Within the Civil Engineering Department, the Hydraulics & Geotechnics Section (Campus Bruges, Faculty of Engineering Technology) and the Structural Mechanics Section (Campus Arenberg, Faculty of Engineering Technology) are currently seeking to recruit a highly enthusiastic and motivated person to pursue full-time doctoral studies in the field of dynamic Soil-Structure-Interaction. The sections are already collaborating in research projects including foundations for offshore wind turbines and floating energy converters, pile driving and installation techniques by means of theoretical developments and experimental approaches. Regarding the later, both sections are part of a collaborative national research project which aims to establish a testing site for pile foundations in Belgium.

Are you interested in deriving elegant, insightful, novel benchmark solutions for a wide range of typical complex SSI problems, and develop a step-change in the way software for SSI is implemented?

Here is the link to apply: https://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/jobs/60137928

End of application: 5 September 2022

The Geotechnics Research Group (GRG) in the Division of Geology and Geotechnics primarily focuses on modelling and characterisation of complex geomaterials, such as naturals and stabilised soils. The research activities aim to bridge fundamental understanding and advanced modelling & testing capabilities with application in engineering practice. GRG has become an internationally recognised group in experimental testing and modelling at laboratory and field scale.

We are looking for a highly motivated individual to fill a post-doc position linked with a research project funded by Formas (Swedish research council), which aims is to develop a multi-physics model to assess the impact of climate change on the built environment in terms of stability and ground movements. A major component will be the development of an efficient scalable computational framework for multiphysics modelling of geostructures in FEniCSx, accounting for the spatial heterogeneity of the soil and the probabilistic nature of the environmental loading on its interfaces (atmosphere, lower and upper aquifer). In addition to the main supervisor (Prof. Minna Karstunen), the post-doc is supported by Dr Ayman Abed and Prof. Jelke Dijkstra. The project is part of a larger constellation of projects that focus on modelling the impacts of climate change and mitigation measures and liked with the activities of Digital Twin Cities Centre at Chalmers.

For more information & how to apply, see: https://www.chalmers.se/en/about-chalmers/Working-at-Chalmers/Vacancies/Pages/default.aspx?rmpage=job&rmjob=10801

Note that only applications submitted via our application system will be considered, so do not send cvs via email. Deadline for applications Oct 15, 2022.

Title: Rheology and transport properties of rock salt: application to salt cavern storage

Research outline: The PhD candidate will work in the framework of the ANR RockStorHy project, which investigates the rheology and the transport properties of rock salt (in particular, tightness to gases stored in the context of the energy transition).
Several PhD students and French research laboratories will collaborate in the project. A major outcome of this PhD work is to propose a unified constitutive law covering a wide range of stress ranges, which will be fit against the quantitative results of macroscopic tests and the qualitative lessons drawn from microscopic analysis conducted during the project. Transport properties will be examined at the micro and macro-scales (experimental and numerical work). Numerical computations at the cavern scale will be performed using, for comparison, several standard constitutive laws and the unified law resulting from the experimental efforts. Emphasis will be put on cycled operation of hydrogen storage caverns.

Keywords : rock salt, rheology, underground storage, energy transition

Prequisite skills and knowledge:

• Continuum solid mechanics
• Strong background in mathematics
• Knowledge of the finite element method (modeling experience if possible)
• Willingness to perform experimental work on rocks
• Fluent in English and French (oral, spoken, written)
• Eager to work in a multidisciplinary environment

Contact: laura.blanco_martin@minesparis.psl.eu

Starting date: not later than January 2, 2023 (grant is for 36 months)

Deadline for applications: September 23, 2022

Please send your application as one pdf file including: CV, letter of motivation, two recommendation letters, bachelor and master grades

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

Mine tailings are silty sand slurries deposited by hydraulic filling in storage facilities, where the material remains saturated, loose, and might be liquefiable causing catastrophic mudflows. Empirical evidence shows that intrinsic material parameters, such as characteristic particle size, particle size distribution, and non-plastic fines content, could significantly affect the tailing liquefaction potential. However, it remains unclear what are key elements and physical mechanisms at the source of these observations. The main objective 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).

Candidates must have experience with numerical modeling of materials. Experience with experimental set-up and testing of geomaterials, although not necessary, is highly appreciated. Programming skills with python are essential. Students having a Mechanical/Civil Engineering or Physics background are invited to apply.

We invite the candidates to send a detailed CV (including the contact details for 2 references), a motivation letter and Bachelor and Master transcripts to Prof. Carlos Ovalle (carlos.ovalle@polymtl.ca) & Prof. Emilien Azéma (emilien.azema@umontpellier.fr).

Note: The recruitment process will ensure that the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion are respected, and in the case of equal skills among candidates, preference will be given to the recruitment of women, underrepresented minorities, and individuals with disabilities.

At Plaxis (a Bentley Systems company), we are looking for a Research Engineer to join our geotechnical R&D team in Delft, The Netherlands.
We require a Ph.D. in Geotechnical Engineering (or affine), a vivid interest in numerical analysis in geotechnical engineering, and Python programming skills.

To read the detailed job description and apply for the position, please use the following link:

https://jobs.bentley.com/job/Delft-Research-Engineer-2628-XK/909974800/

We are offering one fully-funded, 4-year PhD position in the Laboratory of Experimental Rock Mechanics at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale of Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland.

PhD Project: Earthquakes mechanics at the Brittle to Ductile transition. We will experimentally study earthquake mechanics at conditions representative of the brittle to ductile transition in the earth curst, i.e confining pressure up to 400 MPa and temperature up to 1200°C.  We will use a recently developed high temperature gas medium triaxial press.  Experiments will be coupled with in-situ seismic waves measurements, microstructural analysis, and modelling of the small scale physical processes.  

Main duties and responsibilities include:

• Carrying out research activities related to rock mechanics under crustal conditions
• Experiment design and execution
• Analysing and interpreting experimental results
• Developing frictional and rheological laws
• Writing scientific articles for publication in peer-reveiwed journals
• Participating in laboratory teaching activities, as needed (assisting with exercises, correcting exams, supervision undergraduate and Master research students)
• Presenting at international conferences

We are looking for candidates with:

• An MSc degree in the fields of:  Geophysics, rock mechanics, civil engineering, mining engineering, geology
• An interest in high-pressure and high-temperature experimental techniques, with application to renewable geo-resource, geo-hazard development
• Good communication skills and willingness to work as part of a team;
• Enthusiasm, scientific curiosity, willingness to learn, good organisational skills, rigor in experimental work, versatility
• Experience in rock mechanics, and physics is an asset
• Fluency in English, facility in French is an asset
• Proficiency with programming languages (Matlab, Pyton, Labview)

EPFL is an international and world-class engineering university. We offer:

• An opportunity to develop a scientific career in experimental rock mechanics and physics, which can be ported to careers in both academia and industry
• A world-class research and training environment with access to state-of-the-art research facilities
• Competitive remuneration
• A multi-cultural and stimulating work environment
• Affiliation with the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC)

Starting date: Starting September 2022, exact start date is negotiable

Term of employment: 1-year fixed-term contract (CDD), renewable for 4 years ( 54 KCHF/ year)

To be considered, your application should be submitted as one single pdf file and include:

• A letter of motivation
• A detailed CV, including the contact details for 2 referees
• Bachelor and Master grades

To submit your application and for any additional information, please contact : Prof. Marie Violay marie.violay@epfl.ch

Delft University of Technology is seeking candidates for 2 PhD positions within the research programme RESET (Reliable Embankments for the Safe Expansion of Rail Traffic). These positions are respectively related to data science/machine learning and numerical/probabilistic modelling:

1. Stochastic Characterisation and Modelling of Embankment and Subsurface Using Data from Multiple Sources: link
2. Reliability/Risk-Based Modelling for Assessing Railway Embankment Stability: link

Deadline for applications: 11 September 2022

A co-tutored thesis between Ecole Centrale de Nantes (France) and Université de Liège (Belgium) is available on Modeling unstable gas infiltration through initially saturated geomaterials.

Interested candidates must submit their complete CV, their grades and their diploma together with a copy of their passport/identity card on the web site of Université Bretagne Loire before August the 25th: https://theses.doctorat-bretagneloire.fr/spi/cde-theses-2022/modelisation-de-la-percolation-instable/++add++Candidate

More information on this pdf file.