A PhD position in Geomechanics is available at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland (4 years funding as part of the UK government NERC CDT funding scheme). The project entitled Bots in Rocks: Intelligent Rock Deformation for Fault Rock Petrophysical Properties is about using sensors to detect actual deformation states in lab deformed rock samples.

It is aimed primarily at UK students but the right EU student has a decent chance of being accepted AND funded. Starting date is 1st October 2015 and applications close end of January. Interviews are end February or the start of March. The basic idea behind the NERC CDT is that the participating UK universities all have students who make up a cohort. In addition to the normal PhD research with a supervisor they also get courses, general and topic specific throughout their 4 years. More details of the NERC CDT is available from
http://www.nerc-cdt-oil-and-gas.ac.uk/scholarships.html and the attached pdf-file.