The Center for geosciences and geoengineering of Mines Paris, PSL research University, is offering a PhD position devoted to the investigation of the long-term mechanical behaviour of rock salt. Indeed, rock salt has very interesting properties for underground storage and disposal, and salt caverns have been used for decades to store hydrocarbons and other substances (compressed air, hydrogen, chemical wastes, etc.). As part of the energy transition to low-carbon sources, underground storage will play a very important role, and hundreds of new salt caverns will be created in Europe in the coming years. Studies of the feasibility and long-term stability of these facilities need to be based on constitutive laws that can be extrapolated over long periods of time. However, the development of such laws is still a major engineering challenge, and further research combining different scales is needed.

We are looking forward to receiving applications from highly motivated and curious candidates with a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in earth sciences, preferably rock mechanics. Applications are expected ASAP, with a deadline on July 20, 2023. Please see attached pdf file for details.

The Center for geosciences and geoengineering of Mines Paris, PSL research University, is offering a PhD position devoted to the investigation of interactions between CO2 and potential caprocks, such as clayey rocks. The goal of this research project is to analyze data issued from several meso-scale field tests of CO2 injection in order to identify potential correlations between hydrological, thermal, geomechanical and geochemical signals, including quantitative and qualitative uncertainty analysis. As some injection tests are running are more are planned, the successful candidate will work on the development of monitoring strategies and workflows to better characterize natural and anthropogenic signals. This PhD position is part of a Marie Curie EU action, SMILE, or “MultidiSciplinary and MultIscale approach for coupLed processes induced by geo-Energies” (see details in the attached pdf file).

We are looking forward to receiving applications from highly motivated and curious candidates with a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in earth sciences. Applications are expected ASAP, with a deadline on July 20, 2023. The supervising team includes researchers in geomechanics, hydrogeology and geochemistry.

The geosciences research department of Mines Paris PSL is offering a PhD position devoted to the potential growth of primary lithium production in the two next decades. The goal of this research project is to evaluate which scenarios of transition to electric mobility are really technically and financially feasible, and to identify the levers that may help to speed up the développement of new capacities. 

We are looking forward to receiving applications from highly motivated and curious candidates with a Master’s degree (or equivalent). The topic being multi-disciplinary, the Master’s degree could be in geology, mining, mineral processing, or even industrial economy. The candidate will have to proof its capacity to work at the frontiers of these domains. 

Applications are expected ASAP, with a deadline at mid August. Please see details in the attached pdf file. 

Applications are welcome for a PhD position at the University of Genoa (Italy). The main objective of this doctoral project is to devise sustainable bio-based stabilisations for problematic soils (e.g. swelling or collapsible soils, sulphate-rich soils, etc.) to enhance the resilience of infrastructure earthworks (such as dams, embankments, cuttings) subjected to extreme rainfall events. The PhD candidate will conduct a broad experimental programme  involving mineralogical characterisation and hydromechanical testing of both unstabilised and bio-stabilised soil samples under saturated and unsaturated conditions. The ultimate goal of the project is to increase the safety factor of slopes while decarbonising the ground improvement sector.
We are looking forward to receiving applications from highly motivated and curious candidates with a First Class Master’s degree (or equivalent) in civil engineering with a specialisation in geomechanics, geochemistry or other relevant fields.

More details in the attached PDF file.

The Institute of Geotechnics at TU Darmstadt, Germany, is looking for a postdoctoral researcher to work in the prestigious EU-funded project GEOLAB (https://project-geolab.eu/). As the post holder, you will play a pivotal role in steering and overseeing the large-scale geotechnical model tests conducted within the GEOLAB framework. We have an exciting lineup of model tests scheduled, including those focusing on piled embankments, monopiles, and anchor piles for floating offshore wind applications. As the postdoctoral researcher, you will take charge of the entire process, from meticulously planning and executing these tests to conducting thorough evaluations of the obtained data. Your expertise and leadership will be vital in ensuring the success of these experiments and the dissemination of the results. Furthermore, you will have the opportunity to actively participate in GEOLAB consortium meetings and workshops, engaging with leading experts in the field and fostering collaborative relationships.

Discover more about the position and requirements in the detailed job description or this PDF:

Research Assistant/Postdoctoral Researcher (Postdoc) (all genders) – TU Darmstadt (tu-darmstadt.de)

To apply, send your application to Professor Hauke Zachert at hauke.zachert@tu-darmstadt.de. Feel free to reach out to Professor Zachert for any informal inquiries.

This is a 2-year position with an application deadline of June 23rd.

Our natural H2 research team in ISTerre laboratory (Grenoble) will host two Phd students among 10 PhD positions opening on the EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions, ENDONANO ITN-European Industrial Doctorate (EID) program “SHINE: Safe underground Hydrogen storage IN Earth subsurface reservoirs”: https://www.shine-edn.eu/.

Regarding Grenoble,  we are looking for candidates (see https://www.shine-edn.eu/projects-on-offer/  projects 07 & 08) for:

• First PhD (No 07) : Permeability and migration pathways to the surface using field observations, laboratory tests and numerical modelling. Very good Geomechanical, Hydraulic & Analytical/coding skills required. Frederic Victor Donzé will supervise this project.

• Second PhD (No 08): Modeling and laboratory studies of fluid-solid interaction during H2 transport along fractures. Supervised by Laurent Truche

Please apply there: https://www.shine-edn.eu/recruitment/.
Details regarding candidates: https://www.shine-edn.eu/PDF/SHINE-Call-for-Recruitment.pdf.

Feel free to apply to the other PhD projects. We will address the underground hydrogen storage science and technology.

A position for a scientific software developer / PhD in geomechanics is open at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC). The doctoral project will focus on CO₂ storage in depleted reservoirs. The thermo-hydro-mechanical response of reservoir rocks will be investigated considering a two-phase flow of supercritical CO₂ and water. The research will be conducted jointly with DRACSYS, a spinoff company of the research group of Mechanics of Materials (MECMAT-UPC). The new developments will be implemented in the group’s own FE code.

Start date: as soon as possible and no later than October 2023.

More information on this pdf file.

Applications are welcomed for 3 PhD positions at the IMMC institute, UCLouvain, Belgium, starting in October 2023.

These positions are part of multi-disciplinary project NanoGG focusing on rocks mechanical behavior to study faults’ behavior, earthquake propagation and plate tectonics. This project aims at better understanding the physics behind these events and more generally the deformation processes in rocks at depth by investigating their behavior from the nanoscale to the macroscale combining original numerical and experimental developments. The PhD projects will be co-supervised by an interdisciplinary team composed of Hosni Idrissi, Laurent Delannay and Hadrien Rattez.

More information in the attached file.