Applications are welcome for a fully funded PhD position on the repurposing of abandoned coal mines for thermal energy storage. This position is supported by the Edinburgh Research Partnership in Engineering (https://www.erpe.ac.uk/), which is a strategic alliance between the University of Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt University.

Since the 1800s, large quantities of coal have been mined across the UK, leaving behind numerous inactive sites. These sites contain vast underground voids, presenting significant potential for thermal energy storage. By effectively managing the injection and absorption of waste heat, these repurposed sites could provide a sustainable heat supply. 90% of the UK’s major urban areas are located atop former mining zones, creating a unique opportunity where the demand for heat aligns with the locations of potential energy sources.

This project will investigate the relationship between heat storage and demand by analysing the thermal and hydraulic properties of the geological formations. It will involve both experimental work at Heriot-Watt University and numerical simulations conducted jointly with the University of Edinburgh.

The studentship is available to both Home and Overseas students.

To be eligible, applicants must meet the following requirements: (1) An Honours degree at 2:1 or above (or equivalent) in a relevant field, (2) Fulfilment of the universities’ English language requirements, (3) A background in civil engineering, geotechnical engineering, geology, or a closely related discipline.

Interested candidates should submit the following documents to melis.sutman@ed.ac.uk and K.Singh@hw.ac.uk by January 31st, 2025:

• CV
• Copies of previous degrees
• A motivation letter outlining your interest in the position
• Two reference letters

We look forward to hearing from you!

Dear colleagues,

Two positions of assistant professor will be open in 2025 at the 3SR Laboratory (UMR 5521, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP), with the profiles:

• “Materials with a low environmental impact”,
• “Mechanical behaviour of heterogeneous materials under extreme mechanical conditions”,

provided that the Board of Directors of Univ. Grenoble Alpes approves the opening of these positions.

Candidates must be French speakers.
You will find details of the profiles we are looking for on the 3SR “Recruitment” web page: https://3sr.univ-grenoble-alpes.fr/fr/recrutement

I would be grateful if you could inform potential candidates of this, and circulate this information to colleagues working in these areas of research.

Yours sincerely
Gaël Combe, Director of 3SR.

A PhD scholarship on “Study of the hydromechanical behaviour of soils using a meshless approach to model large soil movements close to geo-structures” is now open at University of Lyon (ENTPE). For further information, see the attached PDF.

The geotechnical engineering group at the University of Sheffield is recruiting a postdoc for the funded project, “Rooting for Resilience – Forests as Physical Barriers to Landslide Runout”, on a 3-year contract. This project aims to develop a framework for assessing the capacity of forests to mitigate landslide hazards, particularly focusing on the interaction between landslides and trees, including the effects of tree failure and woody debris. The research integrates numerical modelling, laboratory experiments, and case studies to guide reforestation strategies for landslide hazard reduction.

More details and applications through the site:
https://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DLG332/research-associate-in-geohazards

For more information, feel free to contact Alessandro Leonardi at a.leonardi@sheffield.ac.uk.

Project title: Development of a new and original 3D finite element model to study the thermo-hydro-mechanical behaviour of multiphase porous materials, with application to the simulation of the initiation, propagation and deposition of landslides, including catastrophic landslides.

Supervision: Professor Lorenzo Sanavia, University of Padua, Italy; lorenzo.sanavia@unipd.it
Host institution: University of Padua, Italy

Grant: 24 months, gross remuneration of 24,589 Euro per annum.

Call deadline: January 7th, 2025 (at 15:00 CET).

Work plan:

1) Implementation of the non-isothermal elasto-plastic and multiphase porous media model available in the finite element code COMES-GEO (UniPD) into the open-source code KRATOS (CIMNE). The porous media model, based on the Hybrid Mixture Theory, allows for the description of the multiphase and multiphysics nature of porous materials and the interactions present between the phases (solid, liquid, and gaseous).
2) Validation of the implementation using test cases.
3) Numerical simulation of two experimental tests performed with SHIVA (Slow to High Velocity Apparatus) at INGV (National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology) in Rome on Vajont clays and comparison between experimental and numerical results.
4) Link of COMES-GEO with KRATOS.
5) Application (back-analysis) to the study of the thermo-hydro-mechanical conditions of initiation and propagation of the catastrophic Vajont landslide (October 9, 1963).

The activity will be carried out, primarily, at the Centre for Studies on Climate Change Impacts CRITICAL of the University of Padua located in Rovigo (Italy).

Knowledge of programming in at least two of the three languages is required: Fortran, C++ and Python.

See the attached files (Call with the description of the grant and the Instructions to participate in the call) for more information.

Further info at: lorenzo.sanavia@unipd.it