For each project we are offering one PhD position (3 years) and additionally for project A a Post-doc position (2 years).

The Helmholtz Centre Potsdam GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences is the national Research Centre for Geosciences and a member of the Helmholtz Association. Two projects have been funded within section 2.6 Seismic Hazard and Stress Field, both with a strong emphasis on geomechanical nu-merical modelling of the contemporary 3D absolute crustal stress state in geothermal reservoirs.

PROJECT A - 3D stress state evolution of the geothermal field The Geysers. The Project is funded by the US Dep. of Energy and is a joint research project with GEISER (Geothermal Engineering Integrated Mitigation of Induced Seismicity in Geothermal Reservoirs, co-funded by the European
Commission). In the past years the number of induced earthquakes with magnitude>  4 in The Geysers geothermal field increased significantly. Most likely the cause of this increase is the massive re-injection of cold waste water. Focus of the project is to model the stress evolution
due to thermo-hydro-mechanical processes in order to understand the increase of induced seismicity.

PROJECT B - 3D absolute stress state of the Alberta Basin, Canada. The project is part of the Helmholtz Alberta Initiative (HAI) that aims to intensify the research collaboration with the University of Alberta, Edmonton, particularly in the areas of Energy and Earth and Environment.
One key project of HAI is the assessment of the geothermal energy potential in the Alberta Basin. Within this topic knowledge of the 3D absolute crustal stress state is a pre-requisite to assess the productivity of a future reservoir, the stability of the drilling and planning of reservoir stimulation.

For each project we are offering one PhD position (3 years) and additionally for project A a Post-doc position (2 years). The positions are integrated in the research group Stress Analysis and Geomechanical Numerical Modelling of the GFZ section 2.6. In the attached pdf you
can find more background information. I would appreciate if you forward this e-mail to your students and interested colleagues.


Oliver Heidbach

Head of the World Stress Map Project
Helmholtz Centre Potsdam
GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences
Section 2.6 Seismic Hazard and Stress Field
Telegrafenberg
14473 Potsdam
Germany

phone:  +49(0)331 288-2814
fax:    +49(0)331 288-1127

e-mail: heidbach@gfz-potsdam.de
web:    http://www.gfz-potsdam.de
    http://www.world-stress-map.org