Applicants are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Civil and Architectural Engineering programme. The position is available from 01 November 2026 or later. You can submit your application via the link under 'how to apply'.
Title:
Multi-physics modelling of wetting–drying induced ground movement, landslides and coastal erosion
Research area and project description:
We are looking for a motivated and talented PhD candidate to join our multidisciplinary research team investigating climate-driven geohazards affecting infrastructure and the built environment. The successful candidate will become part of the long-term Villum Foundation research programme Civil Engineering and the Green Transition in the Built Environment (CEBE), bringing together researchers in geotechnical, structural, coastal and environmental engineering.
The PhD project focuses on developing a multi-physics platform to simulate the coupled hydromechanical behaviour of soil interacting with water in a geotechnical context. The overall objective is to establish a combination of numerical methods under the umbrella of multi-physics modelling to assess the stability of slopes and embankments subjected to wetting–drying cycles, changes in groundwater level and saturation, surface erosion from stormwater and debris, and toe erosion from waves in coastal environments.
The integrated modelling tool should describe the onset of slope instability, accounting for different hydroclimatic triggering factors (including variations induced by climate change scenarios), and the evolution of mass movement, considering large deformation. Therefore, different numerical methods may be combined, leveraging on the advantages of each approach for simulating a specific phase of the process. It is not the intent to develop new constitutive models for specific soil types, but it may be relevant to explore the use of meso-scale models for soils such as till and fissured clays, both native to Denmark. However, while the main application should be Danish soils, the numerical framework should be developed with versatility in mind to allow the assessment of climate-driven geohazards generally in urban and coastal regions.
Project description: Applicants should submit a short research proposal (maximum 4 000 keystrokes) that demonstrates their understanding of the scientific challenge, identifies key knowledge gaps, formulates research objectives and hypotheses, outlines a possible methodological approach, and explains why their background makes them well-suited for the project. The proposal will be refined together with the supervisors during the PhD.
Qualifications and specific competences:
Applicants to the PhD position must hold a BSc degree (180 ECTS) in civil engineering (or a closely related engineering discipline) and an MSc degree (minimum 90 ECTS) with a specialisation in geotechnical engineering, or computational engineering or coastal engineering, including advanced coursework in numerical methods, finite element analysis, and geotechnical engineering.
Further requirements:
Place of employment and place of work:
The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Navitas, Inge Lehmanns Gade 10, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
Contacts:
Applicants seeking further information regarding the PhD position are invited to contact:
For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our application guide. If answers cannot be found there, please contact:
How to apply:
Please follow this link to submit your application.
Application deadline is 20 August 2026 at 23:59 CEST.
Preferred starting date is 01 November 2026.
Please note:
Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which everyone has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants. All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement.
