Research Fellow in Experimental Geotechnics in Guildford

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The role involves joining an EPSRC-funded UKRI-Norway project on Energy Micropile Retrofits for Climate Change Adaptation of Existing Buildings. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to research at the interface of experimental geotechnics, sustainable infrastructure, low-carbon energy systems and climate-change adaptation. The project aims to develop and validate energy micropile retrofit solutions that can support the decarbonisation of existing buildings by combining structural foundation performance with renewable thermal energy exchange.

Based within the University of Surrey’s Civil Engineering Laboratories, you will lead the laboratory-scale experimental programme and generate high-quality datasets to support the validation of next-generation energy micropile systems. You will work closely with colleagues at the University of Surrey and with project partners at the Universities of Leeds, Cambridge and NTNU, as well as relevant industrial collaborators.

The role offers the opportunity to undertake cutting-edge laboratory research, contribute to high-impact publications, and engage with a multidisciplinary consortium addressing an important challenge in sustainable infrastructure. In this role, you will:

• Develop and test scaled model energy micropiles
• Conduct axial, lateral and cyclic thermal testing
• Support the development of enhanced thermal grouts and binders
• Analyse complex experimental datasets
• Collaborate with project partners on numerical model validation
• Contribute to publications, conferences, technical reports and knowledge exchange activities

The successful candidate will have a PhD, or be near completion of a PhD, in Geotechnical Engineering or a closely related discipline. You will have practical experience of laboratory-based experimental research and a strong interest in physical modelling, soil-structure interaction, thermo-mechanical testing or related areas. You should be able to demonstrate hands-on experience of laboratory testing and experimental setups, with practical knowledge of soil mechanics and thermo-mechanical or thermal response testing. You will also have strong data analysis, research publication, organisational and problem-solving skills, alongside the ability to work both independently and collaboratively, communicate effectively with a range of stakeholders, and travel occasionally within the UK and internationally.