Phd Position F - m Engineering Next-Generation Seismic Metamaterials With Advanced Wave And Fluid Dynamics Simulations H/F INRIA

PhD Position F/M Engineering Next-Generation Seismic Metamaterials with Advanced Wave and Fluid Dynamics Simulations
Le descriptif de l'offre ci-dessous est en Anglais
Type de contrat : CDD

Niveau de diplôme exigé : Bac +5 ou équivalent

Fonction : Doctorant

A propos du centre ou de la direction fonctionnelle

The Inria Rennes - Bretagne Atlantique Centre is one of Inria's eight centres and has more than thirty research teams. The Inria Center is a major and recognized player in the field of digital sciences. IT is at the heart of a rich R&D and innovation ecosystem : highly innovative PMEs, large industrial groups, competitiveness clusters, research and higher education players, laboratories of excellence, technological research institute, etc.

Contexte et atouts du poste

The project will BE carried out in the I4S (Inference for Structures) research team, which is a joint team between Inria and Gustave Eiffel University.

Inria is the National Research Institute for Digital Science and Technology. This center for scientific excellence is directing the French Digital Programs Agency and is on the frontline of digitalization in Europe while conducting world-class research covering a wide range of disciplines. International and industrial collaborations, ground-breaking research, software development, artificial intelligence, quantum- and cyber technologies (AI) and deep tech startups are the DNA of the institute. Inria ranked 16th worldwide at the top AI Research organizations while being the number one European institute for frontier research in digital sciences.

Université Gustave Eiffel is a French experimental, multi-campus university specializing in the study of cities and urbanization processes. IT is committed to fostering academic excellence, advancing cutting-edge research, and driving innovation while promoting interdisciplinary collaboration and partnerships with industry stakeholders and civil society. As a national leader in sustainable urban development, IT contributes to one-quarter of France's research in this field. The university offers unique experimental platforms and leverages new energies to address the challenges of the city of the future.

Mission confiée

This PhD opportunity offers to join an Inria Exploratory Action, bridging fundamental research and technological applications for metamaterial design. Working alongside a team of full-time research scientists, you will push the current knowledge on fluid mechanics and metamaterials to unveil next-generation seismic protection systems. Metamaterials are engineered structures with properties unattainable in natural materials. Using intricate sub-wavelength designs, they have advanced wave control, energy efficiency, and other fields. Acoustic meta-materials, in particular, are promising for sound attenuation, vibration control, and noise-cancellation technologies. Earthquakes, caused by plate tectonics, generate destructive surface waves that threaten infrastructure. Civil engineers have traditionally mitigated these effects with mechanical oscillators and energy-dissipation systems, adapting solutions to the power of earthquakes and the characteristics of vulnerable structures. Another critical challenge is sloshing in liquid tanks, where fluid dynamics at the free surface can cause severe structural damage. Preventing this non-linear phenomenon remains a significant obstacle.

Seismic metamaterials hold great promise for shielding structures from earthquake waves, enabling next-generation civil engineering solutions. A key focus of this project is the exploration of multi-physical coupling phenomena, where interactions between physical domains (e.g., acoustic, elastic, thermal, and fluidic) unveil unique behaviors. Non-linearities, locally resonant mechanisms, and fluid-structure interactions allow the development of highly tunable metamaterials. By examining the interplay of band-gaps, non-linearity, and multi-physical coupling, the project aims to establish a versatile design framework for wave manipulation, noise control, and seismic protection.

The recruiting group is currently at the forefront of high-performance particle- and periodic wave-based simulation methods for multi-physical and non-linear systems. These cutting-edge methods will BE leveraged to explore innovative multi-physical seismic wave protection strategies. The research will cover various research areas encompassing wave-based modelling, nonlinear dynamics and fluid dynamics. The PhD will BE supervised by two full-time researchers : Dr. NOËL and Dr. DROZ.

Benefits :

The recruited researcher will join a multi-disciplinary team involving established, full-time research scientists of all ages, MSc, PhD and postdocs (~25 ppl). The training programme intends to prepare candidates for scientific positions, either in academia or industry, by working in a research-intensive environment which fosters both scientific excellence (world-class researchers and over 65 prestigious ERC grants) and entrepreneurship (over 200 startups launched and a dedicated Inria Startup Studio). You will also have access to an extensive portfolio of training courses on digital science and technology, programming or Artificial Intelligence. Inria has a Center located in the Beaulieu Scientific Campus of University of Rennes, Bretagne (France), a medium town (~220.000 inhabitants) close from Paris and from the SEA, with an intense student life (25% of the population). Rennes recently ranked 1st in France for quality of life and 8th most attractive city in Europe for quality of life.

Principales activités

Candidate profile :

Ideal profiles are those with backgrounds in computational mechanics, physics and/or advanced scientific computing. Candidates should have earned a MSc or equivalent degree in physics (ex. fluid dynamics, acoustics, multi-physical interactions), applied math (control theory, probability), computational mechanics (structural dynamics, Finite Elements, waves), or in a related field. Experience in implementing numerical methods for PDEs or physical problems in high-level programming languages (Matlab, Python, Julia...) is essential. Candidates are expected to possess outstanding problem-solving abilities and a proven aptitude for teamwork.

Duration : 3 years (Oct. 2025 - Sep. 2028, flexible starting date).

Team :Inference for Structures (I4S).

Application procedure :
- Submit the application documents following the guidelines below. Any incomplete application will BE rejected.
- Applications will BE screened on a weekly basis and shortlisted candidates will BE interviewed promptly.
- Position will BE closed when a selected candidate has been vetted by our Defense & Security Authority.

Required documents :
- Field CV' : A detailed curriculum vitae (indicating your nationality and current country ofresidence).
- Field Recommendation' : Indicate the contact information and/or letter from your MSc thesis director and any additional references.
- Field Other documents' : Submit your Master's thesis or, if incomplete, a draft, scientific report, or manuscript showcasing your academic writing skills, along with your latest MSc transcript (second year, if applicable).
- Field Motivation' : In a few sentences, share a story, moment or vision that drives your to pursue a PhD in the field. Focus on what inspires you, not CV details. Please also mention your preferences in terms of location/starting date and any interrogation you may have on the position.

Avantages
- Subsidized meals
- Partial reimbursement of public transport costs
- Leave : 7 weeks of annual leave + 10 extra days off due to RTT (statutory reduction in working hours) + possibility of exceptional leave (sick children, moving home, etc.)
- Possibility of teleworking (after 6 months of employment) and flexible organization of working hours
- Professional equipment available (videoconferencing, loan of computer equipment, etc.)
- Social, cultural and sports events and activities
- Access to vocational training
- Social security coverage

Rémunération

2 200 per month