Postdoctoral Research Associate in Engineering Seismology/Seismic Hazard Grade 7

The University of Liverpool invites applications for the position of Postdoctoral Research Associate in Engineering Seismology to work on the multi-institution inter-disciplinary project SeisGreen. This project, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), aims to understand, and mitigate the “induced seismicity” that might be caused by injecting fluids into rocks. Subsurface fluid injection will be a necessary component of many green energy technologies, such as geothermal energy, carbon sequestration, and subsurface hydrogen storage.

The SeisGreen project will analyse in detail the behaviour of fluid-driven seismic events and will develop a physically realistic model based on computer simulations, novel laboratory experiments, and comprehensive field observations. The resulting model will characterise the relationships between specific subsurface properties, the nature of the fluid injection, and the severity of the seismic event. These findings will be linked to hazard analysis, to identify the conditions under which processes such as carbon storage, deep geothermal energy extraction, and compressed-air energy storage, are more or less likely to create tremors. We will also investigate how to best share our scientific findings with regulators and the public so as to maximise the impact of this work.

Your role will be to work on the seismic hazard component of this project. You will use data and models, both developed within the SeisGreen project by others, and from the wider scientific community, to develop ground motion models (GMMs) and time-dependent hazard models for induced seismicity.

Any applicants who are still awaiting their PhD to be awarded should be aware that if successful, they will be appointed at grade 6, spine point 30.  Upon written confirmation that they have been successful in being awarded their PhD, they will be moved onto grade 7, spine point 31 from the date of their award. 

The University has the right to close the vacancy early if it is deemed that there have been enough applications received.