Phd Student Or Postdoctoral Scholar On "Multi-Scale Modeling Of Particle Transport Including Diffusiophoresis In Porous Media"

14 Aug 2023

Job Information

Organisation/Company

UNIVERSITE D'ORLEANS

Research Field

Physics » Computational physics

Engineering » Water resources engineering

Geosciences » Hydrology

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Recognised Researcher (R2)

Established Researcher (R3)

Country

France

Application Deadline

31 Oct 2023 - 19:30 (Europe/Paris)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Offer Starting Date

1 Oct 2023

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

HE / ERC

Reference Number

101039854

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

ERC project “TRACE-it” (2022-2027), summary:

Many engineering applications foreseen the usage of small particles for groundwater remediation or for sealing damaged geological confinement barriers, however, delivering materials to a contaminated or damaged region is challenging. TRACE-it aims at controlling the flow of colloidal particles in subsurface geological environments using in situ solute concentration gradients. The phenomenon, known as diffusiophoresis, has a tremendous potential to move colloids to regions that are inaccessible by conventional transport. Diffusiophoretic transport in porous media, however, has received very little attention so far. How to use concentration gradients of solute to transport colloids towards target regions? The team of TRACE-it project uses a combined experimental-modelling approach to tackle this challenge. More information here https: // erc-trace-it.cnrs.fr/

Role of the candidate

The objective is to develop a robust and validated macroscale model for particulate transport in porous media. The model will couple solute distributions predicted for subsurface processes (e.g. due to a contaminant dissolving in groundwater or due to mineral dissolution) and diffusiophoretic transport. The candidate will adopt a multi-scale strategy starting at the pore-scale before upscaling to the macro-scale. For that, the candidate will,

Perform an extensive literature review on diffusiophoresis and solute transport in porous media,

Develop an OpenFOAM-based pore-scale simulator to describe diffusiophoretic transport of colloids in porous media. The candidate will benchmark Lagrangian and Eulerian approaches,

Verify the model prediction using the experimental data obtained in our microfluidic facilities,

Investigate numerically the transport of particles by diffusiophoresis in porous media of various geometry, and for different colloid properties in terms of radius and surface charges,

Upscale the results to the macroscale.

Participate to the weekly group meetings,

Present results in national, international conferences and in high-ranked journal, write progress reports.

This work will allow the design of new remediation strategies to bring colloidal particles to contaminated areas in subsurface environments.

References:

S. Marbach, H. Yoshida, L. Bocquet (2020), Local and global force balance for diffusiophoretic transport , Journal of Fluid Mechanics: 892, A6.

S. Shin, J. Ault, P. Warren, H. Stone (2017), Accumulation of Colloidal Particles in Flow Junctions Induced by Fluid Flow and Diffusiophoresis ”, Physical Review X, 7

C. Soulaine, J. Maes, S. Roman (2021), Computational microfluidics for geosciences , Frontiers in Water: 3, p. 11.

D. Velegol, A. Garg, R. Guha, A. Kar, M. Kumar (2016), Origins of concentration gradients for diffusiophoresis , Soft Matter: 12 (21), pp. 4686–4703.

Requirements

Research Field

Physics

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Research Field

Physics

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Engineering

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Research Field

Engineering

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

MSc degree (or engineering school), background in engineering, physics, soft matter, computational science, fluid dynamics, or Computational Fluid Dynamics. Prior knowledge of OpenFOAM is a plus but not a prerequisite. A strong taste for research, autonomy. Drafting quality.

Deadline for application : at least until September 30, 2023 and until the position is filled

Languages

ENGLISH

Level

Good

Additional Information

Benefits

The candidate will join a network of leading-edge national research institutions including CNRS, BRGM, Sorbonne University, Geosciences Rennes, and Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, and international collaborations including Heriot-Watt University, Julich Forschungszentrum, Ghent University, TU Delft, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Princeton University, and Stanford University.

The candidate will have the opportunity to spend time at Princeton University in the group of Prof. Howard Stone who is internationally renowned for studying the dynamics of complex fluids including extensive work on diffusiophoresis phenomena.

Gross salary: around 2000 €/month (depends on job position and experience)

Eligibility criteria

Send a CV, cover letter, reference letter(s), and MSc grades.

Selection process

1st round of interviews by the end of August

2nd round of interviews by the end of September

If the position is not filled, another round of interviews will take place in October 2023.

The selection for an interview is based on the adequacy of the candidate's profile to the job offer and on the motivations of the candidate to join the project.

Additional comments

Starting date is flexible (from October 2023 to beginning of 2024)

Website for additional job details

https: // erc-trace-it.cnrs.fr/home/offers/

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Institut des Sciences de la Terre d'Orléans

Country

France

City

Orléans

Postal Code

45100

Geofield

Where to apply

E-mail

[email protected]

Contact

City

Orléans

Website

https:// www. univ-orleans.fr/

Street

Château de la Source, Avenue du Parc Floral

Postal Code

45067

STATUS: EXPIRED