BIONICS (Biological & Engineering Impacts of Climate Change on Slopes)
Applications are invited for a 3 year PhD studentship based in the School of
Engineering at Durham University. The studentship is funded by an EPSRC
grant (BIONICS) that has been awarded as a collaborative venture between the
universities of Bristol, Dundee, Durham, Loughborough and Nottingham-Trent,
coordinated by the University of Newcastle upon Tyne.
The EPSRC funded BIONICS (Biological & Engineering Impacts of Climate Change
on Slopes) project will establish a unique research facility aimed at
informing civil engineering construction. A full-scale, instrumented soil
embankment will be constructed, planted with a variety of flora, with
controlled heating and rainfall at its surface. The project will be an
investigation of the interaction of climate, vegetation and engineering on
the behaviour of infrastructure earthworks.
The research will have practical implications for major constructions
including road embankments and railways in the UK and internationally. The 6
universities will collaborate with a number of leading industrial partners
including: British Waterways Board; Skanska Construction UK Ltd;
Construction Industry Research & Information Assoc. (CIRIA); Highways
Agency; Mott Macdonald UK Ltd; Railway Safety Ltd; Scottish Crop Research
Institute; Geotechnical Observations Ltd; Metronet Rail SSL Ltd; Network
Rail Ltd; New & Renewable Energy Centre Ltd; Rail Research UK.
The work at Durham University will be primarily laboratory-based,
investigating the engineering properties of the material used in the
construction of the embankment. This will involve carrying out stress path
triaxial tests. The investigation will focus on unsaturated soil testing
under controlled suction conditions; suctions will be varied to simulate
wetting and drying conditions. The student will also have the opportunity to
be involved in fieldwork, including making measurements of suctions in the
embankment.
The student would be paid a stipend of £10,500 for the 1st year, £12,000 for
the 2nd year and £12,300 for the 3rd year (tax free). The studentship will
also cover tuition fees for the 3 years.
Applicants should hold a 1st or Upper 2nd Class Honours degree in Civil
Engineering (or equivalent). Additional experience in geotechnical
engineering would be an advantage but it is not essential. The successful
applicant will join an established geo-engineering research group
(www.dur.ac.uk/geo-engineering) in the Grade 5 rated School of Engineering.
Enquiries and applications, including a full CV and the names and addresses
of two referees, should be sent to:
Dr D.G. Toll, School of Engineering, University of Durham,
Science Laboratories, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
Tel: 0191 33 42388, Fax: 091 33 42390, Email: [log in to unmask]
The closing date for applications is 14th January 2005.
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Dr David Toll
University of Durham
School of Engineering
South Road
Durham, DH1 3LE, UK.
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
Tel: (+44/0) 191 334 2388
Fax: (+44/0) 191 334 2390
www: http://www.dur.ac.uk/d.g.toll
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