Post Doc Position at INRAE

Dear colleagues,

We have the pleasure to inform you that a Post Doc position in computational mechanics / civil engineering is proposed at INRAE Grenoble, in the field of protection against natural hazards.

This work is dedicated to the reliability analysis of a complex protection structure subjected to localized impact loading and modelled using a  numerical model  based on the non-smooth contact dynamics method.

Please contact us if you are interested in this position, and thanks in advance for sharing it with people that might be.

More information on this flyer.

Franck Bourrier & Stéphane Lambert

One Postdoctoral Position in DEM modelling at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University invites applications for two postdoctoral positions in Computational Geomechanics.

About PolyU Hong Kong: the Hong Kong Polytechnic University is ranked the second-best universities for Civil Engineering in the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Global Universities Ranking 2021.

Available positions: There is currently one postdoctoral position at PolyU Hong Kong funded by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the year 2022. The position offers the possibility of working on development and programming of multiscale multiphysics discrete element method (DEM) for simulation of granular materials.

Qualifications: Applicants must have a Ph.D. degree in Geotechnical Engineering, Computational Mechanics or other relevant disciplines and have the ability to build an independent, externally funded research program at the forefront of their field. Programming experience in C++/Python/Julia/MATLAB/etc., and numerical modelling experience using DEM codes are required. Applicants with experience in GPU parallel programming is preferred.

Research topics: The research topic mainly focuses on developing multiscale multiphysics DEM based modelling approach with high efficiency for soil particle breakage, seepage-induced erosion, offshore foundation, geohazards, etc.

Starting date: The position is expected to get started as early as possible.

Contract duration: 1~2 years (extensions are possible based on the performance of research achievements).

Closing date for applications: You may apply for this position until Feb. 21, 2022 by email to the contacts given below. Interviews of shortlisted candidates will be scheduled with early close of application depending on the number of candidates received.

Salary: 312,000 ~ 384,000 HK$ / year (35400~43600 EUR/year), depending on the performance and contribution. The tax rate of salary in Hong Kong is very low.

(https://www.gov.hk/en/residents/taxes/taxfiling/taxrates/salariesrates.htm).

Contacts: Please submit an up-to-date curriculum vitae C.V. and a letter stating your motivation to apply and your key relevant qualities to Dr. Yin-Fu JIN and  Dr. Xiang WANG (yinfu.jin@polyu.edu.hk; xiang.wang@polyu.edu.hk). Information of the research group can be found via: http://geoinvention.com/.

2 Open Post-doc Positions at Northwestern University

The Mechanics and Energy Lab (MEL – https://sites.northwestern.edu/rottaloria/) of Northwestern University, directed by Prof. Alessandro Rotta Loria, is seeking two post doctoral researchers to develop a research program at the intersection of electrochemistry and mechanics of materials devoted to unravel the promise of using mild electric stimulations to engineer soils and concrete through electrodeposited mineral crystals. See the attached file for more details.

The positions will start as soon as possible in 2022. Applications will be reviewed until the 2 post-doc positions are filled.

More information in this file.

Assistant/Associate Professor of Experimental Soil Mechanics (Delft University of Technology)

Delft University of Technology is seeking candidates for a new Assistant or Associate Professor of Experimental Soil Mechanics with a focus on physical modelling.

The position is proposed to improve our understanding of the fundamental mechanical behaviour of geotechnical structures undergoing ageing and cyclic loads, and to provide new solutions to the present and future challenges of the built (including offshore) environment. The focus is on developing new physical modelling strategies to better assess and design geotechnical structures and infrastructure subjected to increasing anthropogenic and environmental (e.g. wind, wave, hydraulic, thermal, seismic) loadings, and to study the impact of soil-fluid-structure interaction processes. Emerging sensor and imaging technologies, as well as advanced data analysis, offer the opportunity to develop a new generation of experimental techniques for geotechnical testing in the laboratory and in the field.

See attached file for more details.

Deadline for applications: 7 February 2022.

One Postdoctoral Position in Computational Geomechanics at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University invites applications for two postdoctoral positions in Computational Geomechanics.

About PolyU Hong Kong: the Hong Kong Polytechnic University is ranked the second-best universities for Civil Engineering in the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Global Universities Ranking 2021.

Available positions: There is currently one postdoctoral position at PolyU Hong Kong funded by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the year 2022. The position offers the possibility of working on multiscale multiphysics modelling of fluid-structure-soil interaction in offshore geotechnics.

Qualifications: Applicants must have a Ph.D. degree in Geotechnical Engineering, Computational Mechanics or other relevant disciplines and have the ability to build an independent, externally funded research program at the forefront of their field. Programming experience in C++/Fortran/etc. and numerical modelling experience using FEM/DEM/CFD code(s) are required.

Research topics: The research topic mainly focuses on FEM/PFEM/SPH/MPM based modelling on the fluid-structure-soil interaction problems in offshore engineering, such as offshore foundations, soil-pipeline, offshore geo-hazards.

Starting date: The position is expected to get started as early as possible. Contract duration: 1~2 years (extensions are possible based on the performance of research achievements).

Closing date for applications: You may apply for this position until Feb. 21, 2022 by email to the contacts given below. Interviews of shortlisted candidates will be scheduled with early close of application depending on the number of candidates received.

Salary: 312,000 ~ 384,000 HK$ / year (35400~43600 EUR/year), depending on the performance and contribution. The tax rate of salary in Hong Kong is very low (https://www.gov.hk/en/residents/taxes/taxfiling/taxrates/salariesrates.htm).

Contacts: Please submit an up-to-date curriculum vitae C.V. and a letter stating your motivation to apply and your key relevant qualities to Dr. Yin-Fu JIN (yinfu.jin@polyu.edu.hk). Information of the research group can be found via: http://geoinvention.com/.

Call for papers for Acta Geotechnica Special Issue on Bio-inspired Geotechnics

We invite you to submit a contribution to the special issue on “Bio-inspired Geotechnics” in the Acta Geotechnica journal, for which Julian Tao (ASU) and Alejandro Martinez (UC Davis) will serve as guest editors. This special issue will accept original research papers, short communications, and review papers on experimental, numerical, and analytical investigations.

The deadline for submissions is September 30th, 2022; however, early submissions will be reviewed as they are submitted.

Attached, you can find the call for papers for this special issue. 

See attached file for further details.

PhD Opportunity: “From geo-resources to energy storage: how do underground lithologies respond to thermo-mechanical coupling ?”

On our quest to decarbonise our energy resources, underground heat energy storage is a key player. However, the impact of frequent cyclic thermo-mechanical (TM) stress changes over prolonged periods remains poorly understood and may threatened the longevity of the systems. This project will aim to fill the gap by performing laboratory and numerical experiments under relevant cyclic TM loading conditions to investigate the stability of targeted lithologies in such systems.

The scope of this PhD project is to use different scale observations to model and predict the stability of targeted lithologies in underground complex systems when those are subjected to cyclic TM stress changes over prolonged periods. This research work seeks to understand how grain scale deformation can contribute to the global response of the underground systems and how this response can be controlled to reduce any accompanied induced hazards. An innovative methodology, combining laboratory and numerical experiments, will be applied to extend the understanding of the thermo-sensitive brittle deformation processes in porous rocks. The data will provide information to support field scale operational conditions involving periodic TM stress changes as well as shed light on potential for cascading shallow geohazards.

Objectives
O1: Examine the relationship between microstructural deformation and TM stresses.
O2: Collect, analyse and model TM data together.
O3: Transfer and improve existing DEM code from UDEC to open source and
undertake grain size sensitivity analysis.
O4: Provide relevant data to inform on risks associated to TM stresses in underground geological storage conditions

For more info on the eligibility: https://www.iapetus2.ac.uk/studentships/

Application process:
In the first instance the application process involves completing both the application form and the EDI form below by 7th January 2022 at 5pm. If you are shortlisted, you will be contacted by 17th January 2022 and invited to put in a full application to the university where the PhD is based by 8th February 2022.

For more info on the application process: https://www.iapetus2.ac.uk/how-to-apply/

More information on the PhD opportunity on this flyer: www.alertgeomaterials.eu/data/posts/EGIS2022-IAPETUS_NERC_DTP_ad.pdf

1st call to access facilities within the framework of EXCITE Transnational Access programme

We are pleased to announce the first call to access facilities within the framework of EXCITE Transnational Access programme.

The first call will be open for proposals from 1st of December 2021 until the 28th of February 2022. In this first round, the EXCITE TNA programme will provide coordinated access to 24 imaging facilities in nine countries to researchers of any level.

The call information is now available here and applicants can submit their proposals using the online application procedure. Proposal selection will be carried out on the basis of the technical feasibility, and scientific quality of the proposals, this latter carried out by a panel of EM and X-ray microscopy experts, external to EXCITE.

All the necessary information on how to apply, eligibility, list of available installations, and proposal templates will be available on the EXCITE website (https://excite-network.eu/excite-tna-call-open/).

Full-time academic position in geotechnical engineering at Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB, Belgium)

The School of Engineering (EPB) of the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) is seeking candidates to a full-time academic position in the field of Geotechnical Engineering, within the BATir department (Building, Architecture and Town Planning).

Increasing urbanization associated with the rapid development of renewable energy require innovative geotechnical solutions for a sustainable use of the subsurface. This context raises new challenges, calling for cutting-edge research in the field of geotechnical engineering.

The successful applicant (M/F) will develop research and education in the field of geotechnical engineering, in the widest sense.

See attached file for more details.

Deadline for application: 10th January 2022

Starting date : 1st October 2022

26 months EPSRC funded Postdoc Position @ Dundee

We are recruiting for an exceptional individual to join our Future Infrastructure and Environment Research Cluster as a Postdoctoral Research Assistant on the research project entitled “ICE-PICK: Installation effects on cyclic axial and lateral performance of displacement piles in chalk”. Funded by the EPSRC this 26 months project aims to use experimental and advanced numerical modelling to improve the efficiency and cost effectiveness of piles driven in soft rocks to support the further development of renewable energy structures offshore. 

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