Project: Modelling of fracturing mechanisms in unconsolidated sand reservoirs under fluid injection
Research Unit : Laboratoire Navier, Ecole des Ponts ParisTech
Industrial partner: TotalEnergy
Duration: 24 months
Project start date: September 2025 (possibly earlier)

Context:
In hydrocarbons producing fields, Produced Water Re-Injection (PWRI) is known as an economically attractive and environmentally friendly method to manage the produced water. This method has the advantage to maintain the pressure level in the reservoir in order to enhance the hydrocarbon production. However, this technique faces challenges such as the deterioration of the injectivity due to the filtration, around the injection well, of suspended solid particles contained in the produced water. Re-injection in the so-called ‘fracturing regime’ is an option to maintain the injectivity by fracturing the clogged zone formed by the agglomeration of fine particles at the face of the injected formation. However, controlling the injection in the fracturing regime is a key issue for the safety of the production as fracturing should not deteriorate the cap rock integrity.

Hydraulic fracturing has been extensively studied for brittle rocks with low permeability and is dominated by tensile failure. However, the mechanisms involved in fracturing of unconsolidated reservoirs which behave as cohesionless granular materials are fundamentally different and are controlled by shear failure, fluidization and induced channelization around the injection point.

For further information, please refer to the attached document.

Modeling of granular media with electrostatic interactions

In granular materials composed of sub-millimeter particles, electrostatic charges can arise due to multiple contacts and friction. These charges result in attractive or repulsive interactions, playing a significant role in flow behavior and agglomeration phenomena [1]. Electrostatic interactions often have a negative impact on powder processing operations, due to issues such as particle agglomeration, dust accumulation on surfaces, or equipment clogging. These effects are also critical in space exploration, where in the absence of water, fine particles easily adhere to measuring instruments, impairing their functionality.

Join the Strategic Project of NGI “Rock-Off” project and help shape the future of offshore wind energy.

Are you a curious and motivated engineer with a PhD (or nearing completion) in geotechnical or rock engineering? Do you want to combine cutting-edge research with real-world impact? NGI (Norwegian Geotechnical Institute) is looking for a talented Research Fellow to join our exciting “Rock-Off” initiative—focused on pile foundations in soft rock for offshore wind turbines.

This is your chance to plug into a high-impact research environment with strong industry connections and a supportive, inclusive culture.

You’ll be a key contributor in NGI’s strategic offshore wind research, working on geotechnical challenges that matter. The focus is on understanding and improving the performance of pile foundations in soft rock—a critical step toward reliable, sustainable offshore wind infrastructure.

More information and applications

https://candidate.hr-manager.net/ApplicationInit.aspx?cid=388&ProjectId=175861&DepartmentId=17357&MediaId=4181

Dear colleagues,

We have several open PhD and PostDoc positions within our new ERC Synergy Grant project titled “Concrete matrices for high-cycle fatigue resistant, eco-efficient infrastructure.”

The research spans a range of disciplines, including cement chemistry, multiscale mechanics, data science, probabilistic mechanics, constitutive modeling, and structural engineering. Our teams will work across theory, experiments, and computer modeling. More information is available at https://fatrescon.eu.

The coordinating Brno University of Technology now seeks PhD candidates with focus on computational mechanics, mathematics, or computational science, or a closely related field, for subprojects 10, 12 and 13 at https://fatrescon.eu.

Applications are welcome immediately, and positions will remain open until filled.

Interested candidates are invited to review the offer details at https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/340973

Dear colleagues,

A postdoc position is opened at 3SR Laboratory (University Grenoble Alpes, France). Candidates should propose their own research project in the domain of “Mechanics of materials and structures: multiscale approaches and/or AI-based approaches”. The detailed information is given in the attached document.

We are looking for experienced candidates who obtained their PhD a couple of years ago. Interested candidates should contact me so that I can explain them better the application process.

Best regards,
Luc Sibille

Dear Colleagues,

A Tenure Track position is opening in Grenoble (France) in 2025 at CNRS and 3SR Laboratory, with the profile “Ecomaterials and Biosourced Materials”.
The description of the position is available here:
https://emploi.cnrs.fr/Offres/CPJ/CPJ-2025-016/Default.aspx?lang=EN

The deadline for applications is 14 July.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for further information (direction@3sr-grenoble.fr), to discuss a possible application and/or to forward this information to potentially interested people.

Best regards,
Luc

The Experimental Rock Deformation Group (High Pressure and Temperature Lab) at Utrecht University is looking for 1 highly motivated PhD candidate to work on laboratory experiments and numerical modelling of mine water thermal energy storage. This PhD project is part of the EU RFCS-funded GeoSolar project, which aims to advance high-temperature thermal energy storage technologies and support the just transition of Europe’s end-of-life coal mines. Within this PhD project, you will perform experimental characterisation of mine goaf rocks from selected end-of-life coal mines, focusing on their thermal, hydrological and mechanical properties under in-situ pressure and temperature conditions. You will also develop and apply fully-coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical models to simulate mine water flow and heat storage dynamics within underground mine systems. The research findings will inform the evaluation of the potential for seasonal heat storage and recovery, with the aim of optimising operational performance and energy efficiency in mine water thermal energy storage systems.

The application deadline is 15 June 2025. More details can be found here.

Contact: w.cao2@uu.nl

As part of the Earth Sciences PhD Programme (Cycle 41) at the Department of Earth Sciences “A. Desio”, a research line is available on the Numerical and Experimental Investigation of Innovative Energy Geostructures.

This topic involves advanced numerical modelling and laboratory testing to explore and optimise energy geostructures—such as energy piles and walls—used in shallow geothermal systems.

Full research line description: Available here

Official call for applications: PhD in Earth Sciences 2025/2026

Key Dates:

• Application deadline: 13 June 2025, 2:00 p.m. (CEST)
• Evaluation of CVs and research projects: 23 June 2025
• Interview (online, in English): 3 July 2025, 9:00 a.m.

Who Should Apply?

We welcome national and international applicants with a solid background in engineering geology or geotechnical engineering and a strong motivation for research in energy and sustainability.

For further information on the research topic, please contact: francesco.cecinato@unimi.it

The project will be carried out collaboratively between INRAE/IGE (Grenoble, France) and BRGM (Orléans, France).

The research will involve exciting developments at the interface of risk science, hydraulic modelling and data science to enhance the reliability of hazard assessment methods at different scales in the context of landslides and debris flows.

Further information on the position and the application procedure can be found here (English) and here (French).