PhD Student

Updated: 4 months ago
Deadline: 08 Dec 2023

Job description

VACANCY FOR PHD POSITION ON
NUMERICAL AND PHYSICAL MODELLING OF STORM WAVE INTERACTIONS WITH A HYBRID DUNE-DIKE NATURE BASED SOLUTION (PER30/2188)
PROJECT BACKGROUND
The Horizon Europe research project DuneFront (4 years) will demonstrate blue-grey coastal and marine infrastructure as a new generation of sustainable, inclusive, and aesthetics solution to ensure coastal safety under climate change. The project has the ambition to co-create hybrid Dune-Dike Nature Based Solutions (DD-hybrid NbS) that can efficiently integrate static hard infrastructure with adaptive, dynamic aeolian and vegetated sediments. Mainstreaming biodiversity into marine and coastal DD-hybrid NbS is essential to jointly safeguard human assets, blue economy activities and biodiversity gain and restoration. DuneFront will achieve this challenge by identifying key biological, physical, and socio-economic boundary conditions, and by translating evidence on biodiversity, morphodynamics and safety from 12 Demonstrators along vulnerable European coasts into new roadmaps for DD-hybrid NbS design and installation. The integration of this multidisciplinary knowledge into physical and digital twins will pilot the development of a Decision-Support-System, coastal and marine infrastructure Blueprints, and the installation of new prototypes along one of the most recreated coasts.
The DuneFront consortium brings together 16 partners (10 universities, 3 research organisations, 2 large enterprises and a government agency) from 6 different European countries in a co-creation scenario. The project is coordinated by the Terrestrial Ecology (Fac. Sciences) and Coastal Engineering (Fac. Engineering and Architecture) research groups from Ghent University (UGent). Besides a coordinating role, the Coastal Engineering research group from UGent will contribute to the quantification of storm hydrodynamic boundary conditions, stability and resilience of hybrid Dune-Dike Nature Based Solutions along European coasts, and to design blueprints for Nbs.

TASK DESCRIPTION
The research will be carried out by using the numerical process-based model XBeach (both surf beat and non-hydrostatic versions) and physical modelling in wave flumes to gain new insights into the physical processes specific to storm wave interactions with a DD-hybrid NbS coastal protection system, like long (infragravity) wave interactions with both dune erosion and dike loading, wave overtopping, wave impacts, dune strengthening by vegetation and 3D effects. These methods will also be used to validate the numerical model with the physical model data, and to demonstrate the efficiency of the DD-hybrid NbS coastal protection system in terms of adaptive defence against climate-change impacts, compared to hard structure-only and dune-only (or else “NbS-only”) solutions. The predoctoral researcher will work in close collaboration with another PhD researcher at TU Delft to organise and execute three extensive mid-scale physical modelling campaigns using wave flumes at TU Delft, TU Braunschweig and Flanders Hydraulics (there is also a vacancy for the TU Delft PhD researcher published). The validated numerical model will serve as input for a Predictive Digital Twin (PDT), for which visualisation methods will be developed to disseminate state-of-the-art techniques on assessing DD-hybrid NbS performance. Finally, the PhD researcher will collaborate with two industry partners to produce Blueprints for coastal zone management prototypes and future marine DuneFront DD-hybrid NbS applications, and to contribute to the development of a Decision Support System (DSS) for DD-hybrid NbS.

Within DuneFront, you will be responsible for:

  • At least 70% of your assignment will be spent on academic research.
  • Planning, coordination, and implementation of the project tasks as described above.
  • Interaction with the other project partners.
  • Project communication and reporting, including writing project reports, scientific articles, etc.

Job profile

PROFILE

  • Candidates must hold a Master’s degree in civil engineering, coastal/offshore engineering, physical oceanography or a related area, with a proven strong knowledge on (coastal) hydrodynamics and morphodynamics.
  • Knowledge of and interest in numerical simulation and physical modelling of coastal hydro- (currents and waves) and morphodynamics (dune erosion) is essential.
  • Prior experience (master thesis, internship) related to numerical modelling of wave transformation processes (preferably non-hydrostatic XBeach, SWASH or NHWAVE) and dune erosion (preferably surf beat XBeach) is recommended.
  • Prior knowledge related to wave overtopping processes is recommended.
  • Hands-on experience in programming, data analysis and related statistics using appropriate software tools (e.g., MATLAB, Python (preferred)) is recommended.
  • Prior knowledge of physical modelling in a wave flume or basin is essential. Experience with physical modelling using sediment and/or vegetation is a plus.
  • Knowledge of open source platforms (e.g., GitHub) is a plus.
  • Candidates must have excellent written and oral communication skills.
  • Candidates must be proficient in English.
  • Candidates must be flexible, responsible and team workers.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

  • Duration of the contract: start of 1 year, with yearly extension to maximum 4 years, after yearly evaluation.
  • Your contract will start on 01/01/2024 at the earliest.
  • The salary and appointment terms are consistent with the general rules at Ghent University.
  • All Ghent University staff members enjoy a number of benefits, such as a wide range of training and education opportunities, 36 days of holiday leave (on an annual basis for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed bridge days, a bicycle allowance and eco vouchers. Click here for a complete overview of all the staff benefits (in Dutch).
  • An open, stimulating and multi-disciplinary research environment.
  • A unique chance to join a challenging and one-of-a-kind international project in close collaboration with other research institutes, industry and government.
  • Working place will be the Coastal Engineering Research Group at Ghent University (Technologiepark 60, 9052 Zwijnaarde, Belgium), with frequent research visits to TU Delft (The Netherlands) and physical modelling campaigns in the laboratories of TU Delft, TU Braunschweig (Germany) and Flanders Hydraulics (Belgium).
  • More detailed information on working at UGent is available on http://www.ugent.be/en/work .
  • The Coastal Engineering Research Group website is available on http://www.ugent.be/ea/civil-engineering/en/research/coastal-bridges-roads/coastal-engineering .

How to apply

APPLICATION DETAILS

  • To apply, please send your full CV with a cover letter indicating the reference number of the vacancy (PER30/2188), and explaining your interest in this vacancy and highlighting any previous experience of coastal and ocean engineering and numerical/physical modelling via [email protected] and [email protected] by the 8th of December 2023.

Please send in addition to the above a list with the names and contact details (address, telephone, e-mail) of at least one, but preferably up to three referees, including if possible a senior person (preferably your supervisor, manager or head of organisational unit) closely associated with your current work. A referee must be able to comment on your work experience, skills and performance with respect to the selection criteria.


MORE INFORMATION
For more information about this vacancy, please contact Prof. Peter Troch ([email protected] ) and Dr. Vincent Gruwez ( [email protected] )



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