Rome, November 19, 2009
<>Subject: Post-Doctoral position in experimental
rock mechanics at INGV (Rome)
<> We
are seeking a highly motivated
and experienced researcher for a Post-Doctoral position at the Istituto
Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) in Rome (www.ingv.it). A
background in laboratory deformation experiments is desirable but not
essential. The INGV
monitors seismic and volcanic activity in Italy and was ranked
the number
one institution in volcanology and number three in seismology in terms
of
publication output during 2005 (worldwide enquiry by ISI Thomson). The
INGV
contains extensive laboratories, including world-class microscopic,
geochemical
and rock deformation facilities:
http://www.roma1.ingv.it/laboratories/hp-ht-lab/high-pressure-high-temperature-laboratory-of-experimental-volcanology-and-geophysics/view?set_language=en
<>
The successful applicant will
join a
large team of people with different backgrounds (structural geologists,
geophysicists, physicists, engineers, experimentalists:
http://roma1.rm.ingv.it/laboratori/laboratorio-hp-ht/usems/the-people)
working on a European Research Council Starting Grant Project entitled “Uncovering the Secrets of an Earthquake:
Multidisciplinary Study of Physico-Chemical Processes During the
Seismic Cycle”
(USEMS, PI Giulio Di Toro). A summary of the USEMS project can
be found
at the end of this call. For further details
http://roma1.rm.ingv.it/laboratories/hp-ht-lab/usems-project<>
One
goal of the project is to
investigate rock properties during the seismic cycle in the upper
crust,
including the extreme deformation conditions typical of seismic slip
(displacements
up to 20 m, slip rates up to 10 m/s and normal stresses > 40 MPa).
To
achieve this goal, the successful applicant will take a leading role in
developing and utilizing a new rock deformation apparatus recently
installed at
INGV. The apparatus is a rotary-shear apparatus called SHIVA (Slow
to
HIgh Velocity Apparatus):
http://roma1.rm.ingv.it/laboratories/hp-ht-lab/laboratori/laboratorio-hp-ht/usems/the-shiva-apparatus
that is designed to simulate seismic slip in the laboratory.
<>
Applicants
must have completed a PhD or expect to do so by 1 January 2010. The selection process for the position will
commence on 31 December 2009. Salary and benefits for the
applicant will
be negotiated based on experience. The position will start commencing
in March 2010
(or as soon as possible thereafter) and is expected to end in June 2013
(concomitant
with the end of the USEMS project).
Applicants without
a PhD will be considered in very exceptional circumstances (i.e., sound
knowledge of experimental techniques).
<>
Applicants
are invited to send the following material to Giulio Di Toro ([log in to unmask]):
<>
1) CV (4 pages max)
2) motivation letter (1 page max)
3) two recommendation
letters.
<>
For more information contact
Giulio Di Toro.
Giulio
Di Toro
Stefan Nielsen
<>Piergiorgio
Scarlato
<>
Summary
of the USEMS project
<> Southern
Europe and Turkey lie within
the highest seismic risk areas in the world. Understanding the
physico-chemical
processes controlling earthquake generation is essential in seismic
hazard
assessment. Destructive earthquakes nucleate at depth (7-15 km), therefore
monitoring
active faults at the Earth’s surface, or interpreting seismic waves,
yields
only limited information on earthquake mechanics. We propose to
investigate
earthquake processes by:
<><>1) installing a new world class
high velocity rock friction apparatus to perform experiments under
deformation
conditions typical of earthquakes;
<><>2) studying fossil
seismic
sources now exhumed at the Earth's surface;
3) analyzing natural and
experimental fault rock materials using a novel multidisciplinary
approach
involving state of the art techniques in microstructural analysis,
mineralogy
and petrology;
<>4) producing new theoretical
earthquake models calibrated (and tightly constrained) by field
observations,
mechanical data from rock-friction experiments and analyses of natural
and
experimental fault rocks.
<>
<> The
integration of such a complementary
data set shall provide a new insight into the mechanics of seismic
faulting.
The proposed study has additional implications for understanding other
friction-controlled processes important in Earth sciences and hazard
mitigation
(e.g., rock landslides). Friction also has broad applications in the
industry,
including innovative but poorly understood production processes. Our
experimental results will help to improve industrial milling techniques
and
investigate the mechanical-chemical transformations induced during
milling. The
latter is the basis of a new technique for the production of
hydrocarbons and
hydrogen from inorganic and organic materials.
<>*************************************************************************
Giulio Di Toro
Istituto
Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia
I 00143 Roma
Via di Vigna
Murata 605
Tel: (+39) 0651860730
Fax: (+39) 0651860507
email: [log in to unmask]
URL: http://www.roma1.ingv.it/Members/ditoro
http://roma1.rm.ingv.it/laboratori/laboratorio-hp-ht/usems
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