Director of Berg-Hughes Research Center; Geoscience Energy Transition

The Berg-Hughes Center housed in the Department of Geology and Geophysics in the College of Arts and Sciences at Texas A&M University invites applications from dynamic and innovative geoscientists with a strong record of applying geologic principles to grand societal challenges related to the Energy Transition.  We seek individuals with demonstrated experience in leading large, multi-disciplinary teams, a strong research record, and success procuring funding from government and industry sponsors to become the Director of the Berg-Hughes Center (http://berg-hughes.tamu.edu ). This is a senior-level faculty position (tenured Associate Professor or Professor or non-tenured Associate Professor of the Practice, or Professor of Practice); the administrative appointment as director will be a three-year renewable term.  This is a 9-month full-time position with an anticipated start date of Fall 2024.

The Berg-Hughes Center educates geoscientists and engineers by applying principles of subsurface systems to solve challenges associated with the energy industry and energy transition.  The successful applicant will have the opportunity to collaboratively develop the vision to train the next generation of students through the Energy Transition from a primarily carbon-based energy system toward a more diversified subsurface-sourced, energy-related solutions portfolio.  The Director will provide leadership, guidance, effective coordination, and oversight of the Berg-Hughes Center to play a major role in the identification and development of the tools required to adapt to quickly evolving opportunities. 

The Berg-Hughes Center Director will be expected to lead the Center in developing vigorous and externally funded research programs in collaboration with faculty in the Department of Geology & Geophysics, other research units in the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Petroleum Engineering, the Texas A&M University Energy Institute and, externally, with government agencies and labs as well as with the energy industry.

The successful candidate should have broad knowledge to pursue active research in areas including, but not limited to, carbon sequestration, geothermal energy, subsurface energy and natural resources, and energy transition critical minerals, using approaches that might include sedimentology, sequence stratigraphy, sedimentary basin evolution and architecture, seismic interpretation, structural geology and tectonics, numerical and/or machine learning techniques or a related field.  The successful candidate is expected to mentor junior faculty, research scientists, and post-doctoral researchers to become independent geoscientists, aiding them toward achieving their ultimate career choices and guiding them toward raising external funds to support their own research. The successful candidate also will contribute to graduate mentoring, teaching, and research, and encourage a culture of publishing scientific results in top-tier journals.

Texas A&M University is a Hispanic serving land-, sea-, and space-grant university, located in a metropolitan area with a dynamic and international community with a population of ~ 270,000. Information about the Department of Geology and Geophysics is at (http://geogeo.tamu.edu).

Qualifications:

A Ph.D. in geology, geophysics, or a related discipline is required at the time of employment, and it is expected the successful candidate will have a minimum of 10 year's experience in academic and/or energy research.

Application Instructions:

For full consideration, applications should be received by April 10, 2024. We will continue to review applications until the position is filled. Interested applicants must apply through the Texas A&M University faculty job board hosted by Interfolio and upload the following:

Applicants interested in the tenured position must apply through the Texas A&M University faculty job board hosted by Interfolio at: apply.interfolio.com/141638

Applicants interested in the APT Professor of Practice position must apply through the Texas A&M University job board hosted by Interfolio at: apply.interfolio.com/141694.

Questions can be sent to Dr. Michael Pope ([email protected] ), Department of Geology and Geophysics, Texas A&M University, Search Committee Chair.

Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Veterans/Disability Employer.