The Institute of Applied Geosciences at the Department for Materials and Geosciences at Technical University of Darmstadt offers a position as
Research Assistant/Ph.D. Student (all genders) in Cryosphere Modeling – 75 %
for applied research on the effects of freezing/thawing on rock integrity as soon as possible initially limited for 3 years.
This position is funded by BGE, the German nuclear waste management organization and associated to the ongoing international CatchNet project – see https://skb.se/catchnet/this-is-catchnet/ for more details.
Motivation
During the assessment period of one million years, starting after the closure of the repository for high-level radioactive waste in Germany, future climate developments have to be considered. Based on the concept of uniformitarianism (or actualism), taking the Quaternary period (the last 2.6 million years) into account, up to 10 glacial/interglacial cycles have to be expected for the next one million years.
This cyclicity and the accompanying effects, such as glaciations and the formation of permafrost, may have an impact on the geological barriers of the repository.
Aim and Methods
Due to the physics of water, freezing leads to an expansion coupled with stresses that occur in the pore-space and fractures of rocks, respectively. During the subsequent thawing compaction can occur. This happens cyclically, on variable time scales.
The process of expansion and compaction will be investigated in this project numerically and experimentally as a thermal-mechanical (TM) coupled process on relevant rocks. Respective constitutive relations for a general numerical consideration will be derived.
By means of an integrated hydrogeological model, the described process of expansion and compaction will be modeled on the scale of a groundwater catchment area. Permafrost data from CatchNet will be used for this purpose. The results will be finally evaluated with regard to the relevance for the repository safety.
Corresponding preliminary work has been developed in another international project called INTERFROST.
The code to be used for the numerical study is OpenGeo-Sys (OGS), an open source software for numerical modeling of coupled thermal, hydraulic, mechanical and chemical (THMC) processes.
The work carried out and the planned doctorate are related to research package 2 of the international research network CatchNet “Permafrost in transition impact on groundwater-surface water interactions”.
As this research project addresses a broad range of topics like experimental studies but also numerical modeling, internal and external support will be given.
We provide an open and international working environment for excellent research in a sociable team. The position is based in the “City of Science” Darmstadt, which is very international and livable, and well-connected in the Rhine-Main area around Frankfurt. Knowledge of the German language is beneficial but not required for the position, and TU Darmstadt offers a Welcome Center and corresponding language courses.
Your Profile
- Completed Master’s degree (or equivalent) in natural sciences, engineering, computer science, or a similar field.
- Knowledge in numerical methods like finite elements
- Knowledge in software development (e.g. with C++ or Python)
- Interest to perform experimental studies on the mechanical effects of freezing and thawing
- Interest in nuclear waste safety
We expect that you are self-motivated, reliable, diligent, creative, and can work independently. Excellent research on challenging scientific problems with practical relevance. You must be able to discuss, write, and present scientific results in English.
Opportunity for further qualification (doctoral dissertation) is given. The fulfillment of the duties likewise enables the scientific qualifications of the candidate.
The Technische Universität Darmstadt intends to increase the number of female employees and encourages female candidates to apply. In case of equal qualifications applicants with a degree of disability of at least 50 or equal will be given preference. Wages and salaries are according to the collective agreements on salary scales, which apply to the Technische Universität Darmstadt (TV-TU Darmstadt).
How to Apply
Your application must consist of a single PDF document containing a letter of motivation that states why you are interested and qualify for this particular position, your current curriculum vitae, certificates (M.Sc., B.Sc., high-school diploma) with detailed transcripts of records and grades, and two letters of recommendation (or names who can write them). Please send your complete application to PD Dr. Wolfram Rühaak (ruehaak@geo.tu-darmstadt.de). If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact him. Applications will be accepted until the position has been filled.
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