Description of the vacant position
Rock blasting plays a dominant role in mining engineering and even many other types of rock engineering. However, there is a great potential to improve current blast operation in practice and to make blasting more environment-friendly. To improve the current blast operation, one of necessary tasks is to investigate the real detonation waves in the blast hole and the stress waves in the rock mass to be fragmented. This PhD project will focus on the measurements of the shock waves in the blast hole and the stress waves at different places in the rock mass during blasting. The measurements will be carried out in both small scale and full scale blasts, and various charging conditions will be considered. On the basis of the measurements, possible improvements on the current blast operation will be studied.
Qualifications
The successful candidate must have a Master degree or equivalent in Technology. The candidate should have good knowledge in mathematics and mechanics. The knowledge and experience in both rock engineering and laboratory/field measurements are advantages for this position.
Admission to the doctoral programme at one of the Norwegian mainland universities is a condition of employment in the position as PhD student. The final plan for researcher education shall be approved and a contract signed with the mainland university at the latest six months after commencement. The application will be prepared by the candidate and the supervisors.
Employment Conditions
The employment contract is of 4 years and includes mandatory duties of 25%.
The successful candidate must live in Longyearbyen. He/she is expected to contribute actively to ongoing scientific activities in the department. It is also expected that the PhD student take an active part in the advancement of his/her field of research, and he/she must also be willing to contribute to the development of UNIS in a more general sense.
Salary
All salaries are set in accordance with the Norwegian government's University salary scale. PHD students starts at salary step 50, which currently is a gross salary of NOK 420 800.-. As a resident in Svalbard an annual allowance of NOK 29 600.- (Svalbardtillegg) will be added to the salary. A Social Security contribution of 2 per cent, to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund, will be deducted from the salary. Income tax on Svalbard is 8 per cent, plus 7.8 per cent toward National Insurance coverage.
Selection and appointment
An expert Committee appointed by the Managing director of UNIS will evaluate the qualifications of the applicants. The Committee will review the applications in detail and summarize their assessments in a written report. This report and the derived recommendations form the basis for interviews, which will be summarized by the expert committee. They report to the Appointment Committee and Director of UNIS, which makes the final appointment. As UNIS would like to increase the percentage of females in academic positions, women are especially invited to apply.
Application and further information
A more complete description of the project and other inquiries about this position may be directed to: Dr. Zongxian Zhang. Email: zongxian.zhang@unis.no; Tel: +47 7902 6458.
In the end of the form, please attach copies of academic records and other documentation you find relevant for the application.
Deadline for application is February 28th 2013
Please apply online by using our application form found at
www.unis.no/vacanciesYou can request to have your application kept from public access cf. the open files act § 25. The request must be explained. UNIS will determine if the application will be kept from public access or not, based on the explanation and the regulations from the open files act. If the application will not be accepted the candidate will be contacted