Applications are welcome for a 4-year fully-funded PhD position at Uppsala University, Sweden. This PhD project will have a focus on developing numerical models for predicting the geometrical and hydrological (e.g., flow and transport) properties of fracture networks as well as coupled hydromechanical effects, based on field experimental data. The research aims to provide implications for the long-term safety assessment of deep geologic repositories, including related risks and uncertainties. The research will be done in the context of the international DECOVALEX project (https://decovalex.org/), a large international research collaboration with the objective to advance the understanding and modeling of coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical (THMC) processes in geological systems.

The deadline for application is 1 September 2023. Please see attached pdf file for details.

At KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm (Sweden), the Division of Soil and Rock Mechanics is looking for a doctoral student for the research project “Developed compaction control for future quality assurance”. Compaction is the most common ground improvement method and is used extensively in construction of roads and railways. An important part of the process is to quantify and verify the compaction result. However, the current methods for acceptance control of compaction are ineffective and uncertain. This project aims to develop the continuous compaction control (CCC) technique to better correlate with tests like Plate load tests (PLT) and thus decrease the need of manual acceptance control. The work tasks include a series of full scale tests in the roller manufacturer Dynapac’s road laboratory, evaluation of measurement data, numerical calculations, writing scientific articles, taking postgraduate courses, and teaching. Knowledge in geodynamics is considered a merit for the position.

The vacancy ad and further details about the project and the employment can be found here:
https://www.kth.se/en/om/work-at-kth/lediga-jobb/what:job/jobID:631742/type:job/where:4/apply:1

Last application date is 11 August 2023.

You are interested in the development of offshore wind energy and have a passion for geotechnical engineering? This PhD position is for you.

We are looking for a motivated PhD student to work on the “Design of shared anchors for offshore floating renewables”. Many wind farms will be floating in the future to harvest more energy in deep waters. Shared anchors are a potential solution to reduce their overall installation cost, by reducing the number of anchors to be installed. However, the complex loading that is applied to them by several mooring lines could lead to their premature failure.

In this PhD, you will use the brand-new geotechnical centrifuge at the University of Southampton to experimentally simulate the cyclic loading of shared anchors. You will combine those experiments with advanced numerical modelling to better understand the shared anchor behaviour and propose guidance for industry.

All details about the application are available here: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-research/projects/design-of-shared-anchors-for-offshore-floating-renewables

The Department of Civil, Environmental, Land, Building Engineering and Chemistry (DICATECh) of Politecnico di Bari invites public applications for a 3-years scholarship for the PhD programme in Risk, Environmental, Territorial and Building Development (DRSATE) to carry out a doctoral research on Monitoring and Modelling of Deep Excavations in Urban Environment.

The deadline for application is at 13:00 (Italian time) of 17 July 2023. The evaluation of CVs and the interviews will be held online between 20 July and 1 August 2023.

Further details in the attached file.

We are seeking a highly motivated PhD student with a strong background in inverse methods in geotechnical/civil engineering to participate in an interdisciplinary research project, which focuses on the development of cutting-edge 3D Digital Twin (DT) technology. We aim to develop innovative solutions for monitoring, early detection, and warning systems of geo-infrastructure (e.g., embankments, tailing dams) affected by climate change. The project will take place at Polytechnique Montréal and will be led by Professor Pooneh Maghoul. The project will be conducted in close collaboration with Professors Giovanni Beltrame (Software Engineering) and Soumaya Yacout (Mathematical and Industrial Engineering) at Polytechnique Montreal.

More information in this pdf file.

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.