Academic Faculty Position — Oil and Gas Engineering

About the position

This vacancy is open to candidates across the full academic ladder — from Senior lecture to Professor level (or equivalent). Applicants are required to indicate a preferred title. The final position level will be confirmed by the University's Selection Committee based on the candidate's qualifications, publications, and experience.

Responsibilities

• Teaching courses in oil and gas engineering, drilling, field development, well operation, oil and gas geology, hydrocarbon treatment and production, and related engineering subjects at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
• Developing and regularly updating course syllabi and instructional materials in line with the learning objectives and outcomes of program 6B07216, the requirements of the State Compulsory Standards of Education, the National and Sectoral Qualifications Frameworks, and relevant industry professional standards.
• Updating course content to reflect current industry developments such as the digital oilfield, reservoir digital twins, reservoir data analytics, industrial AI, ESG management in oil and gas, CCUS, hydrogen storage, and the energy transition.
• Supervising student coursework, thesis and master's research on digital field development, production optimization, data analysis, well technologies, and the sustainable development of the oil and gas industry.
• Participating in the university's research and applied projects and liaising with employers and industrial partners in the oil and gas sector.

Requirements

Education Requirements

• Possession of a PhD degree or an equivalent degree in oil and gas affairs, oil and gas engineering, field development, oil and gas well drilling, oil and gas geology, petroleum engineering, or a related field.
• Candidates from adjacent fields may be considered provided that their dissertation topic, publications, courses taught, and professional experience relate to the oil and gas industry, field development, drilling, digital oil and gas technologies, field data analysis, or well operation.
• Ability to translate these competencies into high‑quality teaching and student supervision at all levels of higher education

Experience Requirements

• Academic and teaching experience consistent with the requirements for the position of Professor / Associate Professor (Dotsent) established by the university's internal regulations and the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan in force.

Language Requirements

• For teaching in the state and/or Russian language: fluency in the state and/or Russian language sufficient to conduct classes, engage in scholarly communication, and handle business correspondence.
• For teaching in English: a confirmed level of English proficiency sufficient to conduct classes and carry out academic duties.

Key competencies

Core Professional Competencies

• A thorough understanding of the principles of developing and operating oil and gas fields, with the ability to teach the corresponding engineering subjects at a contemporary methodological level.
• Expertise in drilling and well design and supervision, including drilling fluids and well planning, with the ability to teach students the relevant engineering calculations and design methods.
• Professional competence in oil and gas geology, well-logging methods, well testing, and production management, sufficient for teaching and supervising student and master's research on this subject.
• An understanding of hydrocarbon treatment, production, and transport-technology support processes, sufficient for developing and teaching the relevant courses.
• Knowledge of the production processes and professional standards of the oil and gas industry in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Additional Competencies

• Digital Oilfield: digital oilfields, smart fields, remote monitoring, SCADA, IoT, and industrial automation.
• Digital Twin Reservoir: digital twins of reservoirs and wells, field modelling, production forecasting, and scenario analysis.
• Reservoir Data Analytics: an understanding of Python, SQL, Power BI, Tableau, and methods of Big Data and production data analysis.
• Industrial Artificial Intelligence: machine learning, predictive analytics, neural networks, failure forecasting, and intelligent production optimization.
• Specialized Software: Petrel, Eclipse, OFM, Techlog, and preferably PIPESIM for calculating and analyzing oil and gas systems.
• ESG and the Energy Transition: ESG reporting, carbon accounting, decarbonization, ESG risk assessment of oil and gas projects.
• CCUS and Hydrogen Technologies: carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), CO₂ storage, and the basics of hydrogen energy and hydrogen storage.
• An SPE (Society of Petroleum Engineers) or comparable industry certification is desirable.

Selection process

selection process includes interview, presentation of the teaching course and research work to be conducted

Documents

• a CV including a list of publications;
• a motivation letter (maximum 1 page) describing research and teaching interests;
• copies of diplomas and degree certificates;
• where applicable, a list of research projects and grants, as well as information on supervision of master's and PhD students.