KTP Associate - CCUS Engineer (fixed term 3 years)

Job Summary

Robert Gordon University is an innovative, inclusive, impactful & professionally-focused institution focused on demand-led teaching & research. Ranked Scottish University of the Year (Times & Sunday Times Good University Awards (2021)), Top modern university (Complete University Guide), we also have an impressive array of other awards, including Gold Rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework.

RGU's modern campus, located on the outskirts of the vibrant & prosperous city of Aberdeen, offers a superb place to live, work and develop your career. This one of the most impressive university campuses you'll find anywhere in the world, with first-class educational infrastructure & outstanding sporting & leisure facilities set against a stunning rural backdrop on the banks of the river Dee.

Transforming today's technology for tomorrow's world - that's the ethos at Robert Gordon University's School of Computing, Engineering and Technology. We combine a wide range of expertise in Engineering with purpose-built facilities & strong commercial links. We work closely with local, national & international companies to ensure that we continue to provide professional learning that meets the demands of employers. The result is an impressive suite of degree programmes at all levels.

This is an exciting opportunity for an ambitious CCUS Engineer to fast-track their career development as a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Associate, utilising skills in fluid flow, geochemical reactions, and geomechanical failure at pore scale with a specific focus on complex multi-physics modelling. The successful candidate will undertake a 36-month collaborative project between North Sea Well Engineering Limited (Norwell) https://www.norwellengineering.com/ and Robert Gordon University (School of Computing, Engineering and Technology), jointly funded by Innovate UK and Norwell. The post will be based at the company’s offices in Westhill, Aberdeenshire. As a CCUS Engineer, your responsibility will be to develop novel frameworks and models for assessing the risk of corrosion and CO₂ leakage during injection and storage of CO₂ in abandoned legacy wells. A multi-physics modelling approach will be employed, that accounts for geology, geochemistry, geomechanics and fluid flow, validated with experimental laboratory investigations. To further inform this multi-physics approach, the candidate will employ ab initio quantum chemistry and molecular dynamics methods using software on a dedicated cluster or supercomputer.

Norwell Engineering is part of the Elemental Energies group, a global well engineering and subsurface consultancy. Norwell provides cutting edge solutions to complex CCUS problems and geothermal energy developments, well engineering challenges associated with decommissioning and general well engineering services.

You will receive extensive practical and formal training, gain marketable skills, broaden their knowledge and expertise within an industrially relevant project, and gain valuable experience from industrial and academic mentors. The KTP Associate will also benefit from a Personal Development Budget of £6,000.

This post is subject to a Disclosure Scotland check. For more information visit: https://www.mygov.scot/basic-disclosure/

We would particularly welcome applications from women as they are under-represented in this area of our workforce.

RGU's ultra-modern campus, located on the outskirts of the vibrant and prosperous city of Aberdeen, offers a superb place to live, work and develop your career. A relocation package is available to assist with your transition to RGU, where you’ll enjoy working in one of the most impressive university settings in the UK, with first-class educational infrastructure and outstanding sporting and leisure facilities, all set against a stunning rural backdrop on the banks of the river Dee. More information can be found on our relocation pages

As per the UKVI immigration rules, this role may be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route.  Sponsorship under this route is dependent on factors specific to the applicant and if tradeable points can be used under the rules. For KTP’s we will also consider eligibility under the Global Talent Visa route.

JOB DESCRIPTION

RESPONSIBLE TO: Mr Nick Low / Dr Gbenga Oluyemi

RESPONSIBLE FOR: No Supervisory Responsibilities

PURPOSE OF POST: To take the lead role in developing a software tool for evaluating well integrity and CO₂ leakage risks of CCUS projects to enable long-term storage of CO₂ in abandoned legacy wells

PRINCIPAL DUTIES:

• Deliver the project objectives as detailed in the KTP project workplan.
• Take a leading role in identifying, assessing and addressing project risks and challenges on an ongoing basis to ensure successful completion of the project
• Collaborate with the supervisory teams in the University and company partners to write and publish technical papers based on the project outcomes
• Maintain an up-to-date project plan and provide regular progress reports.
• Organise project technical and progress meetings
• Deliver presentations to immediate project team members and other stakeholders.
• Undertake any other duties as may be reasonably assigned by the University and company partners
• Contribute to embedding the project outcomes in teaching and learning of related engineering subjects in the University
• Contribute to the enhancement of the University research profile through publications, collaborations and community engagement

Person Specification

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

Qualifications and Professional Memberships

Must hold a 2.1/Merit MSc/MEng/MPhys in Oil and Gas Engineering, Petroleum Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics or Mathematical Science

Knowledge and skills

Good knowledge of chemical and physical principles that underpin CO₂ storage in subsurface formation including fluid flow, geochemical reactions, and geomechanical failure at pore scale.

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills are required, to allow effective communication with a range of individuals from technical, academic, and business backgrounds.

Teamwork and flexibility.

Innovative, driven and willing to learn new skills.

Experience

Academic or industrial experience in CCUS or Oil and Gas.

Experience of developing software products or tools.

DESIRABLE REQUIREMENTS

Qualifications and Professional Memberships

A PhD in Oil and Gas Engineering, Petroleum Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics or Mathematical Science

Knowledge

General Awareness of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) values and behaviour.

Experience

Project management experience.

Change management experience.