Join the CrossScale team to build next-generation reservoir models and reveal how geological heterogeneity shapes uncertainty, advancing safer, more reliable geo-energy forecasts.
Job description
As part of the CrossScale project within the DeepNL Programme, you will take a leading role in investigating how small-scale geological heterogeneities shape reservoir-scale behaviour and uncertainty. Your work will focus on bridging fine-scale geological detail and field-scale reservoir models by developing and applying robust upscaling strategies, and by assessing how these choices influence uncertainty at the reservoir and field scale.
You will build a suite of high-resolution reservoir models for a sector of the Groningen field using advanced geomodelling workflows. These models will capture realistic geological uncertainty across different levels and scales of heterogeneity. Through numerical simulations with open-DARTS, you will evaluate how geological complexity translates into reservoir performance and establish robust uncertainty bounds.
In parallel, you will develop and test a second set of reservoir models aimed at evaluating upscaling techniques and Representative Elementary Volume (REV) scales identified within the wider CrossScale project. You will also explore the integration of newly developed constitutive relations from other DeepNL projects into these simulations, assessing how these advanced formulations affect predicted reservoir behaviour.
Both the high-resolution and upscaled models will be calibrated using assisted history-matching methods in open-DARTS, incorporating production and compaction data from the Groningen field. Rather than reproducing the full production history, you will focus on recent data, and assess model quality through production forecasting and comparison with the most recent field observations.
You will benchmark the performance of the reference and upscaled models against models built using conventional workflows that do not employ the new upscaling methodology. This comparison is expected to demonstrate clear improvements in history-match quality and production-forecast reliability, highlighting the importance of appropriate REV identification and carefully designed upscaling strategies.
To quantify these improvements, you will apply global sensitivity analysis to evaluate the impact of varying REV scales and upscaling approaches. This analysis will identify the combinations that best reproduce the reference models and will provide a ranking of the geological heterogeneities that most strongly control reservoir characterisation and uncertainty at the field scale.
Through this work, you will contribute directly to advancing reservoir modelling practice by demonstrating that rigorous, geology-driven upscaling leads to more robust models and more reliable uncertainty estimates-insights that are critical for the safe and sustainable development of geo-energy projects.
Job requirements
As a successful candidate, you hold a PhD in reservoir engineering, geoscience, or a closely related field. You bring a strong foundation in reservoir engineering and multiphase flow, along with experience in reservoir simulation and programming, and an affinity for working with large and complex datasets. Experience with geoscience, geomechanics and geology is highly valued, but not a strict requirement.
Because this project sits at the interface of geology, reservoir engineering, and computational modelling, and CrossScale also has a strong social science component, you enjoy working in an interdisciplinary, international, and collaborative research environment. You communicate clearly and effectively, and you are motivated to engage with researchers across different backgrounds and expertise.
Are you enthusiastic about geo-energy? Do you have a solid background in geology, hydrogeology, or reservoir engineering, and feel that you are a strong match for this position, even if you do not meet every single requirement yet? We strongly encourage you to apply. We are keen to learn about your vision for this project and how your skills and experience could contribute to advancing the planned research.
TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)
Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.
At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.
Challenge. Change. Impact!
Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences
The Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences (CEG) is committed to outstanding international research and education in the field of civil engineering, applied earth sciences, traffic and transport, water technology, and delta technology. Our research feeds into our educational programmes and covers societal challenges such as climate change, energy transition, resource availability, urbanisation and clean water. Our research projects are conducted in close cooperation with a wide range of research institutions. CEG is convinced of the importance of open science and supports its scientists in integrating open science in their research practice. The Faculty of CEG comprises 28 research groups in the following seven departments: Materials Mechanics Management & Design, Engineering Structures, Geoscience and Engineering, Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Transport & Planning, Hydraulic Engineering and Water Management.
Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences.
Conditions of employment
- Duration of contract is 2 years. Temporary.
- A job of 30-38 hours per week.
- Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities.
- An excellent pension scheme via the ABP.
- The possibility to compile an individual employment package every year.
- Discount with health insurers on supplemental packages.
- Flexible working week.
- Every year, 232 leave hours (at 38 hours). You can also sell or buy additional leave hours via the individual choice budget.
- Plenty of opportunities for education, training and courses.
- Partially paid parental leave
- Attention for working healthy and energetically with the vitality program.
Will you need to relocate to the Netherlands for this job? TU Delft is committed to make your move as smooth as possible! The HR unit, Coming to Delft Service, offers information on their website to help you prepare your relocation. In addition, Coming to Delft Service organises events to help you settle in the Netherlands, and expand your (social) network in Delft. A Dual Career Programme is available, to support your accompanying partner with their job search in the Netherlands.
Additional information
For more information about this vacancy, please contact Sebastian Geiger, S.Geiger@tudelft.nl.
Additional information on the CrossScale project can be found here.
Application procedure
Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 31 March 2026 via the application button and upload the following documents:
- Recent CV.
- Motivation letter
You can address your application to Sebastian Geiger.
Please note:
- You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post.
- As part of knowledge security, TU Delft conducts a risk assessment during the recruitment of personnel. We do this, among other things, to prevent the unwanted transfer of sensitive knowledge and technology. The assessment is based on information provided by the candidates themselves, such as their motivation letter and CV, and takes place at the final stages of the selection process. When the outcome of the assessment is negative, the candidate will be informed. The processing of personal data in the context of the risk assessment is carried out on the legal basis of the GDPR: performing a public task in the public interest. You can find more information about this assessment on our website about knowledge security.
- Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.
