PostDoc in Geology Numerical Modelling

Organisation/Company CNRS Department Géosciences Environnement Toulouse Research Field Chemistry Biological sciences Pharmacological sciences Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Application Deadline 9 Oct 2026
- 23:59 (UTC) Country France Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 2 Nov 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Lithosphere-scale processes control the transfer of heat, fluids, and gases from the mantle to the crust, crustal deformation and the evolution of sedimentary basins through flexural isostasy in response. However, these large-scale processes are not fully integrated into the exploration of subsurface exploration workflows due to data resolution limitations and challenges in modeling. This knowledge gap limits our understanding of resource generation (natural hydrogen, geothermal energy, and minerals). The aim of the Post Doc project is to assess how the initial structure and thermal state of the continental lithosphere is influencing the stratigraphic and thermal evolution of foreland basins. The study area is the Aquitaine Basin, the retro-foreland of the Pyrenean Orogen whose sediment routing systems, stratigraphic architecture, and thermal history have been well constrained (geometries, paleo-geographies, wheeler diagrams, as well as, thermal, erosion and accumulation histories).

Using thermo-mechanical modelling coupled with surface process model the candidate will perform a set of numerical models of an orogen testing the impact of the inherited extensional deformation on (i) the sediment routing systems and associated sediment volumes transported from the range to the basin, (ii) the stratigraphic architecture of the retro-foreland from syn
- to post-orogenic transition and (iii) the thermal evolution of the retro-foreland sedimentary basin and the spatial distribution of potential reservoirs.

This PostDoc position is part of the PEPR « sous‑sol, bien commun » project IDYLLE (Impact of Lithosphere Dynamics and Basin Evolution on the Exploration of Energy Resources and Geological Potential) which is organized in seven multidisciplinary tasks, involving 24 researchers and 7 postdocs, aimed at expanding our understanding of subsurface natural resources. Key questions addressed in the IDYLLE project are variations in heat flux, lithosphere density, and their impacts on vertical motions, stratigraphy, and H₂ production/storage. IDYLLE addresses these gaps by focusing on the Aquitaine Basin and surrounding regions through: 1) collecting data on heat, fluid, and mantle degassing fluxes, and modelling thermal evolution of the lithosphere (WP1); 2) analysis of thermal events, subsidence, as well as modelling and production of H₂ in high-temperature contexts (WP2); 3) development of 3D sedimentary basin models integrating these data, and restore sedimentary architectures as well as fluid migration pathways through time and model the resulting distributions of heat and H2 fluxes and reservoirs properties at basin scale. The PostDoc will be supervised by Delphine Rouby (Géosciences Environnement Toulouse) and Ritske Huismans (University of Bergen). The candidate will also collaborate with Eric Lasseur (BRGM) and Cécile Robin (Géosciences Rennes). The PostDoc will be assigned to GET ( https://www.get.omp.eu/ ), a joint research unit of CNRS, IRD, Toulouse 3 University and CNES, a multi-disciplinary research laboratory in Earth and Environmental Sciences attached to the Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées ( https://www.omp.eu/ ), which brings together laboratories working in the sciences of the universe, the planet and the environment in the Midi-Pyrénées.

The candidate must have a training in general geology, structural geology and geology of sedimentary basin with, in particular, numerical modeling of geological processes (i.e, PhD in Earth Sciences or equivalent).