PhD Scholarship Department of Civil Engineering

University of Strathclyde is coordinating an EC-funded Marie Curie Research Training Network on Advanced Modelling of Ground Improvement on Soft Soils (AMGISS), see ARGISS http://www.ce.strath.ac.uk/amgiss/ for details. As part of the AMGISS network, we hope to fill the following research vacancy that is not funded directly by the network. The applicant will, however, benefit the international networking and training opportunities of the AMGISS network, including research training and secondments with the network partners and their academic and industrial collaborators.

*Start date October 2006.

*The studentship will consist of a tax-free scholarship of £12,500 per annum and the tuition fees at home/EU student level for three years. The fellowship is funded by the Faculty of Engineering.

*Topic of research:*
The PhD project deals with finite element modelling of embankments on soft soils, considering various foundation methods, such as preloading, vertical drains and stone columns/lime-cement columns. The numerical simulations willbe done by 2D and 3D version of PLAXIS, using recently developed advanced soil models that account for plastic strain induced anisotropy, bonding and destructuration and this may involve constitutive model development and numerical implementation.

*Requirements:
*A good undergraduate degree in civil engineering, geotechnical engineering or a related topic. An MSc degree in Geotechnical Engineering and/or industrial experience would be an advantage.

More information from Dr Minna Karstunen (email:minna.karstunen@strath.ac.uk,Tel. +44 141 5483252)