Hydro-Mechanical Behaviour of Biopolymer-Treated Soils

Research project: The PhD position involves laboratory testing and numerical simulations on biopolymer-treated soils with enhanced erosion resistance, water retention, and vegetation etc. This soil improvement approach has a lower carbon footprint thus is more eco-friendly than chemical stabilizations with cement, lime, and fly ash. Field studies demonstrate the feasibility and potential of biopolymer applications in slope surface protection in various soil types, including organic peat covering 17% of Ireland. The viscoelastic gel-like biopolymers change soil properties primarily through particle binding, pore-filling, and pore-clogging. The successful candidate is expected to apply experimental and numerical approaches to advance our understanding of the hydro-mechanical behaviour of biopolymer-treated soils including soil-water retention behaviour, hydraulic conductivity, undrained shear strength. The candidate will adopt non-destructive imaging techniques, i.e., X-ray computed tomography, advanced soil water potential devices, and numerical simulation methods such as discrete element method.

Supervisors: Dr Budi Zhao, Dr Mike Long (Co-supervisor)

Location:  University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland

Applicant Requirements: We seek a highly enthusiastic PhD candidate who can independently plan and conduct the research project. Applicants should have a first or upper second-class honours degree in geotechnical engineering, civil engineering or other relevant fields such as mechanical engineering or physics. Excellent written, oral communication skills and a high level of competence in the English language are essential (See UCD’s policy on minimum English language requirements here).

Stipend & fees: The successful candidate will receive a stipend of €18,000 per annum and the fully funded tuition fees for EU/non-EU applicants. The position is funded for four years – subject to satisfactory progress.

Application procedure: Applicants should submit their CV, transcript, and recommendation letters from two referees as a single .pdf document to budi.zhao@ucd.ie.

Application deadline: 21st Oct 2022

The Department of Earth Sciences “A. Desio” of the University of Milan announces the availability of 1 industry co-funded PhD studentship about the “theoretical, numerical and experimental analysis of the thermal and mechanical performance of thermo-active micropiles”. The research project is to be developed in collaboration with company ‘Geosec’ based in Parma, Italy, where the PhD student will have to spend a period of 6 to 18 months.

Prospective applicants may contact Dr Francesco Cecinato for further details (francesco.cecinato@unimi.it).

More details on the projects and instructions for applicants can be found on the attached flyer.

A postdoctoral position in experimental geomechanics in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geo-Engineering, University of Minnesota (https://cse.umn.edu/cege) is available immediately for a study associated with the Center for Interacting Geo-processes in Mineral Carbon Storage (GMCS), funded through the Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) program by the Office of Science, US Department of Energy. The key objective of GMCS is to develop a deep understanding of the key geo-processes, occurring across multiple scales, that is necessary to achieve a successful mineral carbon storage operation. This will require cohorts of engineers and scientists, from across the spectrum of geomechanics, geochemistry, porous media flow, reactive transport, and sensing technologies, to work in concert towards the common mission of fully developing the fundamental science and engineering capability that will lead to realizing the potential for permanent subsurface storage of CO₂ via mineralization. 

The postdoctoral fellow will be responsible for implementing a laboratory setup, performing experiments, and analyzing multi-modal sensory data to study the spatiotemporal evolution of seismic and/or poromechanical properties of mafic rock specimens subjected to the flow of water-dissolved CO₂. The initial appointment is for one year and is renewable for up to four years. The laboratory facilities supporting this work include the Waves & Imaging Laboratory (https://bojanguzina.org/waves-imaging-lab/) and the W. David Lacabanne Rock Mechanics Laboratory (https://cse.umn.edu/cege/research-facilities-civil-engineering-building).

Successful candidates should have a PhD in Civil Engineering, Earth Sciences, or a related field. An expertise in geomechanics, and more specifically experimental geomechanics, is mandatory; knowledge of geochemistry is preferred but not required. A solid foundation in elastic wave propagation and poromechanics will be considered an asset. Also of importance are communication skills and ability to work effectively with the senior investigators, other post-doctoral researchers, and graduate students. 

Applicants should submit a statement of interest, career goals, 2-page CV, and the names and contact information of three references. Inquiries and applications should be sent by email to Bojan Guzina (guzin001@umn.edu), Joseph Labuz (jlabuz@umn.edu), and Peter Kang (pkkang@umn.edu).   

Multiple postdoc and PhD positions are open at Tsinghua University to investigate
debris flow and sediment transport in fluvial and coastal environments through a
multiscale approach integrating experiments, simulations, and theory. The research
will take place at Tsinghua University’s Shenzhen International Graduate School
(SIGS), located in Shenzhen, China, and is partly sponsored by NSFC and Tsinghua
SIGS’s scientific research startup funds.

Successful applicants will join a team managed by Dr. Lu Jing, Assistant Professor in
the Institute for Ocean Engineering, SIGS, Tsinghua University. The research theme
of Lu’s group is “Multi-Scale Mechanics for Earth and its Environment”, in line
with the UN’s and China’s sustainable development goals. Their recent focus is on
the flow and transport mechanics of granular materials from micro to macro scales,
aiming at enhanced strategies for geohazard mitigation and sediment management.

Candidates having excellent experimental (micro-CT, RIMS, PIV/PTV), numerical
(DEM-CFD/LBM, SPH, MPM, AI-aided methods), and/or theoretical (geomechanics,
rheology, fluid dynamics) skills are sought. The positions are open to any citizenship
and all qualified applicants are welcome.

More information in the pdf file attached.

The University of Glasgow currently has an exciting opportunity for a Research Associate (postdoc) to make a leading contribution to an EPSRC-funded project with Dr Junlong Shang. The INFORM project will examine the influence of fracture heterogeneity on the integrity and deformation behaviour of rocks across scales using experiment and modelling approaches, with a goal of sustainable geological disposal of radioactive waste. The project involves a significant programme of laboratory (direct shear, triaxial deformation), field (rock sample and fracture data collection), and modelling (DEM) study as well as engagement with our national and international academic and industry partners. The successful candidate will also be expected to contribute to the formulation and submission of high-quality research publications and research grant proposals.

Come and join UofG to make leading contributions to radioactive waste disposal and global net zero transitions.

– Application deadline: 28 September 2022
– Expected start date: 1 Feb 2023
– As an EPSRC-funded project, UofG can support Global Talent Visa for the successful candidate (if needed), who will be eligible for UK permanent residence after 36 months of working on the project.

Application: https://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/CSS479/research-associate-in-rock-mechanics-and-geomechanics#.YwZuzr4E5xQ.linkedin
Research Group Website: www.junlongshang.com

The deadline for applications to the position presented in the post below is now extended to the 12th of September, 2022.

Within the Civil Engineering Department, the Hydraulics & Geotechnics Section (Campus Bruges, Faculty of Engineering Technology) and the Structural Mechanics Section (Campus Arenberg, Faculty of Engineering Technology) are currently seeking to recruit a highly enthusiastic and motivated person to pursue full-time doctoral studies in the field of dynamic Soil-Structure-Interaction. The sections are already collaborating in research projects including foundations for offshore wind turbines and floating energy converters, pile driving and installation techniques by means of theoretical developments and experimental approaches. Regarding the later, both sections are part of a collaborative national research project which aims to establish a testing site for pile foundations in Belgium.

Are you interested in deriving elegant, insightful, novel benchmark solutions for a wide range of typical complex SSI problems, and develop a step-change in the way software for SSI is implemented?

Here is the link to apply: https://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/jobs/60137928

End of application: 5 September 2022

The Geotechnics Research Group (GRG) in the Division of Geology and Geotechnics primarily focuses on modelling and characterisation of complex geomaterials, such as naturals and stabilised soils. The research activities aim to bridge fundamental understanding and advanced modelling & testing capabilities with application in engineering practice. GRG has become an internationally recognised group in experimental testing and modelling at laboratory and field scale.

We are looking for a highly motivated individual to fill a post-doc position linked with a research project funded by Formas (Swedish research council), which aims is to develop a multi-physics model to assess the impact of climate change on the built environment in terms of stability and ground movements. A major component will be the development of an efficient scalable computational framework for multiphysics modelling of geostructures in FEniCSx, accounting for the spatial heterogeneity of the soil and the probabilistic nature of the environmental loading on its interfaces (atmosphere, lower and upper aquifer). In addition to the main supervisor (Prof. Minna Karstunen), the post-doc is supported by Dr Ayman Abed and Prof. Jelke Dijkstra. The project is part of a larger constellation of projects that focus on modelling the impacts of climate change and mitigation measures and liked with the activities of Digital Twin Cities Centre at Chalmers.

For more information & how to apply, see: https://www.chalmers.se/en/about-chalmers/Working-at-Chalmers/Vacancies/Pages/default.aspx?rmpage=job&rmjob=10801

Note that only applications submitted via our application system will be considered, so do not send cvs via email. Deadline for applications Oct 15, 2022.

Title: Rheology and transport properties of rock salt: application to salt cavern storage

Research outline: The PhD candidate will work in the framework of the ANR RockStorHy project, which investigates the rheology and the transport properties of rock salt (in particular, tightness to gases stored in the context of the energy transition).
Several PhD students and French research laboratories will collaborate in the project. A major outcome of this PhD work is to propose a unified constitutive law covering a wide range of stress ranges, which will be fit against the quantitative results of macroscopic tests and the qualitative lessons drawn from microscopic analysis conducted during the project. Transport properties will be examined at the micro and macro-scales (experimental and numerical work). Numerical computations at the cavern scale will be performed using, for comparison, several standard constitutive laws and the unified law resulting from the experimental efforts. Emphasis will be put on cycled operation of hydrogen storage caverns.

Keywords : rock salt, rheology, underground storage, energy transition

Prequisite skills and knowledge:

• Continuum solid mechanics
• Strong background in mathematics
• Knowledge of the finite element method (modeling experience if possible)
• Willingness to perform experimental work on rocks
• Fluent in English and French (oral, spoken, written)
• Eager to work in a multidisciplinary environment

Contact: laura.blanco_martin@minesparis.psl.eu

Starting date: not later than January 2, 2023 (grant is for 36 months)

Deadline for applications: September 23, 2022

Please send your application as one pdf file including: CV, letter of motivation, two recommendation letters, bachelor and master grades

“Multi-scale approach to study the effect of fines content and particle shape on static liquefaction potential of loose mine tailings”

Mine tailings are silty sand slurries deposited by hydraulic filling in storage facilities, where the material remains saturated, loose, and might be liquefiable causing catastrophic mudflows. Empirical evidence shows that intrinsic material parameters, such as characteristic particle size, particle size distribution, and non-plastic fines content, could significantly affect the tailing liquefaction potential. However, it remains unclear what are key elements and physical mechanisms at the source of these observations. The main objective is to develop a general multi-scale framework to assess the static liquefaction potential of loose tailings as a function of fines content and grain shape, based on experimental testing and numerical DEM simulations.

We offer a fully-funded 4-year PhD position, as part of a collaboration between academic institutions, Polytechnique Montréal (Canada) and Université de Montpellier (France), and industrial partners SRK Consulting (Canada) and Peñoles Mining Company (Mexico).

Candidates must have experience with numerical modeling of materials. Experience with experimental set-up and testing of geomaterials, although not necessary, is highly appreciated. Programming skills with python are essential. Students having a Mechanical/Civil Engineering or Physics background are invited to apply.

We invite the candidates to send a detailed CV (including the contact details for 2 references), a motivation letter and Bachelor and Master transcripts to Prof. Carlos Ovalle (carlos.ovalle@polymtl.ca) & Prof. Emilien Azéma (emilien.azema@umontpellier.fr).

Note: The recruitment process will ensure that the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion are respected, and in the case of equal skills among candidates, preference will be given to the recruitment of women, underrepresented minorities, and individuals with disabilities.