The University

At Durham University we are proud of our people.  A globally outstanding centre of educational excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other. We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things professionally and personally. 

Across the University we have a huge variety of roles and career opportunities, which together make us a large and successful community, which is a key hub of activity within our region and nationally.  We would be thrilled if you would consider joining our thriving University. Further information about the University can be found here.

The Role and Department

The Department of Engineering is consistently one of the very best UK engineering departments with an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching, research and employability of our students.  The Department is ranked 5^th in the Complete University Guide 2023, 8^th in the Guardian University Guide 2023 and 6^th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022 in the UK for General Engineering.  Ranked in the top six in the UK for overall profile in REF 2021 (with 95% of publications rated as 4* and 3*), this dynamic Department is an excellent place to work.  The strategic vision for the Department  includes a growth plan, with a significant enhancement of the research  portfolio and a drive to enrich our undergraduate, postgraduate taught and postgraduate research provision.  It is an exciting time to join this expanding Department and make your mark.

The Department holds an Athena SWAN Bronze Award, recognising our commitment to diversity in STEM academic and reflecting the supportive and positive environment within the Department.

The post holder will be responsible to Professor Charles Augarde (PI) and Prof Will Coombs and Dr Alexandros Petalas (CoIs) and will proactively engage with academic, postdoctoral research and technical support colleagues, as well as students, within and external to the Department, including industry, to ensure that activities are undertaken to an appropriate standard.

 The post holder will join a vibrant group of academics, researchers and students working in computational solid mechanics and geotechnics. The group are part of the Department’s Computational Mechanics Research Node. Computational Mechanics has been a strength of the Department of Engineering for many years, encompassing several different numerical methods (such as finite elements, boundary elements, meshless methods, etc.) and application areas.  The Department also has a strategic focus on growing offshore geotechnics and renewable energy related research going forwarding, including the appointment of two new academic staff in 2021/22.  Professors Augarde & Coombs lead an internationally recognised group of researchers developing numerical modelling techniques for problems involving large deformation, coupled non-linear material behaviour, fracture and contact. Dr Petalas is an expert in the development of constitutive models for geotechnical materials and their numerical implementation. 

The Role

This post supports delivery of research objectives for an EPSRC-funded project at Durham and Dundee Universities (EP/X024849/1 and EP/X024768/1) led by Professor Charles Augarde, and is focussed on numerical modelling.  The project concerns braced embedded retaining walls, which are substantial pieces of temporary works for building deep basements and metro stations. Key issues for designers are prediction of ground movements and propping forces and while some guidance is available coverage of the behaviour at excavation corners as regards both design issues is poor. There is substantial published research on the 2D modelling of braced excavations, some of it validated against field data, however accounting for 3D effects as required for the analysis of corners is rare and insubstantial. The purpose of the research project on which the postholder would be employed is improving of our understanding of the behaviour of these corners and how it is affected by soil behaviour, system stiffness and prop loading leading to (a) greater economy in propping schemes and (b) more certainty in the prediction of ground movements adjacent to corners, potentially reducing the accommodation works required to prevent damage to adjacent structures and the potential for insurance claims. 

The post-holder would be responsible for the following objectives: (a) to generate a library of data (”snapshots”) from 3D FE analyses of models of corners of braced excavations; (b) to validate the FE results against a programme of centrifuge modelling of corners of braced excavations (being carried out by another RA at Dundee University as part of the overall project) for a selection of key scenarios, and against field data; (c) to use the results from (a) to build Reduced Order Models (ROMs) of the braced excavation corner problem; (d) to use the ROMs to explore the problem in greater depth than previously at high efficiency; (e) to produce a design guide to supplement current advice and to disseminate this to practitioners.

The successful applicant will be expected to develop an existing finite element code to run on HPC hardware, carry out a large number of lengthy analyses with the code, use the data produced to build the ROMs and then to demonstrate its performance for the predictions required. The successful applicant will work closely with a counterpart at Dundee University where the centrifuge work will be carried out, with all the investigators and with a Project Advisory Group from industry.

Responsibilities

• To understand and convey material of a specialist or highly technical nature to the team or group of people through presentations and discussions that leads to the presentation of research papers in conferences and publications.
• To prepare and deliver presentations on research outputs/activities to audiences which may include: research sponsors, academic and non-academic audiences.
• To publish high quality outputs, including papers for submission to peer reviewed journals and papers for presentation at conferences and workshops under the direction of the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder.
• To assist with the development of research objectives and proposals.
• To conduct individual and collaborative research projects under the direction of the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder.
• To work with the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder and other colleagues in the research group, as appropriate, to identify areas for research, develop new research methods and extend the research portfolio.
• To deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines by discussing with the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder and offering creative or innovative solutions.
• To liaise with research colleagues and make internal and external contacts to develop knowledge and understanding to form relationships for future research collaboration.
• To plan and manage own research activity, research resources in collaboration with others and contribute to the planning of research projects.
• To deliver training in research techniques/approaches to peers, visitors and students as appropriate.
• To be involved in student supervision, as appropriate, and assist with the assessment of the knowledge of students.
• To contribute to fostering a collegial and respectful working environment which is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect.
• To engage in wider citizenship to support the department and wider discipline.
• To engage in continuing professional development by participation in the undergraduate or postgraduate teaching programmes or by membership of departmental committees, etc. and by attending relevant training and development courses.  
• To maintain webpages/social media accounts for the project

This post is fixed term for a period of 3.5 years from 1^st January 2024 and based at Durham University. 

The post-holder is employed to work on research/a research project which will be led by another colleague. Whilst this means that the post-holder will not be carrying out independent research in his/her own right, the expectation is that they will contribute to the advancement of the project, through the development of their own research ideas/adaptation and development of research protocols.

Successful applicants will, ideally, be in post by 1^st January 2024

Working at Durham 

A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits:

• 30 Days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year – a total of 42 days per year.
• The University closes between Christmas and New Year.
• We offer a generous pension scheme, As a new member of staff you will be automatically enrolled  into the University Superannuation Scheme (USS).
• No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered.  We have parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies.
• There is a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally.  There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University.  All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities. 
• Lots of support for health and wellbeing including discounted membership for our state of the art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.
• On site nursery is available and children’s clubs in the summer holidays.
• Family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, which are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).
• The opportunity to take part in staff volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community.
• Discounts are available via our benefits portal including; money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, the cinema and days out at various attractions.
• A salary sacrifice scheme is also available to help you take advantage of tax savings on benefits.
• If you are moving to Durham, we can help with removal costs and we have a dedicated team who can help you with the practicalities such as house hunting and schools.  If you need a visa, we cover most visa costs and offer an interest free loan scheme to pay for dependant visas.

Durham University is committed to equality diversity, inclusion and values

Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work.  As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do.  We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct.  At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It’s important to us that all of our colleagues are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI.

We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.  If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application.  If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role.

Contact Information 

For informal enquiries please contact Professor Charles Augarde charles.augarde@durham.ac.uk All enquiries will be treated in the strictest confidence. 

Contact information for technical difficulties when submitting your application 

If you encounter technical difficulties when using the online application form, we prefer you send enquiries by email.  Please send your name along with a brief description of the problem you’re experiencing to e.recruitment@durham.ac.uk 

Alternatively, you may call 0191 334 6801 from the UK, or +44 191 334 6801 from outside the UK. This number operates during the hours of 09.00 and 17.00 Monday to Friday, UK time.  We will normally respond within one working day (Monday to Friday, excluding UK public holidays). 

How to Apply 

To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification below. It will be at the discretion of the recruiting panel as to whether they will also consider any desirable criteria, but we would urge candidates to provide evidence for all criteria. 

While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview. 

Submitting your application 

We prefer to receive applications online.   We will update you about your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to make sure you have not missed any of our updates.

What to Submit 

All applicants are asked to submit: 

1. A CV and;
2. A cover letter which details your experience, skills, and achievements in meeting (or the potential to meet) the criteria set out below.

Next Steps 

Short-listed candidates will be invited to the University, either virtually or in-person and will have the opportunity to meet key members of the Department.  The assessment for the post will a panel interview and a technical exercise involving coding, set prior to the interview and we anticipate that the assessments and interviews will take place in August 2023 

In the event that you are unable to attend in person on the date offered, it may not be possible to offer you an interview on an alternative date. 

Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement https://www.durham.ac.uk/about-us/governance/information-governance/privacy-notices/privacy-notices/job-applicants/ which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.  

When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas