Senior Research Engineer

Leidos is seeking an exceptional and motivated Senior Research Engineer to work as a research scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory’s (NETL) Pittsburgh, PA site. In this role, you will collaborate with NETL’s Production team to address challenges in low permeability and complex fluid dynamics in shale formations by developing and testing secondary recovery methods, such as the injection of water, natural gas, or carbon dioxide with additives.

About the role

You will engage with world-class researchers and engineers, integrating expertise in reservoir engineering, subsurface geochemistry, fluid characterization, geomechanics, and advanced diagnostic imaging. This opportunity provides:

• Work on applied, cutting-edge projects with global impact alongside the nation’s leading energy scientists and engineers.
• Real-world experience supplemented with technical development and discussions across mission-critical engineering and scientific disciplines.
• Access to world-class, customized facilities and computational assets specific to high-impact energy research and technology development.
• Support for proposal development focused on expanding industry and scientific partnerships and new technical opportunities for NETL.

Responsibilities

• Lead rock characterization, including oil saturation mapping, mineral analysis, porosity, and permeability.
• Lead fluid characterization, including pressure-volume-temperature measurements, interfacial tension, contact angle measurements, and additive evaluation for fluid selection optimization.
• Design and conduct laboratory tests to enhance oil and gas recovery from unconventional reservoirs by simulating subsurface conditions, quantifying recovery rates, and determining dominant recovery mechanisms under various injection scenarios.
• Collaborate with the reservoir modeling team to integrate laboratory results with field-scale models.
• Evaluate fracture and proppant properties under varying stress conditions.
• Engage with key industry experts and leading scientists using state-of-the-art equipment to contribute to broader DOE goals for secure and efficient oil and gas systems.
• Perform comprehensive literature reviews and summarize the state of knowledge for topics relevant to enhanced oil recovery.
• Interpret model outputs and document findings in peer-reviewed studies, technical reports, and internal/external presentations.
• Lead collaboration with an interdisciplinary team, including geologists, geographers, chemists, computer scientists, environmental scientists, and other researchers.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in petroleum engineering or a related scientific/engineering field with 6+ years of job-related experience, or a Ph.D. with 3+ years of job-related experience.
• Experience interpreting XRD, CT, and SEM for mineral analysis.
• Experience with interfacial science, including contact angle measurements, interfacial tension, and wettability alteration.
• Experience utilizing Nuclear Magnetic Resonance scanning for oil saturation mapping.
• Experience interpreting complex experimental data using tools like Python or MATLAB.
• Experience conducting research as part of a multi-disciplinary team in a leadership role.
• Experience designing and conducting dynamic core-flooding experiments under reservoir pressure and temperature.
• Experience with chemical EOR design, such as surfactants, polymers, and injected gas systems.
• Ability to meet requirements for gaining access to work on the NETL campus.

Preferred Qualifications

• Mastery of advanced theories, concepts, and principles of petroleum engineering, particularly concerning enhanced oil and gas recovery in unconventional reservoirs.
• Experience using Artificial Intelligence to predict field performance and accurately model unconventional formations.

Pay

Salary range for this position: $120,000 to $130,000.