General information
Offer title : Researcher in glacier hazards modelling (M/F) (H/F)
Reference : UMR5001-ELSGEN-020
Number of position : 1
Workplace : ST MARTIN D HERES
Date of publication : 24 January 2024
Type of Contract : FTC Scientist
Contract Period : 32 months
Expected date of employment : 1 March 2024
Proportion of work : Full time
Remuneration : Between 4081.77€ and 4260.72€ gross per month
Desired level of education : Niveau 8 – (Doctorat)
Experience required : 1 to 4 years
Section(s) CN : Earth System: superficial envelopes
Missions
The main objective of the person recruited will be to develop the Elmer/Ice finite-element code (e.g. Gagliardini et al., 2013; Gilbert et al., 2014, 2015) into an operational decision-support tool for the management of glacier hazards. The challenge is to be able to provide anticipation and prediction elements for the main identified glacial risks: (1) the retention of water inside glaciers (water pocket) and the potential existence of configurations similar to the case of Tête Rousse Glacier, (2) the destabilization of suspended cold glaciers by modelling the evolution of their thermal regime and the initiation of basal sliding when the base becomes temperate (e. g. Taconnaz glacier) and (3) the destabilization of glacier tongues when the retreat of the front pushes them into steep slopes (e.g. the Bossons Glacier in the future).
Activities
The person recruited will be responsible for the following activities:
– The main activity will be to develop the Elmer/Ice code to make it an operational tool for managing glacier hazards. This will involve implementing processes that have not been taken into account to date (damage, seracs calving, water percolation in crevasses, etc.), running simulations to test these new processes, documenting the implementations and disseminating them.
– The aim will also be to improve the user-friendliness of the Elmer/Ice code to make it easier to use for non-expert users. In particular, this will involve working on the generation of meshes, the management of boundary conditions at the lateral boundaries of a glacier, and improving the workflow for using the code by simplifying the steps so that it can be applied to a new site of interest easily.
– In parallel with these development activities, the person recruited will take part in the instrumentation campaigns planned on these glaciers as part of the IGE’s glacier risk management.
– The person recruited will also participate in the supervision of the doctoral thesis that will start in September 2024 on this same project.
– The person recruited will be required to present these results, write an annual report on the progress of the development of the Elmer/Ice code and publish these new developments and applications in the scientific literature.
Skills
– Solid backgrounds in mechanics, numerical modelling and/or glaciology
– Experience in modelling glacier flows and/or with the Elmer/Ice code and/or with the finite element method would be a plus for a rapid start on the project.
– The person recruited will be required to take part in fieldwork on glaciers. Progression skills in alpine environments and on glaciers are therefore required.
Work Context
The IGE studies climate, the functioning of the planet and its evolution in terms of pollution, global changes and risks for societies. Historically, the IGE conducts its research in regions with significant societal and environmental issues: the polar regions, the intertropical zone, and mountain regions.
The average number of staff member in the laboratory is about 330, including 190 permanent members (researchers, teacher-researchers, engineers, technicians and administrative staff) and about 140 doctoral students, post-doctoral students and staff on fixed-term contracts. Each year, the laboratory welcomes about 120 trainees and scientific visitors. The IGE is housed in four buildings on the Grenoble University Campus (Glaciology building, OSUG-B, Maison Climat Planète and INRAE-Grenoble Saint Martin d’Hères).
The IGE is one of the main laboratories of the Observatoire des Sciences de l’Univers de Grenoble (OSUG) which is a federative structure of the INSU.
This recruitment is part of the “Plan d’Action pour la Prévention des Risques d’Origine Glaciaire et Périglaciaire” (PAPROG) funded by the “Direction Générale de la Prévention des Risques » (DGPR) of the French Ministry of the Environment.
The person recruited will work as part of the IGE’s CryoDyn team and will report to Olivier Gagliardini.
Constraints and risks
– Field work on glaciers
– The research will be carried out in either French or English, however it is expected that the non-French speaking candidate will strive to learn the basics of French in order to facilitate communication and integration into the laboratory.
Additional Information
NTR
