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.

In the context of the ANR (French National Research Agency) Project LOCCO, we are seeking for a candidate for an internship (master thesis), with opportunities to pursue as PhD student, funding being already secured.

The internship project title is: “Pore scale finite element modelling of calcite dissolution in caprock formation”.

Location: 3SR in Grenoble (France)
Team : Geomechanics group

For further informations about work program and application, see the attached PDF.

For further information, see the attached [PDF].

LEMTA invites applications for a fully funded 3-year PhD in Geotechnical Engineering, starting no later than December 2025.

The project will focus on the characterization and modelling of the thermo–hydro–mechanical behaviour of frozen soils in the context of Artificial Ground Freezing (AGF), a technique increasingly used for deep excavations, tunnelling, and temporary groundwater control.

The successful candidate will perform laboratory investigations to quantify swelling and settlement during freeze–thaw cycles, analyse microstructural evolutions using porosimetry and X-ray tomography, and develop coupled THM numerical models to predict field-scale behaviour. The work will take place at LEMTA (Université de Lorraine, France), benefiting from state-of-the-art experimental and computational facilities, and collaborations within the EU-funded project UPGRADE.

For further information, see the attached [PDF].