INRAE is recruiting: a vacancy for a researcher position at IGE (Grenoble, France) should open up soon!

This vacancy may be of interest to members of the list who hold a PhD.

The IGE research unit (Institute for Environmental Geosciences), located in Grenoble (France), will soon be offering a permanent position for a research fellow in mechanics of cryospheric materials (snow, ice, rock permafrost, etc.) with the following objectives:
–develop experiments and innovative measurements in the lab and in the field,
–elucidate multi-physics and multi-scale couplings from the microstructure to the field scale,
–enrich the modeling of instability and gravitational flow processes in the context of climate change.

To apply, visit the INRAE Jobs website from the end of January 2026. And to receive an email notification on the day, you can create a job alert in three clicks!

We are offering an exciting 2-year postdoctoral position focused on the analysis, diagnosis, and prediction of landslides using cutting-edge theoretical and statistical frameworks. The successful candidate will work at the frontier of geohazard research, leveraging advanced methods such as the dragon-king theory, endo-exo framework, log-periodic power law singularity (LPPLS) theory, and other methods developed by Qinghua Lei and Didier Sornette and others. A unique aspect of this position is the opportunity to collaborate with the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE), a key partner in the project, and to work with their extensive and high-quality database of ongoing monitored landslides across Norway. This rare access provides an exceptional empirical foundation to test and refine theoretical models. The position offers the freedom to explore new directions, develop original approaches, and contribute to shaping the future of geohazard prediction.

For further information, see the attached [PDF].

Post-doctoral Fellowship positions in Machine Learning/Numerical Analysis in Geotechnical Engineering are open at the Geotechnical Engineering Research Group, Shandong University, Jinan, China. Candidates should have graduated with a Ph.D. within the last three years and have experience in machine learning/numerical analysis in geotechnical engineering. Successful candidates will engage in interdisciplinary research in applying machine learning/numerical analysis in transportation geotechnics, underground space or offshore geotechnical engineering. Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Prof. Kai Yao https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kai-Yao by emailing yaokai@sdu.edu.cn

The salary package could be referred to https://www.en.sdu.edu.cn/info/1169/7271.htm

For further information, see the attached [PDF].

Title: Impact of pore pressure variations induced by pressurised TBM on neighbouring constructions: field data analysis and numerical modelling with artificial intelligence tools.

In urban areas, mechanised tunneling requires an accurate prediction of the impact of tunnel boring machines (TBM) on neighbouring structures , particularly those founded on piles .
The LTDS /ENTPE (UMR CNRS 5513) and the French Centre for Tunnel Studies (CETU) work on this topic for several years. The objectives of this postdoctoral research are twofold:
1) To improve understanding of pore pressure variations induced by pressurised TBMs and their impact on design methods , through analysis of experimental data from various construction sites, and coupled hydromechanical numerical simulations to evaluate the limits of “classical’ drained calculations.
2) To develop a physics informed machine learning surrogate model to predict pile displacements during TBM excavation.

For further information, see the attached [PDF].

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].