University of Southampton – Infrastructure Research Group offers a position of Senior Research Assistant/Research Fellow in Numerical Modelling of Landslides.
The position is a part of a team investigating the conditions under which large-scale submarine landslides may develop. The research deals with the stability of continental slopes by developing and using appropriate numerical models implemented on a commercial finite element code as well as bespoke software developed at Southampton.
The research will be carried out as part of a NERC-sponsored consortium grant that investigates the risk that tsunamis induced by submarine landslides occurring in the Arctic may pose, and the economic cost such an event may have to the UK. Submarine landslides can be far larger than terrestrial ones and may generate destructive tsunamis; rapid climatic change in the Arctic could increase the risk of such landslides occurring. One of the work blocks, led by Dr Antonis Zervos and Prof. Chris Clayton from the Faculty of Engineering and the Environment at the University of Southampton, will investigate the influence of a number of factors, such as sedimentation rate, dissociation of gas hydrates and seismic shaking on the stability of continental slopes.
The research will use numerical modelling, informed by an extensive set of data as well as an experimental testing programme on the strength of gas hydrate bearing sediments carried out under the same grant. The numerical models will be initially implemented on commercial software, following methodologies developed at Southampton during a recently-completed project. Extension of these methodologies will require the further development of algorithms and bespoke interfacing code, as well as the use of in-house finite element software.
You should have, or be about to obtain, a PhD in Geomechanics, Geotechnical Engineering or a closely related discipline. You should have the ability to perform high-quality numerical analysis with commercial and/or bespoke software, and the ability to programme bespoke numerical analysis tools where necessary. A strong theoretical background is also desirable.
The Infrastructure Group has a reputation for world leading geotechnical research. This includes laboratory characterisation of soils to internationally leading standards, field instrumentation and monitoring, and numerical modelling using finite element, finite difference and discrete element methods.
Details and application procedure: https://www.jobs.soton.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx?ref=299913AT-R
The closing date for this post is 6 January 2014.