A joint PhD scholarship is available at the University of Queensland (Australia) on “Coupled Digital Image Correlation and Particle Tracking (DIC/PT) Approach for Crack Growth Monitoring” under the UQIDAR joint PhD program. Highly motivated PhD candidates with a good background in MATLAB/Python programming/coding and fracture mechanics are encouraged to apply. Applications close on 18 October 2020. Successful students will commence in January 2021 at UQ and February 2021 at Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD).

For more information about the project and the Selection Criteria see the links below.

https://www.uqidar.org/resource_files/UQIDAR%2000223.pdf

https://www.uqidar.org/students/how-to-apply/

The Department of Geoscience and Petroleum at NTNU has a vacancy for a

PhD position in numerical modelling of rock failure under repetitive impact by drillstring on borehole wall

The PhD project is part of a Knowledge-Building project for the Industry (PETROMAKS2) called 6n Degrees of Freedom Transient Torque & Drag, financed by the Research Council of Norway. Partners include NORCE, NTNU, University of Stavanger, and the industrial partners Equinor and Sekal AS.

The main objective of this project is to develop a transient torque and drag model that is compatible with real-time constraints and tightly coupled with transient drilling hydraulic and material transport models and that accounts for axial, torsional and lateral movements of the drill-string. The methods to be used in the research are numerical modeling and analysis of field data and large-scale experiment data.

For more information about the application : https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/192376/phd-position-in-numerical-modelling-of-rock-failure-under-repetitive-impact-by-drillstring-on-borehole-wall-iv-180-20

Dear Colleagues, 

Two scholarship supported Ph.D. projects in the broad area of geotechnical engineering are available from the UQ-IITD academy of research (https://www.uqidar.org/). Projects being offered:

• Utilization of Mining Wastes as Backfill Material for Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) Walls
• Predictive modelling of settling and consolidation, and desiccation and rewetting of mine tailings

X-ray tomography for in-situ characterization of crystallization damage in layered artworks

One of the most common deterioration problems affecting cultural heritage worldwide is crystallization damage caused by an interplay between salts, environmental changes and material properties. Especially porous materials are susceptible to salt crystallization. It threatens artworks such as sculptures, ceramics, frescoes, paintings, archeological objects and buildings in museums as well as outdoor environments. Most of these artworks are made of an assembly of layered materials with different physicochemical properties. Additional layers of material are sometimes added as conservation measures. The properties of all materials involved and the interfaces between these materials affect the artwork’s susceptibility to deterioration.

As a PhD student within the CRYSTINART consortium, you will focus on the use of high-resolution X-ray computed tomography to characterize salt damage across layered artwork systems. You will mimic salt weathering scenarios in a climatic chamber, and once realistic scenarios defined, you will translate them to the X-ray tomograph. Time-resolved high-resolution X-ray computed tomography allows to follow the changes in the internal structure of the layered porous materials in-situ, and to monitor brine and salt crystal distributions as a function of time in a non-destructive way. Subsequently, you will set up image analysis workflows to derive quantitative data from the X-ray scans that can then be employed as direct input for theoretical crystallization damage models and for numerical studies.

More details on the project and how to apply can be found in the attached pdf.

Fed up with polluted skies? Looking forward to sunny days? Contribute with your
research to address one of the major challenges of the XXI century: achieving
zero emissions to enjoy the blue sky again.

We offer a 3-year PhD position for developing predictive models of induced
seismicity as a result of fluid injection/extraction related to geothermal energy,
geologic carbon storage and subsurface energy storage. The position is related
to the ERC-StG project GEoREST (predictinG EaRthquakES induced by fluid
injecTion) (www.georest.eu), funded by the European Research Council (ERC,
https://erc.europa.eu/). The candidate will perform her/his research at the
Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) in a collaborative and enthusiastic
environment.

Qualifications and application requirements in the attached .pdf.

PhD opportunities available on following multidisciplinary research topics:

– AI/ML, data-driven and probabilistic methods in: bridge scour predictions, early detection of internal erosion in dams/levees, porous media simulations, geomaterials constitutive behavior and failure predictions, offshore geohazard assessments

– Advanced soil-structure interaction analysis and large-scale testing for complex geo structural systems under extreme events: Impact/collision on retaining structures and piled barrier systems, Seismic behavior of deep foundations and underground structures subjected to liquefaction/lateral spreading

Includes Opportunity to: Receive Scholarships (stipend and fee waiver), Collaborate with industry and researches across other disciplines; Work with academics from leading universities in the US and Canada; Travel for presenting research in conferences/
symposiums

Interested applicants to send CV, transcripts and sample publications (if available) to negin.yousefpour@unimelb.edu.au. First round of scholarship deadline on Aug 28th.

Dr Negin Yousefpour
Doreen Thomas Fellow in Infrastructure Engineering