PhD scholarship within Hydrogeology of fractured bedrock

About the position

Join our journey to make waste storage safe for generations!
At NMBU, the Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management (MINA) offers an exciting opportunity for those passionate about sustainable waste management and environmental protection. We are seeking an enthusiastic PhD candidate for a three-year position within the research project earthresQue – Centre for Rescue of Earth Materials and Waste in the Circular Economy, funded by the Research Council of Norway (https://www.earthresque.no/).

This position is your chance to contribute to a project of great importance for society: developing safer, science-based solutions for long-term storage of contaminated materials. Modern landfill sites are highly engineered facilities designed to isolate waste from the environment, protecting groundwater and air quality for centuries, yet current practices vary widely. Your work will help improve how we characterize and evaluate the geological barriers that keep our environment safe.

As part of the project, you will:

• Use numerical flow and reactive transport models to assess the effectiveness of natural geological barriers in future waste containment sites. Parametrisation and validation of the model will be based on existing data characterizing subsurface stratigraphy, fracture zones, hydraulic properties and time series of groundwater level fluctuations.
• Apply an appropriate modelling approach to represent fractured bedrock and evaluate flow and solute transport pathways to understand seasonal dynamics and long-term trends of a local hydrological system.
• Quantify uncertainties related to fracture connectivity, properties and subsurface flow and transport behaviour.
• Integrate model outputs to support improved site assessments and long-term safety evaluations for waste storage.

Your results will support more robust landfill design, improve environmental monitoring of contaminants such as inorganic and organic contaminants and strengthen public confidence in waste management strategies. The work forms an integral part of earthresQue’s mission to close material loops and safeguard natural resources.

You will collaborate closely with hydrogeologists, geologists, and geophysicists from NMBU, NGI, NIBIO, and industry partners. Experienced researchers across earthresQue will guide you throughout the project.

An application to this PhD position is simultaneously an application to a PhD program at NMBU. All required documentation demonstrating eligibility for admission must be uploaded with your application.

We look forward to receiving your application.
Join us on this important journey to secure safe waste management solutions for the future!

Main tasks

The successful candidate is expected to enroll in MINA’s PhD program, and the work will be organized with the goal of completing a PhD degree during the period of employment. 

Collaborate closely with researchers, industry partners, and project teams within earthresQue to advance the assessment of natural hydrological conditions at a site, with main emphasis on hydrogeology. This will involve integrating field observations with numerical modelling to improve process understanding and support the development of robust, long-term, maintenance-‑free waste deposits

• Conduct a comprehensive literature review on numerical modelling approaches for groundwater flow in fractured rock.
• Perform forward and inverse groundwater flow‑ modelling - using COMSOL, FeFlow or similar tools with fractured rock capabilities. 
• Integrate multi‑disciplinary datasets into a multilayered 3D digital‑twin based on quality-checked existing datasets, including borehole logs, and geological, geophysical, geochemical, and hydrological field data relevant to site characterization.
• Run scenarios of seasonal dynamics and long-term trends of a local hydrological system to improve understanding of flow and solute transport pathways. The results will strengthen the definition of the groundwater catchment area, flow and transport pathways and optimization of the hydraulic barrier(s).
• Demonstrate the usefulness of Deposit Information Model (DIM) for landfill design, waste and long-term‑ monitoring.
• Prepare scientific manuscripts for submission to peer reviewed‑ international journals.
• Present research findings at national and international scientific conferences.

The successful candidate is expected to enter a plan for the progress of the work towards a PhD degree during the first months of the appointment, with a view to completing a doctorate within the PhD scholarship period. 

Competence

Please note that an application for this position is also an application for admission to the PhD programme at MINA. The applicants must document: 

• a strong and relevant academic background from previous studies, corresponding to a five-year Norwegian degree programme, with 120 ECTS credits at master's degree level. (Read about the ECTS credit system (europa.eu).)
• a master's thesis/ individual written assignment of at least 30 ECTS credits included in the degree.
• an average grade corresponding to grade B or above in the ECTS grading system.
• proficiency in both written and oral English.

All applicants are advised to read the section Before applying | NMBU | NMBU, with the NMBU PhD Regulations, the relevant MINA PhD

programme description and requirements for documentation of English proficiency.

Required qualifications

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in geosciences, such as geology, hydrogeology, geophysics, geochemistry, environmental engineering, or a closely related field.
• Solid understanding of groundwater systems and subsurface processes.
• Experience with numerical groundwater flow and transport modelling.
• Good writing skills and the ability to communicate research results clearly.
• Good English communication skills, both written and oral, as required for scientific publication and international collaboration.
• Eligibility for admission to the PhD program at NMBU.

Qualifications considered an advantage

• Familiarity with fractured‑rock hydrogeology, discrete‑fracture or dual‑continuum representations.
• Ability to interpret and integrate multi‑disciplinary datasets, including geological, geophysical, geochemical, hydrological, or borehole logging data.
• Competence in quantitative analysis, including handling time‑series data and evaluating uncertainty.
• Experience with handling large datasets and using R, GIS, etc.
• Some knowledge of geochemistry
• Scandinavian language 

Personal qualities

• Strong analytical skills and creativity
• Be curious and have endurance
• Ability to take initiative and work systematically and efficiently, both independently and as part of a team 
• Good communication and collaboration skills

Remuneration and further information

The position is placed in position code 1017 PhD Fellow (NOK 550 800). This is a temporary position with a duration of 3 years. Seniority promotion in the position. 

Admission to a PhD program is a prerequisite for appointment to the PhD scholarship position.

Employment is conducted according to national guidelines for University and Technical College PhD scholars, and in accordance with the Civil Servant Act, the Security Act, and the Export Control Act.

Interested in learning more about the position? We are happy to tell you more about life on campus. Contact Professor Helen Kristine French, phone: +47 67231814, e-mail: helen.french@nmbu.no. 

Information for PhD applicants and Information to applicants

Application

Send application electronically via the link "Apply for this job" at the top of this page. This will route you to the University's Web Recruitment System, where you will need to register an account (if you have not already) and log in before completing the online application form. 

Application Deadline: 15.06.2026

Your CV must be entered in Jobbnorge's CV form and not just included as an attachment. This is in order to be able to comply with the regulations to the Public Administration Act §15.

In the application, the candidate must confirm that information and documentation (in the form of attachments) submitted via the job application can also be used by NMBU in a possible admission process.

Applicants invited for an interview are expected to present original diplomas and certificates.

Documents that cannot be sent electronically are sent in triplicate by ordinary mail marked still.nr.26/03572 to NMBU, Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, P.O. Box 5003, NO-1432 Ås, within 15.06.2026.

The following documents must be attached to the application:

• Motivation letter
• CV 
• Certified copies of relevant academic diplomas and certificates. (i.e. Diploma, transcript. Diploma supplement for both bachelor and master). Diplomas, transcripts and diploma supplements that are not in Norwegian or English must be uploaded in the original language. An English translation of these documents must also be attached.
• Applicants from universities outside Norway are kindly requested to send a diploma supplement, or a similar document, which describes in detail the study program and grading system.
• Documentation of proficiency in written and oral English in accordance with Forskrift for graden philosophiae doctor (ph.d.) ved Norges miljø- og biovitenskapelige universitet - Lovdata
• Additional relevant documentation of professional knowledge (for example, list of scientific works). If it is difficult to judge the applicant’s contribution for publications with multiple authors, a short description of the applicant’s contribution must be included.

About The Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management

The Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management (MINA) works with nature and the environment, sustainable use of natural resources, biological and geological processes.

MINA’s employees undertake teaching, research and dissemination within the fields of geology, hydrology and limnology, soil science, environmental chemistry, forestry, ecology, natural resource management, renewable energy, and nature-based tourism.

Our vision is to be a key actor in knowledge production and dissemination, and our goal is to deliver research of high, international quality, and varied and excellent teaching. The faculty’s employees are significant participants within their respective fields of expertise, both nationally and internationally. The faculty is dominated by a vital research culture and high levels of scientific production.

The faculty has about 200 employees, 90 PhD students and 650 students.

Read more about MINA here.