Ref: ENGI21-51

The Department of Engineering at Durham University is currently undergoing a period of strategic growth and is looking to fill nine new academic posts across a range of specialisations at various academic levels. We welcome applications from outstanding individuals with research and teaching interests in the following areas:

• Offshore Geotechnics – Assistant Professor grade 7/8

This is an exciting opportunity to join an expanding, unified Engineering Department which is recognised as being one of the very best in the UK, with a reputation for excellence in teaching, research and employability of our students. In the REF2014 exercise, 90% of the Engineering outputs were graded 3* or 4*, and Durham was ranked 4th in the UK for impact in the General Engineering unit of assessment. The Department is committed to an ethos of research-led teaching at all levels of our taught programmes. Durham University was ranked 4th in The Guardian University Guide 2021, 6th in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021 and 7th in The Complete University Guide 2021 for General Engineering. We were ranked 2nd in Engineering behind only Cambridge, in a recent Institute for Fiscal Studies report on the difference in graduate earnings by UK university choice.

Positions open until filled. Students can start immediately. Recruitment process deadline is August 2021.

If you are interested please submit a complete academic CV, transcripts, proof of English Language, contact details of three references, expected graduation date and a motivation letter in a single pdf.

PhD 1: Soil-structure interaction framework for monopiles in sand under cyclic loading (approx. 3 years at KU Leuven, 1 year at University of Melbourne) Contact: Dr George Anoyatis, KU Leuven  george.anoyatis@kuleuven.be

For more information: https://melkul.research.unimelb.edu.au/2020/10/16/soil-structure-interaction-framework-for-monopiles-in-sand-under-cyclic-loading/

PhD 2. Soil-structure interaction framework for plate anchors in sand under cyclic loading (approx. 3 years at University of Melbourne, 1 year at KU Leuven) Contact: Dr Shiaohuey Chow, University of Melbourne  shiaohuey.chow@unimelb.edu.au 

For more information: https://melkul.research.unimelb.edu.au/2020/10/16/soil-structure-interaction-framework-for-plate-anchors-in-sand-under-cyclic-loading-2/  

We are looking for a PhD Student to collaborate with us on a project entitled:

“Soil reinforcement by rigid inclusions: effect of complex surface loading – centrifuge and numerical modelling“

supervised by Thibault Badinier, Luc Thorel and Matthieu Blanc at the Gustave Eiffel University (Nantes campus).

The application is open until the 23rd april 2021.

More details and application at the link below
https://www.ifsttar.fr/offres-theses/sujet.php?num=2425&num_session=1&ver=an

The compaction of particulate materials is one of the most important industrial processes. It is used to manufacture net or near-net shape components with complex geometries and high tolerance, and with souhaitable strength. The compaction process transforms a loose particulate material into a compacted product with a higher density.

The PhD thesis will take place at the Laboratoire de Mécanique et Génie Civil (LMGC)-CNRSUniversité de Montpellier-France in collaboration with the INRAE Montpellier and the University of Leeds. Highly motivated candidates with a master’s degree in physics or mechanics, or graduated from an engineering school, and interested in numerical modelling are encouraged to apply.

More information in this attachment.

We are looking for a PhD Student to collaborate with us on a project entitled:

“Towards neutral carbon building materials: Chemo-hydro-mechanical response of cement paste carbonation through coupled X-ray and neutron high resolution imaging and modelling in recycled concrete aggregates”

supervised by Matthieu Briffaut, Alessandro Tengattini, and Stefano dal Pont, to be carried out at project at the Institut Laue Langevin/Laboratoire 3SR, at the Université Grenoble Alpes.

More details about this at the link below
https://esrf.gestmax.eu/1486/1/phd-position-towards-neutral-carbon-building-materials/en_US

Agricultural and forestry plant residues are available sources of carbon, but require fragmentation/ separation operations to extract ultrafine powders with targeted properties. This plant-based dry biorefinery is a promising alternative to oil, particularly for energy and materials applications. IATE laboratory hosts the INRAE national plant fractionation platform and is developing, in collaboration with LMGC laboratory, unique numerical models for granular materials composed of breakable particles. A major challenge is to understand how the microstructure and interactions in plant tissues influence the size, composition and shapes of the fragments. In this thesis, we will associate a massively parallel peridynamic model for the propagation of the fracture across the histological structures of plants (μm scale), and a Discrete Element approach for grain fragmentation (process scale). The ultimate goal is to elucidate the deconstruction mechanisms and develop bottom-up models accounting for both mechanical and physicochemical interactions.

See attached file for more information.

The Spanish National Research Council (IDAEA-CSIC, Barcelona) invites applications for a PhD position to develop a novel multi-scale approach to predict the hydro-chemo-mechanical behavior of cementitious materials from the aggregate to the continuum scale. The position is part of the MAGIC WP on Chemo-Mechanical AGIng of Cementitious materials (European Joint programme on Radioactive Waste Management, EJP-EURAD). The research team at IDAEA-CSIC is formed by Dr. Víctor Vilarrasa, Dr. Marco Dentz, Dr. Josep Soler and Dr. Jordi Cama.

We offer a 3-year PhD position for developing a novel multi-scale method and its subsequent application to numerical simulations of multi-scale hydro-chemomechanical behavior of cementitious materials (concrete) under repository conditions. The candidate will perform her/his research at the Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, Spanish National Research Council (IDAEA-CSIC) in an interdisciplinary and collaborative environment.

See attached file for more information

One position of “PhD Studentship – Predicting Heave in Mudstone Excavations for High Speed Rail” is available at the University of Bath, UK.

The application is open until the 25th April 2021 (https://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/CEG713/phd-studentship-predicting-heave-in-mudstone-excavations-for-high-speed-rail).

The funding is for UK and EU Students.

Experimental and numerical study on the hydromechanical-gas behaviour of clay materials

Research project

Clay materials have been considered as potential candidate for closure structures in high-level radioactive waste repositories. In spite of several studies investigating its hydro-mechanical behaviour, the kinetics of the re-saturation process and the development of swelling pressure of clay materials, observed in the large-scale experiments during long periods (e.g. several years), can still not be accurately predicted by the existing numerical models. Besides, its behaviour under the development of gas pressure, induced by corrosion of ferrous materials under anoxic conditions, is still not well understood.

This project aims at investigating the hydromechanical behaviour of clay materials under re-saturation following injection of gas at high pressure. Advanced laboratory experiments (using X-ray microtomography and magnetic resonance imaging) will be first used to observe these processes at various scales. The experimental results will be then used to develop and validate numerical models to predict the behaviour of clay materials at the field structure scale.

Candidates profile

Candidates should have strong background on geomechanics and be interested in both experimental and numerical approaches.

Candidates must be under 26 years of age on October 1, 2021. For administrative reasons, candidates must be citizens of the European Union.

Contact and application

The application (including CV and motivation letter) should be sent to Dr. Anh Minh TANG (anh-minh.tang@enpc.fr) before March 15, 2021.

One position of “Researcher in Geotechnical Engineering : physical and numerical modelling” is available at the Gustave Eiffel University, Nantes campus, France.

The application is open until the 19th March 2021 (https://www.concours.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/charge-e-de-recherche-du-developpement-durable-de-a126.html).

More  information in the attached file.