ALERT Workshop 2023 – Call for abstracts

The ALERT Workshop 2023 (33rd Edition) should be held in Aussois from 25th to 27th September, 2023. Abstracts can now be submitted for the sessions. Please submit your abstracts by email directly to the coordinators using the Workshop abstract form (doc). If you wish to publish your presentation after the Workshop on the ALERT website, do not forget to agree by ticking the corresponding box in the abstract form.

Since time for the presentations is limited, only a part of the submitted abstracts can be chosen for the oral presentations. Therefore, we invite you to submit your abstract as soon as possible. The presentation can also be submitted as a poster. The abstracts of the posters will be published in a separate booklet (ISSN registered).

The deadline for the abstract submission is May 19, 2023. For any communication about your participation to the workshops, please contact the coordinators of the workshop sessions directly.

Here is a reminder of the workshop sessions as well as a short description of each of them. The call for abstract is open for the Session 1 and Session 3 only:

  • Session 1: “Energy geomechanics
    Organizers: Jean-Michel Pereira, Carlos Santamarina and Diego Manzanal.

    The use of the geological subsurface is gaining interest in various energy-related applications, covering energy recovery and storage. In these applications, the physical phenomena at play in the encountered porous materials include -often in a coupled manner- heat and mass transfers, multiphase flow, reactive transport of fluids, mechanics, etc.

  • Session 2: “Extraterrestrial geomechanics
    Organizers: P. Delage and F. Prada

    The InSight mission, which landed on Mars in 2018, is a geophysical mission with a seismometer (SEIS) supplied by France and a penetrometer (HP3) supplied by Germany as its main instruments for measuring the thermal gradient on the surface.
    Thanks to the detection of Martian earthquakes (Marsquakes), the mission was able to improve the determination of the planet’s structure (radius of the core, mantle and crust), as intended. The seismometer also detected large meteorite impacts. The Near Surface Working Group is also interested in the geological and mechanical properties of the surface. They have studied the interaction between a Martian regolith analogue and the seismometer, and estimated in advance the elastic properties, with values close to those measured on site.
    The proposed session would be based on the participation of European scientists involved in the mission.

  • Session 3: “Anisotropy in geomaterials: theory, experiments and modelling”
    Organizers: Eleni Gerolymatou, Cino Viggiani, and Angelo Amorosi.

    Anisotropy, i.e. the variation of any given property of the material with direction, can have a significant effect on the material response to loading. It is present in most types of geomaterials, ranging from granular soils to hard rocks.
    Due to the significant effort required to determine in the laboratory the internal variables of the material and the additional difficulties linked to its constitutive description, it is in most applications ignored as a matter of fact. However, in the last years significant efforts have been made in both directions.
    With the present topic suggestion the organizers would like to invite contributions from researchers working on anisotropy in geomaterials in the fields of constitutive law development, experimental testing and numerical simulation. The aim is to increase awareness of the significance of anisotropy, to stimulate scientific exchange and to provide a first exposure to its intricacies for younger researchers.

SFI Frontiers for the Future Programme for excellent independent researchers

Geotechnical / Mechanical Engineering at University College Cork

A PhD position on “Geotechnical big data monitoring and assessment tools for evaluating whole-life performance of underground infrastructure” is now open at University College Cork.

This project will develop and improve the aforementioned two novel tools (distributed fibre optic sensing, drone, robotics and image-based defect assessment) for geo-infrastructure monitoring in collaboration with Cambridge University, UC Berkeley, Tyndall and industrial partners. The developed novel monitoring tools will be applied to 2-4 ageing & prospective underground infrastructures in a large scale to gather more comprehensive monitoring big data than previously available at lower cost.

More information in the attached pdf.

PhD positions at the University of Newcastle (Australia)

Are you a passionate and driven individual interested in mining geomechanics? The University of Newcastle, Australia, in partnership with Glencore, one of the world’s largest globally diversified natural resource companies, is pleased to offer two fully-funded PhD scholarships in this exciting field. As a successful candidate, you will have the opportunity to work alongside leading experts in academia and industry, using cutting-edge technology to develop innovative solutions to real-world challenges. You will also benefit from state-of-the-art facilities and a supportive academic environment, as well as gain valuable industry experience and networking opportunities. We are seeking highly motivated and committed candidates with a strong academic background and a demonstrated commitment to research excellence. If you have a passion for mining geomechanics and are ready to take the next step in your academic career, we encourage you to apply today and join us on this exciting journey.

For more information about the two positions please check the two following links:

Applications close 28th of April.

Mini-Symposia at DEM9 – Erlangen (Germany), September 17-21, 2023

DEM9 can accommodate up to 6 mini-symposia. If you wish to organize a mini-symposium (5 presentations of 30 minutes), please propose:
– a title of the mini-symposium and
– a short description, including scope and objectives
– by April 30, 2023. 

The decision will be made by May 15.

Thorsten Poeschel 
on behalf of the DEM9 Organizing Committee 
https://www.dem9.fau.de

Joint PhD position at Polytechnique Montreal and Université de Montpellier.

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

The main objective of the proposed PhD project 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).

We invite the candidates to send a detailed CV to Prof. Carlos Ovalle (carlos.ovalle@polymtl.ca) & Prof. Emilien Azéma (emilien.azema@umontpellier.fr).

More information in the attached pdf.

SimTech 2023 Registration Open

Registration is now open for SimTech 2023 (https://www.simtech2023.uni-stuttgart.de/) from October 4 to 6 at the University of Stuttgart.

Early Bird Fee (until 15 May): 250 EUR
Late Registration (from 16 May): 350 EUR

Poster abstract submission closes April 7, 2023. Please submit your abstract as a single pdf file to conference_ps@simtech.uni-stuttgart.de using the latex template provided at https://www.simtech2023.uni-stuttgart.de/program/poster-session/.

Notification of acceptance: April 30, Early Registration Deadline May 15.

Feel free to forward this call to interested colleagues! We are looking forward to welcoming you in Stuttgart.

Job offering : Junior Professor Chair at University Savoie Mont Blanc

Dear Colleagues,

You will find enclosed the announcement for a Junior Professor Chair entitled “Mathematics for the analysis and modeling of complex processes related to natural risks”, at University Savoie Mont Blanc (Bourget du Lac, France).

The Junior Professor will be affected to the Laboratory of Maths (LAMA), in association with the Institute of Earth Sciences (ISTerre).

Do not hesitate to broadcast this announcement in your internal networks.

Best regards,
François

University of Cambridge – Soil Mechanics Position

Applications are invited for a University Assistant/Associate Professor in Soil Mechanics/Geotechnical Engineering in the Geotechnical and Geo-Environmental Group of the Department of Engineering of the University of Cambridge.

A short description of the post can be found at: https://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/38236/

Informal enquiries regarding the post may be made to Professor Gopal Madabhushi (mspg1@cam.ac.uk<mailto:mspg1@cam.ac.uk>)

One PhD position at Grenoble INP – UGA / 3SR Laboratory, France

A PhD position at Grenoble INP – UGA / 3SR laboratory is open and we are now looking for motivated candidates with a strong scientific interest in numerical modelling of geomaterials. This project will focus on the understanding of the link between the natural and acquired heterogeneities in geomaterials, with a particular look on the strain localization.

More informations about the proposal and the application process can be found in the attached pdf file.

The closing date for the applications is April 30th, 2023.

Ioannis Vardoulakis PhD Prize 2023: Deadline extension

The deadline for the Ioannis Vardoulakis PhD Prize 2023 has been extended by one month. The deadline for the application is now the 30th April, 2023.

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 2022.

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