PhD Position in Stress Characterization in Zürich

We are looking for a creative and motivated PhD candidate with a strong interest in rock stress characterization and hydromechanics to join our team working at the Bedretto Underground Laboratory for Geoenergy and Geoscience (), a joint initiative of different research groups at the Earth Science Department of ETH. The position will be hosted within the Chair of Engineering Geology (Prof. Jordan Aaron). It will be strongly linked to the Swiss Seismological Service (Prof. Stefan Wiemer) and the Chair of Seismology and Geodynamics (Prof. Domenico Giardini). The research project is part of a large international collaboration concerned with hydraulic stimulation experiments to enhance geo-energy exploitation and understand induced earthquakes. The position is expected to start in June 2024 and is fully funded for 4 years.

The stress field being a key driver for natural rock mass failure (e.g. earthquakes) or man-made failure phenomena (e.g. induced earthquakes, tunnelling-induced failure, etc) is known to vary on all spatial scales. Natural stress variations are linked to topography at shallow depths, to contrasts in rock mass compliance and to slip on faults. To date, it remains difficult to disentangle the respective contribution of these stress-altering components. Numerical models, that are commonly used either to design underground engineering operations (e.g. tunneling, hydraulic stimulations) or to understand natural rupture processes (e.g. earthquake rupture models), commonly make the simplified assumption that driving stresses correspond to the far-field stresses away from the modelled structure. It is unclear how a more complex stress field can be adequately represented in numerical models and how this influences the modelled failure processes.

In the BULGG, the stress field has already been characterized in parts of the tunnel and additional stress measurements are planned within the framework of the collaborative ERC project . Additionally, several hydraulic experiments have been and will be performed, for which deformation measurements are available and allow inferring the effect of fault slip on stress perturbances. Being able to numerically model these effects may help establish a quantitative link between observable near-fault stress rotations and the seismogenic properties of faults, which may impact the planning of hydraulic stimulation operations for geo-energy exploitation.  

This PhD project will participate in stress measurement campaigns and hydraulic stimulation operations in the BULGG, develop novel techniques to interpret the data, and use 3D numerical models with explicit representation of faults to understand the local- to regional-scale stress patterns. The goal is not only to obtain a full understanding of the stress characteristics at different scales but also to develop a methodology for how stress observations can be reproduced in numerical models.   

• MSc in Engineering Geology, Geophysics, Geological Engineering, or related fields
• Strong interest in rock mechanics and hydromechanics in particular stress characterization
• Strong interest in the field of geomechanics applied to geoenergy (geothermics, CCS, heat storage, etc) and earthquake hazards
• Interest in numerical modelling
• Knowledge of programming in Python/matlab is considered an asset
• Strong interest and willingness to conduct field work

The position provides the opportunity to work within an interdisciplinary team from several research groups of the Geological Institute and the Institute of Geophysics, to broaden your research interests, and to develop your academic career and international network. We further offer training in teaching through teaching assistantships, as well as access to state-of-the-art laboratories and research equipment. ETH Zurich is a family-friendly employer with excellent working conditions.