yashar Mehmani is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering (EME) at The Pennsylvania State University, and a co-funded faculty member in the Institutes of Energy and the Environment (IEE). He received a BSc from Sharif University of Technology, Iran, followed by a PhD from the University of Texas at Austin. He was then a Postdoctoral Fellow and later a Research Scientist in the Department of Energy Science & Engineering at Stanford University. His lab focuses on the fundamental physics of fluid flow and mechanical deformation of porous materials, with a special emphasis on computing and scale translation. Further information about the lab is found at: www.mehmaniresearchgroup.com.

Informal inquiries are welcome and may be sent to Yashar Mehmani at [email protected]. Please begin the subject line with "Postdoc 2027 – " followed by your surname.

BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES

Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.

BENEFITS

Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional well-being.

For more detailed information, please visit our Benefits Page. (Note: For Postdoctoral benefits, please see our Postdoctoral Benefits page.)

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