Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Granular Flow

University of Oslo

The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest rated institution of research and education with 28 000 students and 7000 employees. Its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally esteemed research communities make UiO an important contributor to society.

The geosciences are the studies of planet Earth; the atmosphere, the hydrosphere and cryosphere, the earth's surface and it’s interior. The Department of Geosciences is Norway’s widest ranging academic geoscience research environment, encompassing four sections (Meteorology and Oceanography, Geography and Hydrology, Geology and Geophysics, Physics of Geological Processes) and one Centre of Excellence (Centre of Earth Evolution and Dynamics). In addition we participate in other centres and hold several ERC grants. The staff consists of 40 professors and associate professors, in addition to postdoctoral fellows, PhD students, researchers, technical staff and administrative personnel, to a total number of 240.

Job description

Position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow available at Department of Geosciences.The postdoctoral fellowship is for a period of 2 years. Preferred starting date no later than October 1, 2018.

More about the position

We invite applications for a postdoctoral position in natural granular flows.

The position is part of the EarthFlows project, a Strategic Initiative funded by the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Oslo. EarthFlows includes 4 PhD positions and 2 postdoc positions, and is at the interface between several groups of the Department of Geosciences, and the Mathematics and Physics Departments. The Postdoctoral Researcher will be affiliated to the Department of Geosciences, in the section for Physics of Geological Processes (PGP) and enjoy daily interaction with scientists in the Njord Centre and the Porous Media Laboratory (Pore Lab, SFF). The position will involve collaboration with the University of Edinburgh and other international parties. The successful applicant will thus evolve in a truly multidisciplinary scientific environment.

Active geological faults, landslides, debris avalanches and volcanoclastic flows all involve accumulations of broken granular debris undergoing shear. The resulting macroscopic motion depends on local particle interactions however a key question is how the grain scale processes actually sum up. Force chains are strong-yet-fragile load bearing skeletons that play a crucial role in coupling grain scale processes with macroscopic rheology of granular flows.

This Postdoctoral fellowship will investigate how grain interactions (and the granular material itself) influence the nature and persistence of force chains and hence the bulk rheology of granular flows. The postdoc will focus on active geological faults. Inspired by the analysis of natural fault rocks, the project will take an experimental and numerical approach. There is scope to develop the project in a direction aligned with the candidate's research plan that should be handed in with the application.

The candidate will be part of a lively research environment involving other young scientists, with expertise spanning from field work, quantitative microstructural analysis, laboratory modeling, numerical modeling and theoretical modeling.

Qualification requirements

Applicants must hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree in Earth Sciences or related field. Doctoral dissertation must be submitted for evaluation by the closing date. Appointment is dependent on the public defense of the doctoral thesis being approved.

Candidates with research experience and knowledge in the following topics will be given priority:

• Fault mechanics and friction
• Earthquake or landslide processes
• Experimental methodology and design
• Quantitative structural geology
• Microstructural analysis of cataclastic fault rocks
• Image analysis

Technical skills in running laboratory experiments, data acquisition, data analysis and modeling (including development of code in e.g. Matlab or Python) are essential.

Fluent oral and written communication skills in English are required.

Additional Qualifications:

• Priority will be given to candidates with multidisciplinary experience including geological fieldwork and laboratory work
• The candidate should be highly motivated to work in a multi-disciplinary research field/team and be willing to exchange with national and international project collaborators including potential research stays abroad

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be given to the applicant’s academic and personal qualifications relevant to execute the project, their ability to complete research, the applicant’s mobility, proven communication and collaboration skills and an ability to join interdisciplinary academic communities.

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has a strategic ambition of being a leading research faculty. Candidates for this position will be selected in accordance with this, and expected to be in the upper segment of their class with respect to academic credentials.

We offer

• Salary NOK 515 200– 597 400 per annum depending on qualifications in position as Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (position code 1352)
• Attractive welfare benefits and a generous pension agreement, in addition to Oslo’s family-friendly environment with its rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities.

How to apply

The application must include

• Cover letter. Statement of motivation, research interests and research plan
• CV (summarizing education, positions and academic work - scientific publications)
• Copies of educational certificates, transcript of records and letters of recommendation
• List of publications and academic work that the applicant wishes to be considered by the evaluation committee
• Names and contact details of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number)

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system, please follow the link “Apply for this job”. Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their University'sgrading system. Please note that all documents should be in English. Applicants may be called in for an interview or telephone/skype interview.

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Oslo.

No one can be appointed as Postdoctoral Fellow for more than one specified period at the same institution.

According to the Norwegian Freedom and Information Act (Offentleglova) information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure.

The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results etc.

The University of Oslo aims to achieve a balanced gender composition in the workforce and to recruit people with ethnic minority backgrounds.

Contact information

Associate Professor Karen Mair, e-mail: [email protected] Olivier Galland, e-mail: [email protected]

For technical questions regarding the recruitment system, please contact HR Officer Helene Beate Jansen, e-mail: [email protected], phone: +47 22 85 71 96.

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