1. Home
  2. Careers
  3. Students and graduates
  4. Career areas for graduates
  5. Science

Science

There will be no new jobs posted on bp.com from 8 May 2023 while we update our application system.

Check back here after 17 May 2023 to find some great new job opportunities!

Scientists at bp work on the most advanced projects in oil and gas
Researchers discussing the contents of a beaker in the laboratory of the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) in Dalian, China.
Become a scientist at bp and you’ll get to work with, and learn from, the best and brightest minds from your field and beyond. With access to the latest digital breakthroughs, you’ll find inventive answers that help to solve the world’s energy challenges.
Applied sciences

Innovation & Engineering (I&E) is one of bp’s new business groups and is positioned to be an engine for innovation across bp. It plays a key role in redefining bp into a successful, financially resilient low carbon company. Within I&E, the Applied Sciences teams will apply science, in combination with engineering, digital and commercial capabilities from across I&E, to help realize our Net Zero future.

 

Overview

 

Applied sciences (AS) is a centralised scientific resource focussed on driving bp’s transition into an efficient, profitable, net zero company. Applied sciences is the home for bp’s scientists; our deep expertise is built on a foundation of world-class laboratory experimentation.

 

Applied sciences is integrated with our customer groups, providing differentiated products and solutions to meet the short-mid term market needs. Applied sciences leads the longer term technology agenda, identifying emerging trends and innovating to develop energy pathways and platforms that will provide the future pipeline for our net zero transition.

 

AS teams develop and support all of bp’s differentiated fuels & Castrol products. We oversee quality control procedures and deliver global product stewardship. AS bring deep science-based technical expertise to support our operations. We target innovative low carbon and bio process solutions.

 

AS provides smart due diligence to underpin technology investments. We focus our bp expertise where it will create the most value and collaborate with academia and innovation ecosystems in America, Europe & Asia.

 

Responsibilities

 

The Applied Sciences Challenger Programme will operate in a flexible model that allow graduates to experience the breadth of applied sciences, eg: mission-led placements within country over a period of three years. We support our challengers to get professional accreditation and become chartered engineers and chemists.

 

Requirements

 

We’re a diverse team of engineers, scientists, traders and business professionals determined to find answers to problems that must be solved. But we know we can’t do it alone. We’re looking for people who share our passion for reinvention to bring a new perspective, collaborative spirit, and to challenge our thinking in our ambition to achieve net zero!

 

To apply for this role, you will need to be in your final year of study or have completed your Masters degree.

  • Minimum level Masters
  • Physics
  • Chemistry
  • Chemical engineering
  • Mechanical engineering
  • Physical chemistry
  • Material science
  • Electrochemistry
  • Organic/inorganic chemistry

 

Geology

Overview

 

As supplies of oil and gas are depleted, Geoscientists play an essential role in ensuring we can meet the world’s increasing demand for energy. At bp, our Geoscientists use leading-edge technology to explore hydrocarbon resources and maximize their recovery from oil and gas reservoirs across the world. Now, we can find and produce oil and gas that was invisible to us only a few years ago.

 

Geoscience in bp integrates both geology and geophysics. Geology is concerned with the application of geological principles and techniques to the analysis of well, core, surface outcrop, and production data.

 

Geophysics is concerned with the acquisition, processing, interpretation and analysis of seismic and other geophysical datasets (e.g. gravity-magnetic surveys) to create an image of the sub-surface.

 

The combination of geology and geophysics - as geoscience - delivers a powerful description and evaluation of the sub-surface, increasing our ability to safely explore and recover hydrocarbon resources.

 

Join us as a Geologist and you’ll find our commitment stretches beyond the success of our business to the development of our people and their successful careers.


Your role and responsibilities

 

New hire geologists join our team in one of two types of roles: integrated geoscience or applied geology.

 

As a geologist on an integrated geoscience path, you will:

  • Focus your skills on specific parts of the value chain (such as exploration or production), integrating geology and geophysics with other subsurface disciplines to help us drill wells, find, develop and produce hydrocarbons.

 

As an applied geologist, you will:

  • Apply more discipline-focused skills (for example in structural geology or sedimentology/stratigraphy) across the value chain. Depending on bp location, you may work in exploration, development, production or one of the technology teams.

 

Both integrated geoscientists and applied geologists help bp make critical business decisions on activities that might include new basin evaluation, planning the drilling of new wells, or building reservoir models to support field development decisions.

 

Our Early Development Challenge Programme will provide you with many opportunities and benefits, including a real job from day one and a development framework that promotes breadth and depth early in your career so that you build capability quickly to take on increasingly challenging roles.

 

Geophysics

Overview

 

As supplies of oil and gas are depleted, geoscientists play an essential role in ensuring we can meet the world’s increasing demand for energy. At bp, our geoscientists use leading-edge technology to explore hydrocarbon resources and maximize their recovery from oil and gas reservoirs across the world. Now, we can find and produce oil and gas that was invisible to us only a few years ago.

 

Geoscience in bp integrates both geology and geophysics. Geology is concerned with the application of geological principles and techniques to the analysis of well, core, surface outcrop, and production data. Geophysics is concerned with the acquisition, processing, interpretation and analysis of seismic and other geophysical datasets (e.g. gravity-magnetic surveys) to create an image of the subsurface. The combination of geology and geophysics - as geoscience - delivers a powerful description and evaluation of the subsurface, increasing our ability to safely explore and recover hydrocarbon resources.

 

Join us as a Geoscientist and you’ll find our commitment stretches beyond the success of our business to the development of our people and their successful careers.

 

Your role and responsibilities

 

New hire geophysicists join our team in one of two types of roles: integrated geoscience or applied geophysics.

 

As a geophysicist in integrated geoscience, you will:

  • Focus your skills on specific parts of the value chain (such as exploration or production), integrating geology and geophysics with other subsurface disciplines to help us drill wells, find, develop and produce hydrocarbons.

 

As an applied geophysicist, you will:

  • Apply more discipline-focused skills (for example, in seismic processing or geophysical analysis) across the value chain. Depending on bp location, you may work in exploration, development, production or one of the technology teams.

 

Both integrated geoscientists and applied geophysicists help bp make critical business decisions on activities that might include new basin evaluation, planning the drilling of new wells, seismic survey design, or seismic processing.

 

Our Early Development Challenge Programme will provide you with many opportunities and benefits, including a real job from day one and a development framework that promotes breadth and depth early in your career so that you build capability quickly to take on increasingly challenging roles.

 

HSE - Environment

Overview

 

The health, safety and environment (HSE) discipline has been established in support of bp’s clearly stated goals of:

  • No accidents
  • No harm to people
  • No damage to the environment

 

Our environmental discipline helps us ensure the safe, reliable and compliant operation of our sites by overseeing our controlled impact on the environment and our commitment to doing the right thing today and tomorrow, so that there’s no long-term damage to the planet or its people.

 

By doing this to the standards we set ourselves we create:

  • An enhanced reputation
  • A successful, sustainable business
  • More reliable operations
  • Higher levels of retention and motivation among our employees

 

Your role and responsibilities

 

If you join as one of our environmental specialists you’ll support operations, wells, exploration, project teams or government agencies by:

  • Liaising with regulators and supporting environmental reporting and regulatory compliance.
  • Assisting, updating and/or preparing environmental plans and procedures.
  • Developing and implementing environmental management programmes.
  • Monitoring and auditing environmental performance.
  • Advising on cultural heritage and reducing impact on local communities.
  • Using our own group standards to ensure best practice, manage environmental challenges and generate benefits for society.
  • Training the workforce on specific issues.

 

As your experience and capability develops, you will have the chance to support our businesses worldwide in measuring and managing their environmental impact.

 

Alternatively, you could support the deployment of technology or pursue opportunities in a technical specialism such as atmospheric emissions, marine discharges, or remediation.

 

HSE - Safety

Overview

 

Even though bp conducts its business in a complex and volatile world nothing is more important than the health and safety of our employees, contractors, customers and communities in which we operate.

 

Energy demand, increasing societal expectations and technical challenges require rigorous assessment and management of the potential risks and our health, safety and environment (HSE) goals are clearly stated as:

  • No accidents
  • No harm to people
  • No damage to the environment

 

bp’s HSE discipline has been established to provide expertise, guidance and verification in support of achieving these goals and to drive safe, compliant and reliable operations across the company.

 

Your role and responsibilities

 

Joining as part of our health and safety community you will develop your own skills while assuring that our facilities are designed and operated in a manner which protects personal safety, prevents major accidents and safeguards the integrity and security of our work sites.

 

So that HSE objectives are understood, integrated, and given equal weighting alongside other business drivers such as cost and schedule, these roles provide an opportunity to engage and communicate across all aspects and levels of the company.

 

When you first join, it’s likely that you’ll work in a team responsible for making sure risk is systematically and proactively managed by ensuring alignment and compliance with policy, standards, regulations and statutory requirements.

 

As your experience and capability develops, you could:

  • Lead multi-discipline teams of bp and agency/contractor personnel.
  • Consider the bigger picture i.e. bp’s business objectives and role in the local community.
  • Set Health and safety standards, procedures and practices and embed these within project, drilling or operations teams.
  • Coach teams and individuals to assure that they have the tools, training and knowledge to work safely. 

 

Industrial and occupational hygiene

Overview

 

The health, safety and environment (HSE) discipline has been established in support of bp’s clearly stated goals of:

  • No accidents
  • No harm to people
  • No damage to the environment

This means that we are committed to ensuring people work in safest way possible, and we need industrial hygienists, also known as occupational hygienists, to promote wellbeing and prevent illness.

 

Potential health risks in our industry include chemical hazards like hydrocarbons, and fumes; physical hazards such as noise, vibration and ergonomics; and also biological and psychological hazards. Industrial hygienists focus on control of exposure to hazards in the workplace; identify, assess and control these risks; and work to prevent, minimize or eliminate them so that everyone can go home fit and healthy at the end of every day.

 

Your role and responsibilities

 

Joining as an industrial hygienist you’ll gain:

  • Knowledge of our operations, our standards, our people and teams.
  • Experience in the processes and priorities related to industrial hygiene (IH) management.

 

Working closely with other HSE professionals and operations personnel, you’ll help develop programmes that manage health risks and comply with company and legal requirements.

 

We will provide training and development to maintain and advance your knowledge, skills, and aptitude so that you stay informed on new practices, processes, procedures and technology.

 

On a day to day basis you will perform risk assessments which cover reasonably foreseeable situations of normal and abnormal operations, maintenance and emergency scenarios, and will then implement appropriate risk reduction measures to manage the identified health hazards.

 

As your experience and capability develops and you become a professional, chartered industrial hygienist, you’ll be eligible for more senior roles and responsibilities such as IH advisor to one of our business regions or projects.

 

Petroleum and reservoir engineering

Overview

 

From exploration to production, our petroleum and reservoir engineers play a crucial role in bp’s field operation success. As a petroleum or reservoir engineer, you’ll be essential to ensuring we extract hydrocarbons efficiently from our global discoveries.

 

You’ll be a vital member of our team and support the entire lifecycle of an oil or gas field. This covers everything from evaluating prospects to determine potential productivity and profitability, to developing which areas to optimize hydrocarbon production in.

 

Your role and responsibilities

 

Petroleum engineers are a key link between planning and operations. You’ll be creating value through performance optimization and developing well intervention requirements to maintain or enhance the production of hydrocarbons throughout the life of the field.

 

Depending on your bp location and role, you will gain broad capability, primarily through job experiences, in:

  • Reservoir performance - for example, in production forecasting or water and gas injection.
  • System optimization - for example, in sand management or artificial lift.
  • Well management - for example, in well performance tracking or well operations.

 

As a reservoir engineer, you’ll focus on integrating geoscience, facilities and well engineering data to understand hydrocarbon reservoir performance and optimize the economic recovery of hydrocarbons.

 

Depending on your bp location and role, you will gain broad capability, primarily through job experiences in:

  • Reservoir performance - for example, in well planning and delivery, or flood management.
  • Reservoir management - for example, in depletion strategy or reserves estimation.
  • Reservoir simulation - for example, in history matching or model building.

 

Our Early Development Challenge Programme will provide you with many opportunities and benefits, including a real job from day one and a development framework that promotes breadth and depth early in your career so that you build capability quickly to take on increasingly challenging roles. 

 

Petrophysics

Overview

 

Without petrophysicists, we couldn’t get enough oil and gas out of the ground to help satisfy the world’s growing demand for energy. At bp, our petrophysicists define the volume and distribution of oil and gas and the flow characteristics of our reservoirs.

 

They investigate the reservoir rocks and fluids — their porosity, permeability, fluid flow behaviour, the presence and saturation of oil and gas. This involves the integration of direct measurements of reservoir properties on core and fluid samples with sophisticated indirect measurements, the latter acquired with tools lowered into boreholes. These tools measure the nuclear, electrical and acoustic response of rocks and the integrated results are used to predict the volume of the hydrocarbons and methods of extraction.

 

Your role and responsibilities

 

As a petrophysicist joining our multi-disciplinary and multicultural subsurface team, you may work in exploration, field development or at a producing asset - all dynamic, collaborative environments. You’ll interact with geoscientists and reservoir, petroleum and drilling engineers, as well as commercial and other disciplines to turn your evaluations into action.

 

Depending on your bp location and role, you will gain broad capability across four areas, primarily through job experiences:

  • Operations - for example, well planning, well completions or well operations.
  • Production - for example, cement log evaluation, flow profiling or reservoir monitoring.
  • Reservoir description - for example, core and fluid analysis or reservoir model building.
  • Seismic rock properties - for example, rock properties, attribute analysis or 4D seismic analysis.

 

Our Early Development Challenge Programme will provide you with many opportunities and benefits, including a real job from day one and a development framework that promotes breadth and depth early in your career so that you build capability quickly to take on increasingly challenging roles.

 

After Challenge your career will deepen in one of these four areas. Our commitment to doing the right thing, today and tomorrow, means there are big challenges with big opportunities for you to build a unique career in petrophysics.

Life@bp podcasts

Life@bp

 

From the people who chart our course to those who put our plans into action, bp is an exciting place to be for anyone who wants to be part of the global energy business