Doctoral student in (licentiate) in soil and rock mechanics (mechanics of rock joints)

Project description

Third-cycle subject: Civil and Architectural Engineering (specialization in soil and rock mechanics)

We are seeking a PhD student for the Division of Soil and Rock Mechanics, who wants to contribute to the long-term safe storage of spent nuclear fuel. The main tasks consist of research studies leading to a licentiate degree if the study plan is followed. The work is linked to the research project "Development of a constitutive model for rock fractures under constant normal stiffness conditions."

To predict rock mass behavior and design rock support with acceptable safety, knowledge of the shear strength of rock fractures is crucial. When a fracture shears around a tunnel, the stiffness of the surrounding rock mass acts as a constraint, increasing the shear strength – this loading condition is known as constant normal stiffness (CNS) conditions. The ability to predict the shear strength of a rock fracture under these conditions has been studied to a limited extent.

The objective of this project is to develop a model for rock fractures that can describe the behavior under CNS conditions. The work involves to:

• identify the limitations of current models,
• theoretically develop a new model for the shear strength of rock fractures under CNS conditions,
• implement the model in relevant rock mechanics applications.

The project is funded by the Swedish Rock Engineering Research Foundation (BeFo) and the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB).

Supervision: Fredrik Johansson, Liangchao Zou and Diego Mas Ivars are proposed to supervise the doctoral student. Decisions are made on admission

What we offer

• The possibility to study in a dynamic and international research environment in collaboration with industries and prominent universities from all over the world.
• A workplace with many employee benefits and monthly salary according to KTH’s Doctoral student salary agreement.
• A postgraduate education at an institution that is active and supportive in matters pertaining to working conditions, gender equality and diversity as well as study environment.
• Work and study in Stockholm, close to nature and the water.
• Guidance on relocating and settling in at KTH and in Sweden.

Admission requirements

To be admitted to postgraduate education (Chapter 7, 39 § Swedish Higher Education Ordinance), the applicant must have basic eligibility in accordance with either of the following:

• passed a second cycle degree (for example a master's degree), or
• completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 second-cycle higher education credits, or
• acquired, in some other way within or outside the country, substantially equivalent knowledge

In addition to the above, there is also a mandatory requirement for English equivalent to English B/6.

Selection

In order to succeed as a doctoral student at KTH you need to be goal oriented and persevering in your work. During the selection process, candidates will be assessed upon their ability to:

• independently pursue his or her work
• collaborate with others,
• have a professional approach and
• analyze and work with complex issues.

The applicant must have studied geotechnical engineering and/or rock mechanics or other civil engineering subjects to an extent of at least 60 ECTS credits at the advanced level, for example, as part of a degree in civil engineering or a similar field. Experience in working with rock mechanics related problems is considered a merit. The applicant must be proficient in both spoken and written English and have good academic results.

After the qualification requirements, great emphasis will be placed on personal skills. 

Target degree: Licentiate degree

Information regarding admission and employment

Only those admitted to postgraduate education may be employed as a doctoral student. The total length of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education in four years time. An employed doctoral student can, to a limited extent (maximum 20%), perform certain tasks within their role, e.g. teaching and administration. A new position as a doctoral student is for a maximum of one year, and then the employment may be renewed for a maximum of two years at a time. In the case of studies that are to be completed with a licentiate degree, the total period of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education for two years.

Union representatives

Contact information for union representatives.

PhD Chapter (Students’ union on KTH Royal Institute of Technology)

Contact information for PhD Chapter at the student union.

To apply for the position

Apply for the position and admission through KTH's recruitment system. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the advertisement.

Applications must be received at the last closing date at midnight, CET/CEST (Central European Time/Central European Summer Time).

Applications must include the following elements:

• CV including your relevant professional experience and knowledge.
• Application letter with a brief description of why you want to pursue research studies, about what your academic interests are and how they relate to your previous studies and future goals. (Maximum 2 pages long)
• Copies of diplomas and grades from previous university studies and certificates of fulfilled language requirements (see above). Translations into English or Swedish if the original document is not issued in one of these languages. Copies of originals must be certified.
• Representative publications or technical reports. For longer documents, please provide a summary (abstract) and a web link to the full text.

Other information

Striving towards gender equality, diversity and equal conditions is both a question of quality for KTH and a given part of our values.

For information about processing of personal data in the recruitment process.

It may be the case that a position at KTH is classified as a security-sensitive role in accordance with the Protective Security Act (2018:585). If this applies to the specific position, a security clearance will be conducted for the applicant in accordance with the same law with the applicant's consent. In such cases, a prerequisite for employment is that the applicant is approved following the security clearance.

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Disclaimer: In case of discrepancy between the Swedish original and the English translation of the job announcement, the Swedish version takes precedence.