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].

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].

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].

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].

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].

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].

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.

We are pleased to announce two fully funded PhD positions within the ANR project ExoGeCo. The project aims to unravel the mechanical origins of geometric cohesion, a newly identified form of cohesion emerging in assemblies of non-convex, interlocking grains without any adhesive interactions. These metagranular materials can form self-supported, load-bearing structures purely due to shape-induced entanglement.
To explore this phenomenon, Exo2GeCo combines Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulations and 3D experimental investigations on custom-shaped grains to establish a unified framework linking grain geometry, contact networks, and macroscopic strength.

PhD 1 (LMGC – Univ. Montpellier): 3D numerical modeling of geometric cohesion using DEM.
PhD 2 (IMT Mines Alès): Experimental exploration using 3D-printed metagrains, shear/compression devices, and in-situ imaging.
Full description given in attachment

For further information, see the attached [PDF].

Free gas can significantly alter the hydro-mechanical properties of marine sediment, leading to increased compressibility, reduced shear strength, and disrupted permeability. However, its potential role as a hazard to the foundations and structures of offshore wind turbines is often overlooked in calculation standards and foundation design protocols. The degradation caused by the presence of free gas may occur during the installation phase as well as throughout the operational lifespan of a wind turbine.
The PhD will be focusing on:
-characterising the effect of gas on the static and cyclic behaviour of fine clayey and coarser silty sediment.
-evaluate the impact of gas on the installation and operational stability of a pile and suction anchor foundation in clayey and coarser silty sediment.
-develop practical design guidelines that integrate the influence of gas into engineering practices for offshore wind turbine foundations, thereby enhancing their reliability and performance

For further information, see the attached [PDF].

Applications are welcome for 15 fully funded PhD positions as a part of the Doctoral Network on Energy Geostructures Integration: Buildings, Infrastructure and Underground Storage (GENIUS).

The overarching aim of GENIUS is to train 15 Doctoral Candidates (DCs) to become creative, innovative and proactive individuals in designing, integrating and implementing energy geostructures at different urban scales (from a single building to a set of connected infrastructures), and for a variety of uses (from production to storage) contributing to Europe’s climate-neutral future.

GENIUS is funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (Agreement number 101226708) and welcomes applicants from all nationalities.

Please visit our website to see the DC positions, application details, eligibility, and deadlines: www.genius-dn.eu

Contact us at genius-dn@ed.ac.uk if you have questions!

Interested candidates should submit their applications by November 30th, 2025.