Geothermal Modeling Graduate Student Employee

Job Description

Geothermal Modeling Graduate Student Employee | EPRI

The Tone:
This is a graduate student internship at EPRI, located remotely with options for an EPRI office or hybrid arrangement. EPRI’s Geothermal R&D Group conducts research in geothermal subsurface modeling to advance understanding of reservoir behavior and its integration with power generation and grid models. This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to cross-disciplinary research central to the future of low-carbon, firm renewable energy. The internship aims to support ongoing research and offers mentorship from a multidisciplinary team.

The TL;DR
• Role: Internship
• Type: Part-time to Full-time (15-40 hours/week)
• Location: Remote/Home Based
• Pay: $16–$36 hourly
• Team: EPRI’s Geothermal R&D Group, collaborating with EPRI scientists and engineers.
• Mission: Support ongoing research in geothermal subsurface modeling to advance understanding of geothermal reservoir behavior and its integration with surface systems, power generation, and grid/market models.
• Tech Stack: Python

What You’ll Actually Do
• Model Development: Collaborate with EPRI researchers to develop and apply geothermal subsurface models, including coupled THMC simulations, reservoir characterization, or reactive transport workflows.
• Data Analysis and Integration: Analyze geothermal datasets and integrate model outputs with surface-level and grid/market models to support geothermal power generation insights.
• Tooling and Documentation: Contribute to tool development, modeling workflows, and documentation, primarily utilizing Python.
• Research and Review: Conduct comprehensive literature reviews on geothermal modeling, reservoir processes, and related areas.
• Communication and Reporting: Support report writing, presentations, and communication of key findings to internal and external stakeholders.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Graduate student, with a preference for PhD students, in earth sciences, energy resources, mechanical engineering, geophysics, computer science, or a related field.
• Experience: Demonstrated quantitative, computational, and thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) modeling skills, specifically experience with THMC modeling, geothermal reservoir modeling, or related numerical simulations.
• Skills: Excellent Python skills, comfort working with scientific computing libraries, strong technical aptitude with quantitative methods, numerical modeling, and data analysis. Excellent research, writing, and communication skills are also required.
• Bonus: Experience with reactive transport modeling, geochemistry, or geothermal datasets, and familiarity with the geothermal energy literature, reservoir processes, and/or energy systems integration.