Ioannis Vardoulakis PhD Prize 2024

The Bureau of ALERT Geomaterials has decided to fund the Ioannis Vardoulakis PhD Prize 2024. Since 2016, the PhD prize is entitled Ioannis Vardoulakis PhD Prize to commemorate Prof. Vardoulakis and his contributions to research and teaching in the field of Geomechanics.

The participation to the prize is open to all the PhD students with at least one official supervisor from one of the institutions belonging to ALERT, that have successfully defended their PhD thesis in 2023. The deadline for the applications is 31st March, 2024.

The rulesagenda and further details are to be found on the ALERT website:
https://alertgeomaterials.eu/alert-phd-prize/

PhD position: “A Depth-Averaged Material Point Method for the initiation and dynamics of Alpine Mass Movements”

The Chair of Alpine Mass Movements at ETH Zürich and SLF Davos offers a 4-year PhD position about the numerical modeling of the initiation and dynamics of Alpine Mass Movements with a depth-averaged Material Point Method. More information about the project, position and expected background can be found in this link: https://jobs.ethz.ch/job/view/JOPG_ethz_LiRmcYKHdI71vDGZLI

For questions, please contact Prof. J. Gaume (jgaume@ethz.ch).

Offshore Geotechnics PhD Studentship Opportunity

A PhD Studentship opportunity is available at University of Southampton on “Efficient ‘Whole-life’ anchoring systems for offshore floating renewables”.

This PhD offers you the opportunity to tackle the urgent real-world challenge of developing efficient deep water anchoring systems for offshore floating renewable energy infrastructure. You will also have the opportunity to work as part of a vibrant research group focussed on a range of offshore engineering challenges and engage with a range of industry partners.

More information on the pdf file.

1 Postdoc/senior engineer and 3 PhD positions at TU Braunschweig, Germany

The Institute of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (Institut für Geomechanik und Geotechnik, IGG) at TU Braunschweig (Technische Universität Braunschweig) is looking for 3 PhD candidates and 1 postdoctoral researcher/senior engineer to support the team of the freshly appointed professor, Marius Milatz, starting from April 1, 2024. Based on the IGG’s experience in the fields of geotechnical measurements, onshore and offshore geotechnics, underground space construction, and deep geological nuclear waste repositories, the institute will be reordered with a research focus on experimental and numerical geomechanics in the fields of fundamental soil behaviour from micro to macro, of soil-water-structure interactions and tool-soil interactions in mechanised tunnelling. We focus on all kinds of geomaterials, including fine grained and granular soils, rock as well as other technical building materials, in the dry, unsaturated, and saturated state. A vision is to give traditional soil and geomechanics a taste of materials science by looking into various physical phenomena, processes and interactions and by applying interdisciplinary research methods. Key methods to be used in our research will be in situ CT-experiments (3D and “4D” computed tomography imaging) along with a quantitative image-based analysis of soil behaviour and the design and testing of new geomechanical lab experiments. Furthermore, we focus on the development and application of numerical modelling techniques bridging length scales from the grain and pore scale to the macro scale using different continuum methods, particle based and CFD based methods.

The application deadline of this call is March 10, 2024. Further information on the advertised positions as well as contact data for questions and application are given in the following links to the individual positions:
Postdoc/senior engineer position
PhD position 1
PhD position 2
PhD position 3

13 PhD positions in the new MSCA-DN POSEIDON

We are thrilled to announce the “POSEIDON” project under the EU Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. This ambitious project has opened 13 Ph.D. positions for aspiring researchers. Funded by Horizon Europe (HORIZON) through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks (MSCA-DN), POSEIDON unites 16 partners from seven European countries, including The Netherlands, Germany, France, Norway, Denmark, Italy, and the UK.

Our consortium includes esteemed universities and industry partners, offering a rich environment for multidisciplinary and multisectoral research. We aim to address challenges in the design and resilience of Offshore Critical Infrastructures (OCIs) like wind turbines, submarine pipelines, and cables, especially in the context of climate change.

The project seeks to nurture 13 Doctoral Candidates (DCs) who will lead the way in identifying, assessing, and mitigating offshore geohazards. This initiative is not just about advancing academic knowledge; it’s about shaping the future of offshore infrastructure resilience.

For more detailed information about the Ph.D. positions and specific objectives, please refer to the attached PDF or visit the POSEIDON webpage.

One PhD and two postdoctoral positions to study thermal effects in landslides

We are looking for three highly skilled and motivated candidates to join us in Prague, Czechia, at the Institute of Hydrogeology, Engineering Geology and Applied Geophysics, Faculty of Science, Charles University.

PhD position

The ideal candidate has a strong background in soil mechanics and constitutive modelling (acquired, for instance, through a degree in geotechnical engineering or equivalent, achieved with a thesis in a relevant topic). The candidate will essentially work on incorporating novel experimental insights and field data into physically-based models to reproduce and predict landslide behaviours at the slope and catchment scales (thus enabling cross-scale modelling) under thermo-hydro-mechanical boundary conditions.

– Fully funded for up to 4 years
– Net salary 1100 EUR/month (research assistant position) + PhD scholarship up to 600 EUR/month
– Full time (40 hours/week) with flexible hours, in presence
– Possibility to apply for university accommodation through the Staff Welcome Centre (https://swc.cuni.cz/)
– Deadline for applications: 13 March 2024
– Start date: 1 October 2024
– Apply here: https://stars-natur.cz/phd-positions/geology/effects-of-temperature-on-the-behaviour-of-slow-moving-landslides?back=ma0yg
– Review of applications will begin after the submission deadline

Postdoctoral positions

The ideal candidates have a track record, proportionate to their career stage, of publications, grants, scientific results demonstrating potential for independence in the topic of this call or a closely related one (e.g., thermo-hydro-mechanical modelling of geomaterials, landslides and climate change, slope-vegetation-atmosphere interaction).The candidates must possess outstanding skills in constitutive and numerical modelling of landslide processes at various scales and/or in advanced experimental soil mechanics, ideally with a focus on clay soils.The candidates are expected to show independent thinking and develop original solutions contributing to cross-scale modelling under thermo-hydro-mechanical boundary conditions. The specific research track of the successful applicants will be discussed based on skills, motivations, and the current project needs.

– Duration of the fellowship: 12 months; renewable based on performance
– Net salary: 1750 EUR/month (postdoctoral position)
– Full time (40 hours/week) with flexible hours; hybrid work possible upon agreement
– Possibility to apply for university accommodation through the Staff Welcome Centre (https://swc.cuni.cz/)
– Deadline for applications: 15 February 2024
– Start date: 1 May 2024
– Apply here: https://forms.gle/SrhsnLs1Kwk2U84a6
– Applications will be reviewed as they come; early applications are encouraged

Contact for inquiries: Dr. Gianvito Scaringi (gianvito.scaringi@natur.cuni.cz)

PhD position at Lulea Sweden

The research group soil mechanics has an open PhD position about stabilization of sulfide soil.
Soil Mechanics includes soil mechanics, soil materials engineering and foundation engineering). The research addresses e.g. dams and dam construction in the short and long term (hydroelectric and mine dams), environmental geoengineering (use of residual products, dredging, handling of dredged sediments, landfill design, sedimentation and erosion), cold climate engineering (freeze and thaw, frost heave, permafrost and snow mechanics), advanced soil mechanics (mechanical properties of sulfide soil, organic soil and tailings, etc.) as well as road and railway geotechnology. Environmental geotechniques e.g. stabilization and use of acid sulfate soil in construction, is a growing issue in connection to the construction of large infrastructure in Northern Sweden.

More information on this website:

https://web103.reachmee.com/ext/I003/583/job?site=6&lang=UK&validator=e4575239eb8c0828707e2b716f86c5f8&job_id=7536&notrack=true

Postdoctoral positions at Nanchang University, China

Postdoctoral positions in computational geomechanics are currently open at the Geotechnical Engineering Research Group, Nanchang University, Jiangxi, China. Candidates should have graduated with a Ph.D. within the last three years and have experience in developing advanced numerical methods such as MPM, FEM and DEM, for addressing geomechanics problems. Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Jingjing Meng and send your one-page CV to mengjing120@126.com.

We provide:

1.    Joining an outstanding research group led by the distinguished Prof Chuangbing Zhou,
2.    Comprehensive earnings ranging from 34k USD to 70k USD annually, including subsidies from the Jiangxi province and Nanchang city, salary from the university, and financial support from the research group,
3.    Flexibility for pursuing your own research excellence,
4.    Brand-new, world-class research facilities within our expanding research team, dedicated to helping you reach your full potential.

Georest workshop on induced seismicity

Victor Vilarrasa and his team at the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies in Mallorca, Spain, are happy to announce the GEoREST workshop on induced seismicity from 11-13 March 2024. They are accepting abstracts until the 20th of January.

This workshop aims at fostering debate on the latest advances in process understanding, subsurface characterization and forecasting of induced seismicity. They welcome contributions from the academia and industry alike in topics ranging from, but not limited to numerical modeling, laboratory experiments, field studies, application of AI in induced seismicity, etc. They welcome contributions in the form of both posters and oral presentations that broadly fit into the following sessions:

Session 1: Understanding of the causes of induced seismicity

Session 2: Post-injection seismicity: Can we forecast it?

Session 3: Subsurface characterization 

Session 4: Forecasting induced seismicity

Session 5: Case studies of induced seismicity

Webpage of the workshop- 

https://workshop.georest.eu

Abstract submission to IS-Grenoble 2024

We are pleased to inform you that it still possible to submit your abstract for the forthcoming IS-Grenoble 2024 — we have extended the deadline to January 15, 2024.

This event will be the fifth quadrennial international symposium organized under the auspices of Technical Committee 105 (Geomechanics from Micro to Macro) of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE).Please visit the website to register and submit an abstract: https://is-grenoble2024.sciencesconf.org/