We are looking for a highly creative and motivated postdoctoral fellow to work 
in the project involving numerical simulations of interplay between flow, 
transport and chemical reactions in porous media in the context of carbon 
mineralization. Carbon mineralization plays a crucial role in addressing climate 
change by converting CO2 into stable minerals, enabling sustainable carbon 
capture. The process involves two stages: firstly, water saturated with CO2 
dissolves silicate minerals, and then CO2 reacts with the released cations to 
form secondary carbonate mineral deposits. However, a common challenge arises 
when the main flow paths become obstructed by precipitate, leading to the 
spontaneous halt of the reaction. In this project, our aim is to explore 
strategies for overcoming these limitations. We hypothesize that by harnessing 
the inherent couplings between flow and reaction within such a system, we can 
effectively direct the reaction to ensure the continuous formation of new flow 
paths. By doing so, we anticipate achieving a uniform distribution of the 
secondary carbonate minerals throughout the medium. Through an investigation of 
the interplay between flow dynamics and the dissolution-precipitation reaction, 
we seek to uncover the mechanisms governing the formation, shape, and lifetime 
of structures that spontaneously emerge. Understanding these underlying 
principles will provide insights into optimizing the efficiency of the carbon 
mineralization process.

The basic tool used in the project will be a dynamic-topology pore-network model 
of chemically transforming porous medium. The medium will be modeled as a system 
of interconnected pipes with the diameter of each segment changing as the result 
of the chemical reactions. Moreover, the topology of the network will be allowed 
to change dynamically during the simulation: as the diameters of the eroding 
pores become comparable with the interpore distances, the pores will be joined 
together thus changing the interconnections within the network. With this model, 
we will investigate different growth regimes in an evolving porous medium, 
allowing for both erosion and precipitation of the minerals. We will incorporate 
nucleation events, and consider different models of reactive area evolution, 
including passivation processes on mineral surfaces. We seek candidates with 
expertise in one or more of the following areas: numerical modeling of reactive 
transport in porous and fractured media, fluid dynamics, physical processes in 
geology, geochemical self-organization or applied mathematics. A strong 
background in continuum mechanics and programming, and fluent English are also 
necessary.

The position start date is flexible. The salary is 9000 PLN gross (~2100 EUR) 
per month, which is competitive for the cost of living in Warsaw. The contract 
includes health coverage for Poland and EU. The post holder will have access to 
travel funds for international meetings/conferences. Inquiries and applications 
should be sent by email to Piotr Szymczak (pa.szymczak@uw.edu.pl). Applications 
should include a detailed CV, a cover letter with a short statement of research 
interests and motivation and two names of potential referees. Complete 
applications should be received before Feb 15, 2025 for full consideration. 
Later applications will also be accepted until the suitable candidate is 
identified. More information about the research in the group: 
http://www.fuw.edu.pl/~piotrek