PhD openings in low-carbon subsurface energy at Pennsylvania State University

Interested in working toward sustainable energy transitions? The Decarbonized Energy Systems Lab at Penn State University has 2 openings for PhD students in the Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering (www.eme.psu.edu ), starting in August 2022. Candidates who are broadly interested in CO2 or hydrogen storage are encouraged to apply, and especially candidates with background or interests in subsurface geochemistry or geomechanics. A Master’s degree and/or lab experience – particularly with high-pressure experiments – are helpful, but not requisite. Our team applies both experimental and modeling work to understand subsurface processes underpinning the development of emerging decarbonization technologies, including low-carbon energy production and dedicated geologic carbon sequestration, along with their environmental impacts.

Apply:

To apply and/or for more details, please contact Anne Menefee* ([email protected]) directly with a note on your research interests. Please begin the subject line of your email with “FA22-APP,” and also attach a CV; unofficial transcripts; contact information for 3 references; and a 1-2 page statement of purpose describing your background and motivation for pursuing a PhD. Apply by May 13, 2022 for consideration for the Fall 2022 semester.

*Anne Menefee (https://www.eme.psu.edu/directory/anne-menefee ) is an Assistant Professor of Energy and Mineral Engineering and co-funded faculty in the Institutes of Energy and the Environment (IEE). Her research is broadly focused on sustainable energy and carbon management systems. Much of this work targets subsurface systems that can be engineered for carbon sequestration and low-carbon energy production or storage. From a fundamental level, this involves understanding how geochemical reactions impact fracture networks in stressed geologic systems. At a systems level, her work evaluates the life cycle environmental implications of emerging energy technologies. Before joining Penn State, she earned a B.S. in civil engineering from the University of Virginia; M.S. and PhD in environmental engineering at the University of Michigan; and spent a year as a Director’s Postdoctoral Fellow at Los Alamos National Lab.