Project title: Engineering a safer urban forest under extreme storms

Brief description: The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUTS) is actively recruiting multiple post-doc and PhD positions for studying tree stability problems using geotechnical and structural engineering principles and research methods. We are looking for candidates who are interested in:
(1) Field testing of tree biomechanics and root anchorage;
(2) Centrifuge modelling of soil-root interaction;
(3) Numerical modelling of soil-root interaction;
(4) Wind tunnel modelling of wind-tree-soil-root interaction; and
(5) Analytical tree dynamic modelling for reliability-based analysis
Different positions require different skill sets; please see attached detailed job advert. for more information: JobAdvert-PhD and JobAdvert-PostDoc

The Department of Earth Sciences at Utrecht University is seeking outstanding candidates (f/m) to fill three tenure-track positions in Earth Sciences at the Assistant Professor level. We may consider a higher-level appointment for one of the positions. The department’s mission is to advance our understanding and prediction capability of processes that govern the evolution of System Earth from the molecular to the planetary and from the microsecond to the geological time scale. Our ambition is to be a world-leading centre of excellence in scientific research as well as research training and teaching, and to contribute in a meaningful way to the challenges of a modern, sustainable society by acquiring new and fundamental geo-scientific knowledge and by directly addressing societal challenges related to the field of earth sciences.

Within the context of this mission and ambition, we seek enthusiastic scientists and educators who are able to develop their own internationally recognised research line in any field within the Earth Sciences. We are especially interested in research complementary (in field and/or techniques) to that already conducted in our department with the exclusion of themes covered in our sister department of Physical Geography and the Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research Utrecht.

See attachment for more information. You can also contact Prof Jack Middelburg, head of department, via j.b.m.middelburg@uu. nl.
You may also wish to visit our research pages at www.uu.nl/geo/aw.

The application deadline is March 15, 2021.

Project Title: Machine learning to determine soil properties: a smartphone-based solution for stakeholders

PhD Studentship: This 3.5 years fully funded doctoral program is a collaboration between Abertay University and the James Hutton Institute. Abertay University is one of the fastest growing universities in the UK. In the latest Guardian University League Tables, Abertay University is ranked 8^th in the UK in Civil Engineering among 60 institutes and 1^st in Scotland. Abertay University has been named UK University of Year for Teaching Quality by The Times & Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021. The James Hutton Institute (based in Dundee and Aberdeen) is one of the largest environmental and agricultural research institutes in the UK, carrying out research in climate change, soil science, crop breeding, agronomy and many other topics.

Project Description: Soil properties, such as organic carbon, can be estimated using modern data mining and modelling approaches. The proposed approach will correlate soil colour with soil structure metrics extracted from images produced by smartphone and tablet cameras, as well as environmental factors. This approach was used as a foundation to develop a mobile phone app which measures Scottish soil organic carbon content. This research project aims to build on work done to date to develop a new machine learning model that enhances existing performance and functionality. Furthermore, the project proposes analysing the pH, bulk density, particle size distribution and permeability of the soil using images. Following development of the model, a new SolEst app will be developed and tested, which provides an environmentally-friendly and costless platform for land managers working in the construction and agriculture sectors to analyse these and other soil properties using their mobile phone. This interdisciplinary project merges geotechnical engineering, digital technology and artificial intelligence to introduce a cutting-edge method for soil analysis using widely available smartphone technology.

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University invites applications for two postdoctoral positions in Computational Geomechanics.

About PolyU Hong Kong: the Hong Kong Polytechnic University is ranked the third-best universities for Civil Engineering in the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Global Universities Ranking 2021.

Available positions: There are currently two postdoctoral positions at PolyU Hong Kong funded by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the year 2021. The positions offer the possibility of working on multiscale multiphysics modelling of fluid-structure-soil interaction in offshore geotechnics.

The University of Barcelona (UB) and the Spanish National Research Council (IDAEA-CSIC, Barcelona) invite applications for a postdoctoral position to study multiphase flow and hydrodynamic transport in permeable media. The position is part of the HydroPore project, a joint project between the IDAEA-CSIC, the UB and the Technical University of Madrid (UPM).

You will find more details on this project and conditions to apply in this attached file. You may apply for this position until February 14, 2021.

PhD position in the newly formed Westlake Institute for Advanced Study in Hangzhou China. Full scholarships available. The project is focused on creating advanced modelling techniques for the complex physics present in geoenvironmental problems. Excellent applicants coming from Mathematics, Physics, Civil or Mechanical Engineering, or related fields are welcome to apply. Experience in computational methods such as Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics, Particle Finite Element Method, Material Point Method and related methods is also highly desirable.

The Westlake Institute for Advanced Study is a newly formed university with great support from the local government as well as the private sector. For more information about the Institute please visit its website https://en.westlake.edu.cn/

Information on the group research activities can be found in https://m3.westlake.edu.cn/ . To discuss the position, please contact Associate Professor Sergio Torres at s.torres@westlake.edu.cn

Instructions on the PhD program can be found in https://en.westlake.edu.cn/news_events/westlakenews/UniversityNews/202012/t20201217_7522.shtml

The STARS program provides fully funded PhD positions at Charles University, Faculty of Science. Now there are 3 calls related to soil mechanics and groundwater flow open until 11th of March (starting date Oct 2021):

• “Experimental and numerical investigation of coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical behaviour of clay with focus to cyclic processes” (David Mašín)
• “Non-Newtonian fluid mechanics in porous media in relation to the pore size distribution” (Martin Lanzendörfer)
• “Thermo-hydro-chemo-mechanical characterisation of the residual shear strength of an expansive clay” (Gianvito Scaringi)

The Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland, offers two open PhD positions, starting in September 2021, that are possibly of interest to ALERT students.  These PhDs are open to worthy candidates from all nationalities, and are to be awarded competitively.  Successful candidates receive a living grant (‘salary’) of £15,285 (approximately 17,250€) per annum.  Tuition fees are covered.  The application deadline is soon, on 31 January 2021.  The application form is available here https://hwacuk.elluciancrmrecruit.com/Apply/Account/Login   Both PhDs are also advertised through FindaAPhD.com

1. Efficient uncertainty quantification of CO₂ storage sites through machine learning to better assess the risk of leakage: Summary: Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is potentially a game changer for CO2 mitigation, yet it is not widely used, in part because of significant risks of leakage to surface which are difficult to quantify.  Top seal leakage occurs when any fracture or fault (new or pre-existing) opens through the sealing layer to allow CO2 to escape.  This PhD project addresses sealing and leaking of topseals over CO₂ storage sites by simulating both the fracture development (geomechanical simulation) and the fluid scenarios (fluid flow simulation) to identify safe and unsafe scenarios.   1st supervisor Dr Helen Lewis: h.lewis@hw.ac.uk
2. Digital-Rock Micro-Mechanics Approach to Derive Poroelastic Behaviours: Summary: This project represents a major new direction for digital-rock research, going beyond the current perspective that the solid framework is rigid. The project builds on a new paradigm for fluid-solid geomechanical interactions, creating numerical methods to implement this new process understanding in realistic digital-rock models. The project adopts a quasi-static perspective that accounts for changes in states, but with a design philosophy that envisages a subsequent move to full dynamic conditions.  1st supervisor Dr Gary Couples: g.couples@hw.ac.uk

Please feel free to discuss with the supervisors.

We have a vacancy for a 3-year PhD fellowship at the Department of Geoscience and Petroleum (IGP). The position is within computational geomechanics. The research will include development and implementation of boundary-element methods (BEM) with plasticity. The PhD student will be assigned to the Department of Geoscience and Petroleum and will be supervised by Prof. Alexandre Lavrov. 

The main goal of the PhD project is to develop, implement and test a robust and computationally efficient numerical method in 2D and 3D, to enable modelling of deformation and failure around underground excavations.

For more information: https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/198437/phd-position-in-computational-geomechanics-iv-18-21