Postdoctoral Scholar, Geoscience, Faculty of Science

We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the traditional territories of the people of the Treaty 7 region in Southern Alberta. The City of Calgary is also home to Métis Nation of Alberta, Region III.

Position Description

Postdoctoral Scholar(s) in Basalt Carbonation

Duration: 1 year with the possibility of extension, depending on progress and funding
Start date: Fall/Winter 2022-2023 (negotiable)
Salary: $50,000/year plus benefits
Application Deadline: Applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis, with a projected closing date of November 25, 2022

The Department of Geoscience in the Faculty of Science at the University of Calgary is accepting applications for a Postdoctoral Scholar(s) to work on basalt carbonation as a scalable climate change solution under the supervision of Dr. Benjamin Tutolo. The project is aimed at understanding the processes governing CO2 mineralization in basalts and could involve up to two postdoctoral researchers working in tandem.

The successful candidate(s) will: (a) perform elevated temperature-pressure laboratory experiments to examine the rates of cation release from basalts subjected to a range of initial pretreatment strategies and parameterize the rates of basalt carbonation under these conditions; and (b) utilize reaction path and fully-coupled reactive transport models to optimize injection strategies to maximize carbonation rates while navigating other factors such as cost. Successful candidate(s) will have routine access to the University of Calgary’s Advanced Research Computing cluster and hydrogeologic, geochemical, and reactive transport modeling software as well as an extensive suite of experimental and analytical tools for performing and characterizing water-rock-CO2 interaction experiments. More information about ongoing work in the Tutolo Reactive Transport Group at the University of Calgary www.geoscience.ucalgary.ca/reactive-transport/. 

The successful candidate(s) will have a PhD in the geosciences or related field, including but not limited to geology, geochemistry, hydrogeology, or engineering. Experience either performing water-rock interaction experiments, ideally at elevated temperatures and pressures OR using hydrogeological and/or reactive transport models is imperative; experience with both will be viewed advantageously but is not required. The position requires excellent communication and interpersonal skills, intellectual independence, and a willingness to explore unfamiliar aspects of the geosciences.

Major Duties/Responsibilities:

• Experimentally or numerically simulate basalt reservoir pre-treatment for enhanced carbonate mineralization
• Experimentally or numerically simulate the fate of injected CO2 following basalt reservoir pre-treatment
• Interact with collaborators to optimize pretreatment and injection strategies
• Present and report research results in peer-reviewed journals in a timely manner
• Maintain a safe, collegial, interactive, and welcoming research environment

Application Details:  
A single PDF file that includes: 1) a 2-page cover letter expressing interest in this position and summarizing previous research experience, 2) a CV with a list of all publications; and 3) the names and contact information of at least two referees with knowledge of your research and academic experience should be emailed to Dr. Benjamin Tutolo (benjamin.tutolo@ucalgary.ca).  Please also direct any inquiries about the position to Dr. Tutolo. Members of underrepresented groups are specifically encouraged to apply.

Additional Information

The terms and conditions of employment are covered under the UCalgary and PDAC Collective Agreement. To find out more about postdoctoral scholar program at the University of Calgary visit our Postdocs website .  

To learn more about postdoctoral scholar opportunities at the University of Calgary and all we have to offer, view our Postdoc Careers website .

The University strongly recommends all faculty and staff are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

About the University of Calgary

The University of Calgary is Canada’s leading next-generation university – a living, growing and youthful institution that embraces change and opportunity with a can-do attitude. Located in the nation’s most enterprising city, the university is making tremendous progress on its Eyes High journey to be recognized as one of Canada’s top five research universities, grounded in innovative learning and teaching and fully integrated with the community it both serves and leads. The University of Calgary inspires and supports discovery, creativity and innovation across all disciplines. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca .

About Calgary, Alberta

Calgary is one of the world’s cleanest cities and has been named one of the world’s most livable cities for years. Calgary is a city of leaders – in business, community, philanthropy and volunteerism. Calgarians benefit from the strongest economy in the nation and enjoy more days of sunshine per year than any other major Canadian city. Calgary is less than an hour’s drive from the Rocky Mountains and boasts the most extensive urban pathway and bikeway network in North America.

The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy in line with the foundational goals of Eyes High , committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.

As an equitable and inclusive employer, the University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding [diversity] EDI at UCalgary can be sent to the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (equity@ucalgary.ca ) and requests for accommodations can be sent to Human Resources (hrhire@ucalgary.ca ).