PhD position on numerical modeling of turbidity currents at NGI
Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI)
NGI – Norwegian Geotechnical Institute – is an internationally renowned center for applied research and consulting in engineering-related geosciences, integrating geotechnical, geological, and geophysical expertise. Our research provides knowledge that strengthens industry and society to solve some of the most critical challenges facing the world related to climate, environment, energy, and natural hazards.
Since the establishment of NGI in the early 1950s, we have attracted dedicated professionals and experts in using geomaterials as construction ground and building materials, landslide problems, and ground pollution. The development and application of new technology are central to our business to find sustainable solutions and ensure that we build a society on safe ground. Our expertise and solutions are known and in demand in large parts of the world.
NGI has headquarters and laboratories in Oslo, a branch office in Trondheim, an avalanche research station in Western Norway, and overseas offices in Houston, Texas, USA, and in Perth, Western Australia, as well as partnership collaboration agreements with well-established companies and institutions around the world.
As one of the charity’s main partners, NGI supports Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Norway financially and by contributing engineering expertise to its assignments for Norwegian aid organizations.
Homepage: https://www.ngi.no/en
Ocean Sciences (OS)
Doctoral Candidate Position – Numerical Modelling of Turbidity Currents
The BETTER project, funded by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe programme (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions – Doctoral Network) calls for applications for 11 fully funded Doctoral Candidates (DC), with attractive complementary training activities and associated research and travel budgets and the enrollment in graduated schools with the opportunity to get the PhD title. The aim of BETTER is to form a new generation of professional experts on Offshore Wind Farming (OWF). This team will address the noticeable knowledge and technological gap that exists in comprehending how marine ecosystems respond to the ongoing and anticipated extensive expansion of Offshore Wind Farms (OWFs) and how to incorporate these considerations into the optimised design. BETTER will conduct comprehensive research spanning multiple disciplines and sectors, across various functional and operational scales, to quantify the intricacies and nuances inherent in current designs related to OWF and assess their corresponding environmental impact. By doing so, we can outline a trajectory for expanding our offshore renewable energy capacity while steering the design and development of OWFs with the forces of resiliency and an even wider spectrum of sustainability, thereby mitigating environmental disturbances and socioeconomic impacts.
The BETTER consortium is formed by experts in geology, oceanography, marine ecology, marine biology, geotechnical engineering, computation modelling, offshore engineering, underwater acoustics, data science and mathematics across 7 European countries. The whole network comprises 15 academic partners and 3 industry partners. The successful candidates will be hosted by the BETTER Consortium consisting of universities, research institutions and companies in Italy, Norway, Netherlands, Germany, France, Portugal and UK. They will also benefit from an excellent scientific environment, up-to-date technologies and supervision by international leaders in the field. They will learn to integrate academic and industrial aspects in their research work and they will sharpen their experimental and complementary skills in a well-designed and diversified and unprecedented training program.
Work Description
The Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) is seeking candidates for a PhD position focused on numerical modelling of turbidity current dynamics. The position will be within NGI’s Section of Geohazards and Dynamics, under NGI’s Offshore Energy Market Area. The selected candidate will also be enrolled in the PhD program at the University of Oslo (UiO), Department of Mathematics, Mechanics Group.
The topic of this PhD project concerns modelling the dynamics of submarine turbidity currents, to better understand their physics and impact on infrastructure. The position is attached to the Horizon Europe project BETTER which is a Doctoral Training Network under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), including training of 15 individual Doctoral Candidates. The position is entitled “Turbidity currents and their potential impact on offshore infrastructure” and is designated Doctoral Candidate DC6 within the project.
Turbidity currents are subaqueous gravity mass movements that involve dilute concentrations of suspended sediments that may travel far from the origin and impact submarine infrastructure. They are turbulent flows that involve several complex dynamic features such as vertical mass transport and bed entrainment. Turbidity currents are important geohazard for submarine infrastructure such as offshore wind foundations, hence it is critical to understand well their dynamics to reliably mitigate the risk they pose when planning offshore facilities.
The doctoral candidate will be responsible for performing research into turbidity currents and developing numerical models for simulating their dynamics. The candidate should also carry out an analysis of the status of international research within the field. The primary objective is to develop a model for predicting the run-out and impact of turbidity currents. Based on the literature assessment, it will be decided whether averaged approaches or depth resolved models (or both), will be used as the modelling strategy. The work will involve testing the model against observations. In addition to using the models to understand the run-out dynamics, emphasis will be placed on adapting the models for extracting turbidity current loads on structures.
The applicant is expected to visit partners from the BETTER consortium for secondments of about six months (or more) and will participate in joint network-wide training activities.
This position offers international exposure through secondments with partners in the BETTER consortium (typically for six months or more), and active participation in joint network-wide training activities. These elements aim to foster both scientific and personal development in a diverse and interdisciplinary setting.
The official call with more details can be found here:
Apply through this link:
Pre-requisites and Mandatory Documents
Applicants must hold a MSc degree, or other corresponding education equivalent to a Norwegian MSc, covering one of the following fields: fluid mechanics, scientific computing, wave mechanics, physics, mathematics, engineering, geophysics, or related disciplines.
A foreign MSc-level degree must be equivalent to a minimum of four years in the Norwegian educational system.
Applicants must demonstrate fluent oral and written communication skills in English. English language requirements for applications from outside of EU/EEA countries and exemptions from the requirements can be found here:
https://www.mn.uio.no/english/research/phd/regulations/regulations.html#toc8
Academic Requirements and Fellowship Details:
To be eligible, applicants must meet the following academic criteria (based on the Norwegian grading scale):
Average grade point for Bachelor’s-level courses must be C or better.
Average grade point for Master’s-level courses must be B or better.
Master’s thesis must be graded B or better.
The purpose of the fellowship is research training leading to a PhD degree.
Admission to the PhD program at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences is mandatory. Applicants must apply to the department within two months of starting the fellowship. More details can be found here:
https://www.uio.no/english/about/regulations/research/doctoral-degree/phdforskreng.html
https://www.uio.no/english/research/phd/
https://www.mn.uio.no/english/research/phd/
Competence Requirements
In addition to meeting the academic qualifications, the ideal candidate should have solid programming skills (e.g. C++, Fortran) and scripting experience (e.g. Python), with good command of Linux systems.
Experience in one or more of the following areas is highly valued:
- Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
- Numerical modelling of partial differential equations (e.g. FEM, FVM, FDM)
- Continuum mechanics and/or material rheology
- Turbulence modelling
- Landslide or turbidity current modelling
- Familiarity with tools such as Matlab or R
We are looking for motivated and curious individuals who enjoy collaborative research in international settings, and who are eager to contribute to a vibrant research community.
Eligibility criteria
The PhD position as Doctoral Candidates is open to applicants of all nationalities fulfilling with the following eligibility requirements:
- should have — at the date of recruitment — LESS than 4 years of a research career and not have a doctoral degree. The 4 years are measured from the date when the applicant obtained the degree which would formally entitle him/her to embark on a PhD, either in the country where the degree was obtained or in the country where the PhD is provided.
- should NOT have — at the date of recruitment — resided in the country where the research training takes place for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to recruitment, and NOT have carried out his/her main activity (work, studies, etc.) in that country.
- should satisfy the eligibility requirements to enrol on a PhD degree. This includes i) master degree compliant with the research fields described in the individual research project; ii) excellent/good oral and written English language skills, iii) good skills in scientific writing and results presentation.
Selection process
- Interested students are asked to submit their application within August 10th, 2025.
- A recruitment panel adhering to strict gender equality and equal opportunity rules will be set up consisting of the two supervisors and a third BETTER representative.
- After a first evaluation based on the provided documents, an online interview will follow.
- Selection criteria will encompass the potential as researchers, creativity, level of independence, teamwork ability, knowledge, communication experience and availability for the intended start date. Start date of the positions can be earlier, but all positions must be filled by November 2025.