PhD in Geomechanics: Clay Nanoscale to THM Modelling

Universite Grenoble Alpes; France; On-site; EUR 23,000 - 24,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Secondments (2 months)

Doctoral training

Visa support

Paid holidays

Job summary

Université Grenoble Alpes invites applications for a PhD position within the Tec21 program to study hydration-state transitions in smectite clays and their macroscopic thermo-hydro-mechanical response. The project combines all-atom simulations with coarse-grained modeling to bridge molecular to continuum scales.

The PhD is supervised by three researchers and hosted across two Tec21 labs on the Grenoble Campus, offering a 36-month contract and a gross monthly salary of 2,650 EUR, plus

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Engineering, Physics or Applied Sciences.
• Fluent in English (at least B2 level).
• Be available for employment at the enrolment date (1 October 2027).
• Mobility rule: must not have resided or carried out main activity in France for more than 12 months in the last 3 years.

Responsibilities

• Conduct numerical simulations, molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo studies of clay nanopores.
• Develop DLVO-based energy–separation functions for clay particles.
• Extend mesoscale models to sub-nanometric separations using molecular simulations.
• Coordinate with Tec21 labs and supervisors; report progress and results.

Skills

English proficiency

Interdisciplinary teamwork

Education

Master’s degree or equivalent

Job description

Université Grenoble Alpes invites applications for a PhD position within the Tec21 program to study hydration-state transitions in smectite clays and their macroscopic thermo-hydro-mechanical response. The project combines all-atom simulations with coarse-grained modeling to bridge molecular to continuum scales.

The PhD is supervised by three researchers and hosted across two Tec21 labs on the Grenoble Campus, offering a 36-month contract and a gross monthly salary of 2,650 EUR, plus