Background
I am currently Research Director at NORCE Energy and hold a Professor II appointment in the Department of Physics and Technology at the University of Bergen. I also lead a national center for petroleum research, the Centre for Sustainable Subsurface Resources (CSSR), that in the next 8 years will perform research to develop new subsurface knowledge that can be use in the green transition. CSSR is awarded by the Research Council of Norway, with UiB as the main research partner in the centre.
I joined NORCE in 2011 (previously Uni Research) in Bergen as a senior researcher before being promoted to Chief Scientist in 2018. I hold a PhD in Civil and Environmental engineering from Princeton University in 2008. I was also awarded a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, funded by KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology).
My research and expertise is in computational methods and modeling of multiphase flow in porous media with particular focus on geological CO2 storage. Over the past 20 years, my research has contributed to improving our understanding of long-term processes in CO2 storage, migration, and containment, including the potential of leakage from legacy wells and faults. I have focused recently on understanding the role of pressure in large-scale storage and seeking more efficient commercial-ready simulation tools for appraising basin-scale regions for gigatonne storage development. I am also actively investigating multi-physics processes during CO2 storage in depleted oil/gas reservoirs related to wettability alteration and gravity-driven miscible flooding. I am also looking forward to working in newly awarded projects for subsurface hydrogen (H2) energy storage where we will model lab-based observations of coupled biogeochemical and flow processes impacting efficient energy storage.
I currently lead the research group in Computational Geosciences and Modelling, a multidisciplinary group of 11 permanent research staff and 2 postdoctoral researchers with PhDs in one of engineering, applied mathematics, physics or computer science. The core of the research group’s activities center around the Open Porous Media initiative (OPM), a collaborative open-source software development project, and the National IOR Center of Norway. The research group’s project portfolio is focused within CCUS and IOR, but also includes smaller projects within medical technology, climate modeling, microplastic pollution and geothermal energy. The group seeks to apply modeling and simulation expertise towards emerging applications in within energy, climate and the environment.
Track record
I have established a strong research track record: 60 papers in peer-reviewed journals and proceedings, research grant leadership of 15+ CCS- and H2-related projects.
Long-term academic-industry partnerships have played an active role in my research. As a PhD student, my project was part of the Carbon Mitigation Initiative, a long-term research center funded by BP. Joining NORCE, I was part of the scientific leadership in the Center for Environment Friendly Energy Research FME-SUCCESS, which was jointly funded by industry partners including Equinor, DEA, Octio. Most recently, I have projects in collaboration with TOTAL, Equinor, Aker Solutions, Wintershall-DEA, and the Norwegian CCS Centre.
Professional Service
I am currently serving as Associate Editor of the International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control (IJGGC) since 2019, which is a fantastic way to keep track of new developments in CCUS research. I am also on the Editorial Board for Petroleum Geoscience, with focus on application of geosciences to CO2 storage, energy storage and the energy transition.
I am also active in international networks tasked with coordinating research to meet global objectives for large-scale CCS deployment, including EERA CCS JP and IWG9. In addition, I have served as a panel member for the 2017 Mission Innovation: CCUS Expert's Workshop.
