Call for Abstracts — CouFrac 2026 (ISRM Specialised Conference)

We are pleased to announce that abstract submission for ISRM Specialised Conference CouFrac 2026 (5th International Conference on Coupled Processes in Fractured Geological Media) is now open!

Since its launch in 2018 in Wuhan, the CouFrac conference series has grown into a leading international forum on coupled processes in fractured geological media, with successful meetings subsequently held in Seoul (2020), Berkeley (2022), and Kyoto (2024). We are delighted to host the next edition, CouFrac 2026, in Uppsala, Sweden, from 20 to 23 September 2026.

We warmly invite you to submit an abstract and share your latest research, insights, and innovations with the CouFrac community. Contributions spanning fundamental studies, field observations, laboratory experiments, numerical modelling, and engineering applications are all welcome.

Abstract Submission: https://www.coufrac2026.com/abstracts/ (deadline: 15 December 2025)

PhD position at University Grenoble Alpes and CNRS, Grenoble, France

We are pleased to announce a fully funded PhD position at University Grenoble Alpes and CNRS (France) supported by the “Laboratoire d’Excellence Tec21” and European MSCA COFUND programme.
The PhD is dedicated to the Multiscale Hydromechanics of growing roots and soils and will be conducted jointly with the 3SR and LIPhy laboratories.
You will find detailed information about the PhD project in the attached document. Application details are also available here:
https://www.tecxxi.fr/phd-tec21/#about
Deadline for applications is 28 February 2026. Applicants must hold a master’s degree or equivalent qualification by the application deadline and must NOT have resided in France for more than 12 months during the last 3 years.

For further information, see the attached [PDF].

PhD opportunities at COFS UWA in collaboration with Bauhaus University Weimar

We are looking for 3 PhD students for research to better understand the physical processes occurring during vibratory installation of piles in different soils and the possibility to predict this response on the basis of cyclic penetrometer tests. The research is funded through the Australia Research Council, the PhD students will be enrolled at COFS/UWA and will be supervised by Britta Bienen, Patrick Staubach (Bauhaus University Weimar), Fraser Bransby and other members of the COFS academic team.

For further information, see the attached pdf.

For further information, see the attached [PDF].

Hidden Risks of Saline Intrusion –

PhD Opportunity: Hidden Risks of Saline Intrusion

Fully funded IAPETUS2 PhD studentship with Ekbal Hussain and Audrey Ougier-Simonin at the British Geological Survey (BGS), and Elma (Elli-Maria) Charalampidou at Heriot-Watt University.

This interdisciplinary project (project IAP-25-125) explores how climate-driven saline intrusion affects the strength and stability of coastal carbonate rocks—combining:
– Experimental geomechanics & geochemistry
– Neutron/X-ray tomography
– Earth Observation (EO) data
– Risk mapping & science-to-policy translation

Key Dates:
Applications open: 7 November 2025
Deadline: 5 January 2026 at 12:00 GMT
International applicants: Contact supervisors by 8 December 2025

Full details & how to apply: iapetus.ac.uk/how-to-apply
Informal enquiries: audreyo@bgs.ac.uk, ekhuss@bgs.ac.uk and E.Charalampidou@hw.ac.uk

For further information, see the attached [PDF].

Winter school on Multi scale approaches and multiphysics couplings in fluid and solid mechanics

Second announcement:
TEC 21 Winter school on “Multi scale approaches and multiphysics couplings in fluid and solid mechanics” (6th Edition)
Grenoble – France – 2-6 February 2026

Important societal issues require to solve problems of increasing complexity. A key vector of progress relies on multi-scale and multi-physics approaches. The objective of the winter school is to review the various approaches, numerical and experimental techniques used to tackle the complexity of today’s engineering, environmental and health-related problems. Lectures are illustrated through up-to-date examples. Afternoons are devoted to practical laboratory work, combining experiments and numerical modeling. The final day of the school will be dedicated to a workshop on “multiscale and multiphysics approaches in biomechanics”.

Web Page: https://www.tec21.fr/winter-school-2026/

The number of participants is limited and registrations are subject to availability.
Registration dead line: 1st December 2025.

Three 4-year PhD position at Institute of Geotechnical Engineering, BOKU University, Vienna, Austria

Within the ERC Advanced Grant and FWF projects, we are pleased to announce three 4-year PhD positions on granular mechanics and computational geomechanics at the Institute of Geotechnical Engineering, BOKU University, Vienna, Austria.

PhD position 1# is supported by an Advanced Grant of the European Research Council (ERC). The ideal candidate will focus on advanced laboratory experiments and centrifuge model tests on granular flows.

PhD position 2# is supported by an Advanced Grant of the European Research Council (ERC). The ideal candidate will focus on constitutive modelling and numerical simulations in granular mechanics.

PhD position 3# is supported by an Einzelprojekte of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF). The ideal candidate will focus on multiscale modelling of scaly clay failure process in large deformation.

We offer a four-year (48-month) PhD contract with excellent research facilities and a competitive gross salary of 2,786.00 EUR per month (paid 14 times per year),

For further information, see the attached [PDF].

Fully funded internship and PhD position at ISAE-SUPAERO on Extraterrestrial Soil Mechanics

We are pleased to announce a PhD opportunity on the subject of “Understanding Extraterrestrial Soil Mechanics Through Low-Gravity Laboratory Testing” at ISAE-SUPAERO in Toulouse. There is also a possibility for the student to complete a 3-to-6-month Masters-level internship on this project before starting the PhD.

The goal of this thesis is to further our understanding of the response of planetary surfaces to geotechnical testing. The thesis will involve terrestrial and low-gravity experiments using a new facility at ISAE-SUPAERO.

We are particularly interested in candidates with experience in geotechnical soil testing and those familiar with soil or granular mechanics.

The PhD thesis will be funded through the ERC GRAVITE project.

For further information, see the attached [PDF].

Master’s Research Internship – ESTP: Experimental Study of Soil Erosion with Photogrammetry and PIV

Within the framework of research on erosion phenomena, this internship work aims to deepen the understanding of soil erosion processes through an advanced experimental approach. It is based on improving the current capabilities of the Erosion Function Apparatus (EFA) by simultaneously integrating several measurement instruments and techniques, such as Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV), high-speed cameras, and photogrammetry. In parallel, soil characterization tests (water content, particle size distribution, Atterberg limits, etc.) will be carried out to establish a correlation between the geotechnical properties of soils and their erosion behavior. All these data will form a reference experimental database, which will later be used to develop a neural network model aimed at accelerating and automating the assessment of soil erosion risk.

For further information, see the attached [PDF].

Three internship/ Master thesis positions in the Institute GeM lab of Centrale Nantes

At the Institute GeM of Centrale Nantes, we are currently offering three internship positions that could serve as Master thesis works starting from last week of February 2026. All three are paid internships and the work will be conducted onsite at Institute GeM (Nantes) within the Geomecahnics research unit.

The titles and the links to more details of the offers can be found below:

Internship 1: Study of thermo-poro viscous fingering instabilities: Single phase flow (https://www.euraxess.fr/jobs/383101). Context: Institute Carnot MERS Project STOLER

Internship 2: Numerical study of species transport across porous media during immiscible drainage (https://www.euraxess.fr/jobs/383415). Context: Academy PULSAR Project TRANSEC

Internship 3: Similitude analysis of chemo-mechanical phenomena in CO2 geological sequestration (https://www.euraxess.fr/jobs/382489). Context: ANR project LOCCO

Interested candidates should submit their applications soon.

Geotechnique Lecture

ALERT friends may be interested to attend online (or in person) Beatrice Baudet’s Geotechnique Lecture “Clay behaviour through the keyhole”, next Tuesday (4th November) at the Institution of Civil Engineers, London at 18:30 UK time. There is further information and registration (free) for online attendance (or in person) at:

2025 Géotechnique Lecture – Clay behaviour through the (key)hole

For further information, see the attached [PDF].