Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA) is offering a 36-month full-time work contract. In line with the European Commission
rules for Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant holders, the remuneration will consist of a gross monthly salary of 2,669 EUR. The
estimated net salary to be perceived by the PhD fellow will be between 2,050 and 2,152 EUR1
.
Benefits include:
- Access to a high-quality work environment, including a personal computer, scientific equipment and access to
library and shared lab facilities - Full social security benefits and participation to health insurance
- Access to high-level scientific and inter-sectoral training through 120 hours of doctoral courses and workshops
- Opportunity for 2-month secondments at an academic institution or industrial partner during the 2nd year of the
PhD - A vast choice of networking events and activities within the PhD@Tec21 Programme and through the international network of MSCA fellows
- Access to the UGA International Student Office, to assist the PhD fellows in searching for accommodation in Grenoble and support with administrative issues including visas, health, bank accounts, etc.
- Visa fees and registration to the UGA Doctoral School are covered by PhD@Tec21
- Sick leave, parental leave, 45 days of paid holidays
Possible PhD Research Axes:
Two main research axes are identified. The candidate will select and specialize in one of the two main research
directions, depending on background and interests:
Axis 1 – Dynamics of the water phase from soil to root
- Study coupled water transport between soil pore space and root tissues, including the effects of mucilage
secretion on water retention and hydraulic conductivity. - Extend poromechanical models (multi-phase soil mechanics) to include water uptake by the root.
- Employ homogenization techniques and numerical simulations (e.g., FEniCSx, FEMxFEM) to link pore-scale
phenomena to continuum models, with the ultimate goal of comparing them to tomography data from real
root-soil systems.
Axis 2 – Multiscale mechanical interactions between roots and soil - Model how cell-level growth rules (cell division, cell wall softening) influence the macroscopic mechanics of
root elongation. - Develop vertex and morphoelastic rod models for root tissues and couple them with discrete element
models (DEM) or finite element models (FEM) for soil. - Simulate root penetration and deformation in granular soils and compare with tomography data from real
root-soil systems.
Potential Applications:
- Sustainable agriculture: understanding root water uptake and soil compaction.
- Civil engineering: bio-inspired soil stabilization and root-like foundations.
- Robotics: design of self-growing or soil-penetrating robots for environmental monitoring.
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