PhD Candidate in Technical Geology

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Lund University welcomes applicants with diverse backgrounds and experiences. Equality, equal opportunities, and diversity are fundamental principles for all parts of our operations.

Workplace Description

At the Department of Technical Geology, we work with education and research focused on methods for determining the properties of geological materials, groundwater, and infrastructure constructions, as well as characterization and condition assessment of these.

We develop and use methods for geophysics and non-destructive testing, as well as sampling, testing, and measurements on the ground surface, in water, and in boreholes. The department has extensive equipment for, and experience in, field investigations, primarily with non-destructive testing, various geophysical methods, core drilling (the national resource Riksriggen), and hydraulic testing. An important part of the operations is signal processing of, and interpretation methods for, measurement data, including inverse numerical modeling for determining material properties and integrated interpretation of different types of data.

We are a total of about 20 employees at the department located in V-building, LTH. About half of the staff are senior researchers and teachers while the others are PhD students, technicians, and administrators. Research and development activities are primarily funded by grants from major Swedish research councils and foundations related to construction and civil engineering as well as environmental and energy issues.

Specific Subject Description

This PhD project aims to identify acoustic and electrical signatures during the degradation and failure of coarse concrete structures. The goal is to measure the weak sounds and electrical signals generated when materials crack or are damaged (acoustic emission and electrical effects). To some extent, theoretical simulations of the measured effects are also included, but the emphasis in this project is on experimental work.

Job Responsibilities

The main task for a PhD student is to engage in their doctoral education, which includes participation in research projects as well as doctoral education courses. The tasks may also include participation in teaching and other departmental work, but no more than 20% of the working time.

You will conduct research on structural monitoring of concrete structures. The focus is on identifying interesting signatures during degradation and failure. The work will be carried out in close collaboration with industry partners who may conduct safety assessments.

The tasks also include contacts and collaboration with external stakeholders where you will be responsible for the project's progress, reporting, and communication of results. This also involves national and international travel to conferences and workshops.

The job responsibilities include, among others:

• Research in the subject area
• Participation in doctoral education courses
• Planning and preparation for laboratory tests
• Setting up and performing measurements with acoustic emission, ultrasound, electrostatic measurements, and electrical potential measurements with applied current
• Adapting and developing scripts and software for data management, data collection, interpretation, and visualization
• Writing project reports
• Presenting results at conferences and in scientific articles
• Regular meetings with supervisors, reference groups, and steering committees for the research project
• Collaboration with industry and society at large

Administration and travel related to the above tasks are included.

Eligibility

Basic eligibility for doctoral education is granted to those who have

• completed a master's degree or
• fulfilled course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 higher education credits at the master's level or
• acquired equivalent knowledge in some other way, either within or outside the country.

The requirements for specific eligibility for technical geology are met by those who have:

• at least 45 higher education credits at the master's level relevant to the subject area.

Other Requirements:

• Very good knowledge of Swedish, both spoken and written, as the work requires the ability to understand documents and regulations in Swedish related to the subject and to effectively communicate with Swedish-speaking staff at authorities, power plants, and consultants in the nuclear power sector in Sweden
• Very good knowledge of English, both spoken and written
• Documented very good ability to work in a structured, efficient, and independent manner in technical projects, e.g., during thesis work or at previous workplaces
• Documented education in signal processing
• Documented ability (e.g., in the thesis work) to conduct experimental work and develop, implement, and apply relevant signal processing and data analysis as well as critically evaluate the results
• Documented ability to program in MATLAB/Python or other relevant programming languages
• Good communication and organizational skills

For a complete description, see: https://lu.varbi.com/what:job/jobID:817451/ (https://lu.varbi.com/what:job/jobID:817451/)

LTH – Lund University Faculty of Engineering – is the engineering faculty at Lund University. At LTH, we educate people, build knowledge for the future, and work hard to develop society. We create space for brilliant research and inspire creative development of technology, architecture, and design. Nearly 10,000 students study here. Each year, our researchers – many of whom work in world-leading profile areas – publish around 100 dissertations and 2,000 scientific findings. A number of research results and student projects are refined into innovations. Together we explore and create – for the benefit of the world.

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