PhD Position Geotechnical Assessment of Foundations for Offshore Floating Windfarms

Are you curious about the challenges of securing offshore floating wind turbines to the sea bed? 

We are seeking a PhD candidate for the research project TAILWIND-Sustainable station keeping systems for floating wind. This is an EU project led by the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute and with academic and industry partners partners across Europe. You will join a large team of active researchers in the Delft Offshore Geotechnical research group who are developing real solutions for the offshore energy sector.

As part of an interdisciplinary team, you will work on geotechnical modelling of various novel foundation systems in the TU Delft geotechnical centrifuge. Specifically, you will perform physical experiments to consider the impact of cyclic and combined loading on the lifetime performance of these foundations in typical soil conditions encountered at offshore development sites. These experiments will inform numerical analyses performed by project partners.

In addition, you will coach bachelor and master students and supervise their projects. As a PhD candidate, you will also receive all the training you need to evolve. Your homebase will be the Delft Offshore Geotechnical research group, within the faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences (link). You will be joining our friendly, highly motivated and supportive team of Professors, Postdocs and PhD students. We share a drive to accelerate the energy transition by developing new geo-solutions for the growing offshore energy sector. Ours is an open-minded, inspiring and friendly atmosphere, in which you’ll exchange knowledge and ideas. 

Your profile:

• You have obtained a master’s degree in civil engineering, preferably with specialization in geotechnical engineering.
• Programming skills are desirable (e.g., MATLAB, Python).
• You are proficient in spoken and written English.
• You have the ability to work independently.
• You look forward to collaborating with researchers from different academic fields and industry partners.

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements .

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2770 per month in the first year to € 3539 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged. 

For international applicants, TU Delft has the Coming to Delft Service . This service provides information for new international employees to help you prepare the relocation and to settle in the Netherlands. The Coming to Delft Service offers a Dual Career Programme  for partners and they organise events to expand your (social) network.

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values  and we actively engage  to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

The Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences (CEG) is committed to outstanding international research and education in the field of civil engineering, applied earth sciences, traffic and transport, water technology, and delta technology. Our research feeds into our educational programmes and covers societal challenges such as climate change, energy transition, resource availability, urbanisation and clean water. Our research projects are conducted in close cooperation with a wide range of research institutions. CEG is convinced of the importance of open science and supports its scientists in integrating open science in their research practice. The Faculty of CEG comprises 28 research groups in the following seven departments: Materials Mechanics Management & Design, Engineering Structures, Geoscience and Engineering, Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Transport & Planning, Hydraulic Engineering and Water Management.

Click here  to go to the website of the Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences.

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Ken Gavin, e-mail: [email protected] .

Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply before 3 March 2024 via the application button and upload your motivation and CV.

• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post.
• A pre-Employment screening can be part of the selection procedure.
• Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.