PhD Student: “Experimental Geomechanics for Induced Seismicity and Control”

Context:

ENSTA is a higher education and research institution under the authority of the Ministry of the Armed Forces. The school's mission is to train civil and military engineers, including armament engineers and engineers in armament studies and techniques, as well as highly qualified managers and doctors for the public and private sectors, particularly in the fields of defense and security, transport, energy, maritime activities, digital technology, and cutting-edge technologies.

Through its research, innovation, and training programs, ENSTA supports the transformation of major national strategic sectors, thus responding to national sovereignty challenges. It has 3 training and research units (UFR) organized around 9 research laboratories (UER) that conduct applied research in close collaboration with industry.

ENSTA is a founding member of the Institut Polytechnique de Paris (IP Paris). Within the framework of IP Paris, the school participates in the activities of interdisciplinary centers, notably the Interdisciplinary Center for Defense and Security Studies (CIEDS, supported by the Ministry of the Armed Forces and the Defense Innovation Agency (AID)). It initiated the creation of the Interdisciplinary Center for Seas & Oceans, inaugurated in January 2025. Researchers from the school also collaborate on studies led by the Hi-Paris centers, a laureate in 2024 IA Cluster, E4C, or E4H, among others.

ENSTA is the result of the merger on January 1, 2025, of ENSTA Paris and ENSTA Bretagne. Its headquarters are located in Palaiseau (91), on the Paris-Saclay campus, and it has another campus in Brest. It is implementing a new unified engineering program across both campuses (Paris-Saclay and Brest) starting in the academic year 2026/2027.

Joining the school means integrating an institution committed to parity and professional equality, diversity, and support for its employees with disabilities, from recruitment and throughout their careers. To preserve well-being at work, the school pursues an active policy regarding working conditions, based in particular on a healthy balance between personal and professional life.

Subject: “Experimental Geomechanics for Induced Seismicity and Control”

The position is part of the ERC-CdG project “Preventing human-induced seismicity to fight climate change” (INJECT), funded by the European Research Council (ERC). The research will be conducted at ENSTA, Institut Polytechnique de Paris. The position offers the opportunity to work on a stimulating and high-impact research topic. The knowledge, innovation, and skills developed within this position will provide excellent career development prospects in both industry and academia.

Climate change poses an imminent threat to our civilization. The most prominent new technologies for combating climate change rely on renewable and sustainable energy resources from the Earth's subsurface and underground storage. However, all these technologies depend on injecting fluids into the Earth's crust, which can cause significant earthquakes. INJECT will address this issue by leveraging a revolutionary new scientific method that will prevent human-induced seismicity and maximize energy production and storage from renewable and sustainable natural resources.

INJECT's interdisciplinary methodology is based on a clever scientific program that places control theory and mathematics at the heart of this new challenge. Based on cutting-edge theoretical developments, robust controllers and observers will be designed to optimally adjust fluid injection rates, prevent induced seismic events over vast regions, and optimize energy production and storage. INJECT's innovative theoretical methods will be thoroughly tested using high-fidelity numerical models that account for poro-elastic dynamics, Coulomb friction, multiphysics, and reduced-order modeling. The experimental plan will rely on demonstrators and hybrid lab-computer tests to validate the theory. For more information: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101087771 ----- class="Default" style="text-align:justify;">Missions / Main Activities:

The research theme focuses on the development of an innovative device designed to reproduce and control induced seismicity in a laboratory setting.

As a PhD researcher, you will play a central role in the design and construction of innovative demonstrators tailored to INJECT's methodology. This opportunity encompasses the entire development chain, from conceptualizing ideas to assembling and rigorously testing advanced laboratory prototypes for geomechanical experiments. You will integrate mechanical design, materials engineering, sensor and controller implementation, data analysis, and numerical modeling. The ultimate goal is to reproduce and control seismic instabilities caused by fluid injections in a controlled laboratory environment, paving the way for real-world applications.

Missions / Ancillary Activity:

· Contribute to any service activity based on retained priorities.

· Contribute to the Quality approach, particularly through drafting and updating procedures, and by providing and monitoring indicators.

· Contribute to the School's CSR approach within the framework of its missions and activities.

Desired Assignment Duration: 3-year fixed-term contract

Planned Start Date: As soon as possible

Work Location:

ENSTA Campus Paris-Saclay, 828 boulevard des Maréchaux 91762 Palaiseau – Cedex

The site is accessible by car (parking for staff) but also by public transport

Full-time position (25 annual leave days, 18 annual RTT days)

Benefits:

• Transport (employer's flat-rate contribution of 75%)
• Sustainable mobility package (up to €300/year)
• Possibility of teleworking (after manager's approval and submission of a request)
• Employer subsidy for the administrative restaurant and/or the establishment's cafeteria
• Social action committee, offering events and activities for staff, a sports hall with membership, and a leisure center for staff children from age 6 with preferential rates (Paris-Saclay campus)
• Health insurance (establishment's participation at 50%)

Workstation adjustments and inclusive recruitment:

All our positions are open to candidates with disabilities.

ENSTA is committed to recruitment that promotes equality, diversity, and inclusion. All applications without any distinction (age, disability, gender, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, etc.) have their place in our recruitment process.

Complete application: curriculum vitae, cover letter, and contact details of 2 reference professors

Selected candidates must possess strong scientific skills and be highly motivated. Proficiency in spoken and written English is mandatory.

Candidates will conduct research, develop experimental devices and tools, and write scientific articles in close collaboration with the project PI, Prof. Ioannis Stefanou, and the members of the INJECT group.

Knowledge:

· Experience in experimental testing and design (e.g., in geotechnics/geophysics/geomechanics) or a degree in this field.

· Interest in numerical modeling, mechanical design, and electronics.

· Organizational skills and rigor.

· Use of industrial design software.

· Skills in Python.

· Laboratory experience and team spirit.

. Knowledge in physics/mathematics/mechanics

Find Jobs in France on Arbeitnow