PhD Projects 2016

University of Aberdeen

3 PhD positions awarded (highlighted in blue) from 9 approved projects

  • The thermal maturity, timing, geometric properties and geomechanical controls on fractures in shale multi-layers (Supervisors: Dr Clare Bond, Dr David Muirhead, Prof. Rob Butler, Dr Ryan Schackleton (University of W. Virginia), Dr Graham Leslie (BGS)
  • Oil-filled fractures in fractured basement: Towards a deeper understanding of a new hydrocarbon play West of Shetland (Lancaster Field)  (Supervisors: Dr Alex Brasier, Dr Dave Healy, Robert Trice (Hurricane Energy)
  • Deformation adjacent to mobile evaporite bodies – modelling approaches and outcrop examples from the Alps  (Supervisors: Prof. Rob Butler, Dr Clare Bond, Dr Rod Graham)
  • Extending the life of mature basins in the North Sea and imaging sub-basalt and sub-intrusive structures using seismic intensity monitoring  (Supervisors: Dr Luca De Siena, Dr David Healy, Dr Nick Schofield)  PhD student: Panayiota Sketsiou
  • Unconventional sub-basalt imaging and geological interpretation in terms of porosity/permeability in buried volcanic basins  (Supervisors: Dr Luca De Siena, Dr Dave Healy, Dr Nick Schofield)
  • Determining the main controls on fault-associated dolomitisation and their influence on reservoir quality distribution  (Supervisors: Dr Enrique Gomez-Rivas, Dr Joyce Nielson, Dr Juan Diego Martin-Martin (University of Barcelona))
  • The seismic response of hydraulically-fractured, poorly-consolidated mudstone and sandstone  (Supervisors: Dr D. Iacopini, Prof. Adrian Hurst, I.Lecomte (NORSTAR))
  • Characterisation of glacigenic reservoirs and landsystems using sedimentology, geomorphology and virtual outcrop mapping (Supervisors: Dr Brice Rea, Prof. John Howell, Dr Matteo Spagnolo, Dr David Cornwell)   PhD student: Bartosz Kurjanski
  • Hydrocarbon prospectivity of the inshore basins along Scotland’s West Coast (Supervisors: Dr Nick Schofield, Prof. Adrian Hartley, Prof. John Howell, Dr David Muirhead, Prof. John Underhill (Heriot-Watt))  PhD student: Laura-Jane Fyfe

University of Birmingham

1 PhD position awarded (highlighted in blue) from 3 approved projects

  • A micropalaeontological and sedimentological understanding of Mesozoic cyclic sedimentation  (Supervisors: Dr Ian Booker.  Phil Wilby (BGS), Mark Woods (BGS))
  • Phytoplankton productivity and organic matter export in a marginal sea  (Supervisors: Dr Tom Dunkley-Jones, James Bendle, Andy Henderson (University of Newcastle))
  • The Neogene evolution of the NE Atlantic: multi-proxy constraints on stratigraphy, palaeoclimate and palaeogeography  (Supervisors: Dr Steve Jones, Dr James Bendle, Dr Tom Dunkley-Jones)  PhD student: Jonathan Hall

Cardiff University

1 PhD position awarded (highlighted in blue) from 2 approved projects

  • Fluid flow paths through sedimentary basins: Implications for exploration in challenging geological environments  (Supervisors: Dr Tiago Alves, Dr Joana Gafeira (BGS))  PhD student: Chantelle Roelofse
  • Megablocks on continental margins and their potential as reservoir units  (Supervisors: Dr Iago Alves, Dr Davide Gamboa)

University of Dundee

1 PhD position awarded (highlighted in blue) from 3 approved projects

  • Future Liability for Abandonment Failures  (Supervisors: Prof. Colin Reid, Prof. Andrea Ross, Dr Tom Dyer)
  • Investigating the effect of noise from Oil & Gas activities on the collective behaviour of fish and marine mammals  (Supervisors: Dr Raluca Eftimie, Prof. Terry Dawson)
  • Understanding hydrocarbon impacts on vegetation and detection with remote sensing  (Supervisors: Dr Mark Cutler, Dr Glyn Bengough)  PhD student: Raquel Serrano Calvo

University of Durham

3 PhD positions awarded (highlighted in blue) from 9 approved projects

  • Geomechanics in Digital Rock Analysis  (Supervisors: Dr Will Coombs, Prof. Gary Couples (Heriot-Watt University), Dr Ed Llewellin)
  • Diagenetic Controls of Reservoir Quality in Carboniferous Tight Gas Sandstones  (Supervisors: Prof. Jon Gluyas, Prof. Andy Aplin, Dr Stuart Jones)
  • Understanding the Controls on Fines Migration in Sandstones  (Supervisors: Prof Chris Greenwell, Dr Nicola de Paola, Dr Pablo Bubillas, Ian Collins (BP))   PhD student: Catriona Sellick
  • Fault-void fills – pervasive and persistent fluid flow pathways in fractured crystalline and carbonate reservoirs  (Supervisors: Prof. Bob Holdsworth, Dr Richard Walker (University of Leicester), Prof Ken McCaffrey, Dr Susie Daniels (Geospatial Research Ltd.)
  • Structural geology and geomechanical significance of natural fractures in overburden successions  (Supervisors: Dr Jonathan Imber, Dr Will Coombs)
  • Statistical characterisation of fluvial sandbodies: implications for complex reservoir models  (Supervisors: Dr Stuart Jones, Dr Ian Jermyn (Mathematics – Durham) Prof. Ken McCaffrey, Dr Mark Allen)
  • Permeability reduction due to salt precipitation in sandstone formations  (Supervisors: Dr Simon Mathias, Dr Stefan Nielsen, Michelle Bentham (BGS))   PhD student: Charlotte Withers
  • Structural and Thermal Evolution of Continent-Ocean Fracture Zones  (Supervisors: Prof Ken McCaffrey, Dr Jeroen van Hunen, Prof Richard Davies (Newcastle), Dr Lara Kalnins)  PhD student: Pavlos Farangitakis
  • From the bottom to the top: identifying natural geological linkages from deep formations to the surface  (Supervisors: Prof. Fred Worral, Prof Richard Davies (University of Newcastle), Dr Alwyn Hart (Environment Agency))

University of Exeter (Camborne School of Mines)

1 PhD position awarded (highlighted in blue) from 4 approved projects

  • An integrated remote sensing-numerical modelling approach for evaluation and optimisation of hydrocarbon reservoir performance  (Supervisors: Prof. John Coggan, Dr Mirko Francioni)
  • Formation-scale changes in clay mineralogy of mudrocks – unravelling the contributions of source terrains, palaeoclimate, and diagenesis  (Supervisors: Prof. Steve Hesselbo, Dr Kate Littler)
  • Sediment sources across the grain size spectrum  (Supervisors: Prof. Steve Hesselbo, Dr Ian Bailey, Dr Robin Shail)
  • Investigating Paleogene strata from Oman and the UAE; new insights from integrated chemostratigraphy, sedimentology and biostratigraphy  (Supervisors: Dr Kate Littler, Prof. Steve Hesselbo, Dr Aisha Al Suwaidi (Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi), Dr Laura Cotton (School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong)  Student: Charlotte Beasley

University of Glasgow

1 PhD position awarded (highlighted in blue) from 3 approved projects

  • The formation and evolution of continental rift flank topography and adjacent basins: analysis of the Rukwa-Malawi sector of the East African Rift   (Supervisors: Prof. Roderick Brown, Dr Daniel Koehn, Dr Cristina Persano, Prof. Finlay Stuart (SUERC))
  • A New Reservoir Characterisation Tool: A High Resolution Study on the Effect of Increasing Burial Depth and Temperature on the Carbonate Clumped Isotope Palaeothermometer  (Supervisors: Dr John MacDonald, Dr Daniel Koehn, Prof. Adrian Boyce (SUERC), Dr Enrique Gomez-Rivas (University of Aberdeen))
  • Constraining the thermal histories of the Carboniferous Midland Valley of Scotland: a potential resource for unconventional gas and shale oil?  (Supervisors: Dr Cristina Persano, Prof. Roderick Brown, Dr Brian Bell, Prof. Finlay Stuart (SUERC), Dr Alison Monaghan (BGS))  Student: Eamon McKenna

Heriot-Watt University

3 PhD positions awarded (highlighted in blue) from 9 approved projects

  • Prediction of flow through fractures and maximising recovery under geological uncertainty and geomechanical constraints  (Supervisors: Dr Vasily Demyanov, Prof. Gary Couples, Dr Dan Arnold)
  • Modelling of Geo-mechanical – Hydro-mechanical Coupling in Fractured Reservoirs  (Supervisors: Dr Florian Doster, Prof. Sebastian Geiger)  Student: Mark Ashworth
  • Development of natural and sustainable bio-dispersants for the Oil & Gas industry  (Supervisors: Dr Tony Gutierrez, Dr Eileen Bresnan (MSS), Dr Alejandro Gallego (MSS), Dr Louise O’Hara Murray (Oil & Gas UK), Prof Ibrahim Banat (University of Ulster), Prof. Roger Marchant (University of Ulster))   Student: Christina Nikolova
  • Numerical Diagenesis of Reservoir Rocks  (Supervisors: Dr Helen Lewis, Dr Jim Buckman, Dr Zeyun Yang)
  • Bots in Rocks: Intelligent Rock Deformation for Fault Rock Petrophysical Properties  (Supervisors: Dr Helen Lewis, Prof. David Flynn, Dr Jim Somerville)
  • Analysis of shale mineralogy and fabric and its induced anisotropic seismic response for hydrocarbon exploration and production.  (Supervisors: Prof. Dorrik Stow, Dr Xiaoyang Wu (BGS), Dr Xian Yang (BGS)  Student: Iain Anderson
  • Enhanced Geological Modelling of Turbidites Using Physical Models to Calibrate Erosion and Deposition Processes  (Supervisors: Dr Karl Stephen, Dr Alan Cuthbertson, Prof. Dorrik Stow)
  • Evaluating the geological case for carbon dioxide gas storage capacity in depleted fields and saline aquifers  (Supervisors: Prof. John Underhill, Dr Rachel Jamieson)
  • Geomechanical, geophysical, and geothermal properties of gas hydrate-bearing permafrost sediments: Macro experiments and micro mechanisms  (Supervisors: Dr Jinhai Yang, Dr Jingsheng Ma)

Imperial College London

3 PhD positions awarded from 8 approved projects

  • Rapid and Reliable Numerical Tools for Design and Control in Reservoir Engineering  (Supervisors: Dr Fangxin Fang, Prof. Matthew Jackson)
  • Constraining reservoir distribution by linking stratigraphic architecture and sediment mass balance  (Supervisors: Prof. Gary Hampson, Dr Alex Whittaker, Dr Gareth Roberts)  Student: Christopher Brewer
  • Inversion of downhole self-potential measurements for real-time waterfront imaging in hydrocarbon reservoirs  (Supervisors: Prof. Matthew Jackson, Dr Chris Pain, Dr Jan Vinogradov (University of Aberdeen))
  • Sedimentology and Thermal history of Carbonate-rich shales (Jura region, France and Switzerland): a dual approach combining fieldwork and clumped isotopes  (Supervisors: Prof. Cedric John, Dr Cathy Hollis (University of Manchester))
  • Geological life cycle inventory model development for conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon resources  (Supervisors: Prof. Anna Korre, Dr Zhenggan Nie)  Student: Muhammad Ahsan
  • A new sub-grid scale modelling approach for reservoir simulation  (Supervisors: Prof. A. Muggeridge, Dr Chris Pain)
  • Pore scale modelling of foam flow in porous media (Supervisors: Dr Stephen Neethling, Dr Pablo Brita-Parada, Dr Paul Grassia (University of Strathclyde))
  • Quantifying the relationship between structural growth rate and the morphology of submarine channels and reservoir facies from shelf-edge to deep water  (Supervisors: Dr Alex Whittaker, Dr Lidia Lonergan, Prof. Mike Mayall)   Student: Hamish Mitchell

Keele University

2 PhD positions awarded (highlighted in blue) from 4 approved projects

  • Structural, stratigraphic and geodynamic controls on the evolution of the Carboniferous succession of northern England and southern Scotland  (Supervisors: Dr Stuart Egan, Dr Graham Leslie (BGS))
  • The Permian Whitehill Formation (Karoo Basin, South Africa): deciphering the complexity and potential of an unconventional gas resource  (Supervisors: Prof. Annete Goetz, Dr. Stuart Clarke)
  • Sedimentary controls on secondary processes: Deformation bands in reservoirs  (Supervisors: Dr Ian Stimpson, Dr Oliver Wakefield (BGS), Dr Tom Randles (BGS))  Student: Karl Clark
  • Climatic cyclicity and environmental interactions in arid continental basins: The Leman Sandstone, Southern North Sea  (Supervisors: Dr Stuart Clarke, Dr Jamie Pringle, Dr Phil Richards (BGS), Dr Tom Randles (BGS))   Student: Charlotte Priddy

University of Manchester

3 PhD positions awarded (highlighted in blue) from 9 approved projects

  • Assessing the atmospheric impacts of exploration for shale gas in the UK  (Supervisors: Dr Grant Allen, Dr Carl Percival)
  • The role of sedimentary process mix and sequence stratigraphy in prediction of reservoir quality and sealing capacity of shelf mudstones: the Magoffin Shale, central Appalachian basin, USA  (Supervisors: Prof. Steven Flint, Dr Rhodri Jerrett)
  • Pore-Scale Imaging of Cross Fault Flow in High Porosity Sandstones using High Pressure-Temperature Fluid Tomography (Supervisors: Dr David Hodgetts, Dr Thomas Seers)
  • Determination of basin-scale fluid flux to understand porosity distribution within mature carbonate basins  (Supervisors: Dr Cathy Hollis, Dr Greg Holland, Dr Hilary Corlett (Alberta Geological Survey))   Student: Jack Stacey
  • Impact of glaciation on arctic petroleum systems: seismic geomorphology and petroleum systems modelling offshore West Greenland and West Norway  (Supervisors: Dr Mads Huuse, Prof Jonathan Redfern, Wim Koue (Cairn))   Student: David Cox
  • An Integrated Study for Optimum Designing of Low Salinity Water Composition in Sandstone Reservoirs  (Supervisors: Dr Vahid Joekar-Kiesar, Dr Cathy Hollis, Dr Hassan Mahani (Shell))
  • Syn-sedimentary sliding and substrate deformation in deep-marine lobe systems  (Supervisors: Dr Ian Kane, Prof. Steven Flint, Dr Michal Warchol)
  • Deep-marine reservoir heterogeneity in steep-sided minibasins – influence of basin physiography on sedimentological processes and basin-fill character  (Supervisors: Dr Ian Kane, Dr Mads Huuse, Dr Kristina Bakke (Equinor))  Student: Euan Soutter
  • Influence of lithofacies, stress state and fluid saturation on shale permeability, with implications for enhanced effectiveness of shale gas recovery  (Supervisors: Dr Julian Mecklenburgh, Prof Ernest Rutter, Dr Kate Brodie)

Newcastle University

1 PhD position awarded (highlighted in blue) from 2 approved projects

  • The role of asphaltenes in emulsion stabilisation formed by ocean oil spills  (Supervisors: Dr Geoffrey Abbott, Dr Nicholas Parker)
  • Evolution of mechanical properties of organic matter in fine grained rocks  (Supervisors: Dr Cees van der Land, Dr Mohamed Rouainia, Dr Zeyun Jiang (Heriot-Watt University), Prof Gary Couples (Heriot-Watt University), Prof Tom Wagner (Heriot-Watt University))  Student: Thomas Fender

University of Nottingham – University of Birmingham partnership

2 PhD positions awarded (highlighted in blue) from 3 approved projects

  • Novel characterization methods for pore systems of seal rocks in reservoirs used for downhole hydrogen production and storage.  (Supervisors: Prof. Sean Rigby (University of Nottingham), Dr Matthew Hall, Prof. Joe Wood (University of Birmingham))    Student: Eleanor Pitcher
  • Unlocking Natural Catalysis in Subsurface Oil Recovery.  (Supervisors: Prof. Joe Wood, Dr Sean Rigby (University of Nottingham), Prof. Lynne Macaskie)
  • In-situ Upgrading of Oil Using Naturally Occurring Clay Minerals and Hydrotalcites.  (Supervisors: Prof. Joe Wood (University of Birmingham, Prof. Sean Rigby (University of Nottingham))   Student: Ryan Claydon

University of Oxford

3 PhD positions awarded (highlighted in blue) from 6 approved projects

  • Tracing oil and gas reservoir contributions to shallow fluid systems.  (Supervisors: Prof. Chris Ballentine, Dr Peter Barry)
  • The propagation and growth of polygonal faults.  (Supervisors: Prof. Joe Cartwright, Prof. Bruce Levell)  Student: James King
  • Exploiting sparse structures in seismic modelling and inversion.  (Supervisors: Dr Tarje Nissen-Meyer, Dr Karin Sigloch)
  • Calcite-Aragonite Seas and porosity prediction: A New Approach (EARTH-16-RR1).  (Supervisors: Dr Rosalind Rickaby, Prof Hugh Jenkyns, Dr Andy Gale (University of Portsmouth))
  • Palaeoenvironmental controls on the deposition and development of organic-rich sediments in the North Atlantic: insights into deep-water source rocks?  (Supervisors: Prof. Stuart Robinson, Prof. Gideon Henderson, Prof. Hugh Jenkyns, Dr Alex Dickson, Dr Mica Ruhl)  Student: Joe Katchinoff
  • Authigenic mineral corrosion and the origins of secondary porosity in lacustrine carbonate reservoirs: An experimental approach.  (Supervisors: Dr Nicholas Tosca, Prof. Paul Wright (National Museum of Wales)  Student: Sascha Roest-Ellis

Royal Holloway University of London

2 PhD positions awarded (highlighted in blue) from 3 approved projects

  • New methods for forecasting the permeability of fractured reservoirs. (Supervisors: Prof. Agust Gudmundsson, Dr Saswata Hier-Majumde)  Student: Kayode Adeoye-Akinde
  • Methane emissions from the UK gas industry. (Supervisors: Dr David Lowry, Prof. E Nisbet)
  • Numerical modelling of reactive multiphase flow in low-porosity reservoirs  (Supervisors: Dr Saswata Hier-Majumde, Prof. Agust Gudmundsson)   Student: Paul-Ross Thomson

University of Southampton

3 PhD positions awarded (highlighted in blue) from 9 approved projects

  • Active fault kinematics during non-volcanic rifting in East Africa  (Supervisors: Dr Derek Keir, Prof. Johnathan Bull)
  • Bayesian analysis of marine controlled source electromagnetic data for a laterally-variable subsurface  (Supervisors: Dr Romina Gehrmann, Prof. Tim Minshull, Prof Stan Dosso (University of Victoria, Canada))
  • Characterising the permeability and structure of onshore and offshore chimney structures – relevance to Carbon Capture and Storage  (Supervisors: Prof. Johnathan Bull, Dr Tom Gernan, Prof. Angus Best (NOCS))
  • Clastic Shelf Plays, Reservoirs and Seals: New insights through the correlation of high resolution seismic imaging of Quaternary and terrestrial analogues  (Supervisors: Prof. Justin Dix, Dr Esther Sumner)
  • Crustal and sedimentary structure of the Eastern Black Sea Basin from long-offset seismic reflection data  (Supervisors: Prof. Tim Minshull, Hector Marin Moreno (NOCS))  Student: Vanessa Monteleone
  • Reconstructing the ocean floor shape in turbidite basins using seismic interpretation, forward modelling, and outcrop analogues  (Supervisors: Dr Esther Sumner, Dr Frank Peel (Imperial College London), Dr Gillian Apps (University of Texas, Austin), Dr Doug Paton (University of Leeds), David Stanbrook (Murphy Oil))   Student: Donald Christie
  • Subsea impact assessment using active and passive acoustic inversion methods  (Supervisors: Dr Mark Vardy (NOCS), Dr Mike Clare (NOCS), Dr Matthieu Cartigny (NOCS), Dr Mohammed Belal (University of Southampton – Mathematics), Dr Matthew Himsworth (University of Southampton – Physics)
  • Triggering of giant submarine landslides and implications for hydrocarbon structures  (Supervisors: Dr Antonis Zervos, Dr Michael Clare (NOCS), Dr Mark Vardy (NOCS))
  • Unconventionals of Green River Formation Oil Shales  (Supervisors: Dr Jessica Whiteside, Prof John Marshall)   Student: Amy Elson

University of Strathclyde

1 PhD position awarded (highlighted in blue) from 3 approved projects

  • How likely is high-amplitude earthquake shaking for UK oil and gas installations?  (Supervisors: Dr John Douglas, Prof. Zoe Shipton)
  • Crystal growth in pores: creating and controlling fracture.  (Supervisors: Dr Andrea Hamilton, Prof Alessandro Tarantino, Prof. Daniele Zonta)
  • Assessment of potentially toxic element sources in UK Unconventional Gas Resources.  (Supervisors: Dr Joanna Renshaw, Prof. Zoe Shipton)  Student: Izabella Otalega