Doctoral Researcher In Rock Mechanics For Underground Hydrogen Storage And Risk-Based Design

Aalto University is where science and art meet technology and business. We shape a sustainable future by making research breakthroughs in and across our disciplines, sparking the game changers of tomorrow and creating novel solutions to major global challenges. Our community is made up of 120 nationalities, 14 000 students, 400 professors and close to 5000 faculty and staff working on our dynamic campus in Espoo, Greater Helsinki, Finland. Diversity is part of who we are, and we actively work to ensure our community’s diversity and inclusiveness. This is why we warmly encourage qualified candidates from all backgrounds to join our community. The School of Engineering drives science and innovation in industrial and built environment technologies. The Department of Civil Engineering hosts Rock Engineering researchers and the Aalto Underground Research Laboratory (URLA), a research tunnel on the Otaniemi campus that allows full-scale in-situ rock mechanics experiments.

We are now looking for a

Doctoral Researcher in Rock Mechanics with a strong interest in underground hydrogen storage and risk-based design

No storage, no transition. Underground hydrogen storages are one option to cope with the variable supply of renewable energy. Lined rock caverns can hold gas at 250–700 bar, but there is no consensus on the optimal cavern shape, on the required rock roof thickness, or on how the rock mass and the liner behave under cyclic high pressure. In the Research Council of Finland project Safety of High-Pressure Storage Caverns in Finnish Bedrock (KORVA 2026–2030) you will help build the first experimentally validated, risk-based design framework for high-pressure caverns in hard rock. Very few doctoral positions anywhere let you design a model in the morning and pressurise real rock underground in the afternoon. Join us in shaping a more sustainable future!

Your role and goals

• Integrating geological datasets and applying solutions across Finnish bedrock

• Developing numerical, probabilistic, and analytical models that optimise cavern shape and depth under combined internal gas pressure and anisotropic in-situ stress

• Planning and running the in-situ uplift experiments and cyclic liner tests

• Building the measurement chain from displacement sensors, pressure measurement, data acquisition to running the supporting laboratory tests

• Assessing the levelised cost of hydrogen storage alongside the technical risk

• Publishing data and results openly, and contributing to the design guidelines

The doctoral degree is granted after successfully completing a set of advanced taught courses (30 ECTS), writing a doctoral thesis (usually based on publications), and defending the thesis in a public examination. During the duration of the doctoral studies, the researcher will be expected to present publish in leading academic journals and high-level scientific conferences, actively participate in the research group activities, assist in the preparation of new research proposals, engage in teaching-related duties, and help to advise master’s students during the preparation of their final project.

The primary workplace is the Otaniemi campus as the work relies on the research tunnel, the rock mechanics laboratory, and other specialised software.

Your network and team

You will join the Mineral-based materials and mechanics research group of around twenty-five people at the Department of Civil Engineering. The group studies soils, aggregates, rock, and concrete, with the aim of assuring the strength, durability and sustainability of structures in the built environment, and it runs experimental facilities for both on-site and laboratory investigation. The group is led by Assistant Professor Lauri Uotinen, who is also the Principal Investigator of this project and will be your supervising professor.

Your closest colleague will be Staff Scientist D.Sc. (Tech.) Mateusz Janiszewski, who works on this project for half of each year. His earlier research studied underground energy storage in hard crystalline rock, and his work since has run from in-situ experiments and their numerical validation to fracture mechanics modelling, risk assessment, and digital rock mass characterisation. He leads the numerical modelling of rock-liner interaction and will design the in-situ experiments together with you.

Around you are colleagues in numerical methods for geomechanics, geotechnical engineering, engineering geology and construction materials. Among them for example associate Professor Wojciech Sołowski, Professor Jussi Leveinen, Assistant Professor Sanandam Bordoloi, and University Lecturer Monica Löfman along with several postdoctoral researchers and around ten doctoral researchers at different stages to cooperate with.

The Department of Civil Engineering is led by Head of Department Prof. Heidi Salonen and is currently renewing itself, with new professors recently appointed, among them Assistant Professor Magda Posani (building physics) and Assistant Professor Patrick Fleming (structural engineering and architecture) and Assistant Professor Shaohua Chu (cement and concrete design). Beyond Aalto you will work with the project’s national partners (Fortum, Gasgrid Finland and GTK) and with our international collaborators at NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology, LTU Luleå University of Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and TUL Montanuniversität Leoben, so your work will be discussed both in the scientific community and with the people planning Finland’s hydrogen infrastructure.

Your experience and ambitions

Requirements (please show where each can be verified: a course code and grade, a chapter of your thesis, a publication DOI, a code repository, or an employer and dates):

• A master’s degree with good grades (state your grade average and the grading scale) in rock mechanics, mining, geotechnical, civil engineering, or other relevant field

• Ability to work independently and in a team, and an interest in working with industry partners

• Willingness to do hands-on work underground and in the laboratory

• Basic programming ability in Python, MATLAB, R, or similar

• Ability to work on site in Otaniemi campus.

• Demonstrated experience/familiarity with hard crystalline rock (e.g., granite, gneiss or comparable)

• Good written and spoken English

Considered an advantage:

• Mining or underground construction engineering or designer experience: excavation, drilling and blasting, rock reinforcement, ground support, or supervising underground works

• Experience on underground gas storages such as hydrogen or natural gas

• Experimental instrumentation and data acquisition: strain, displacement or pressure measurement, inclinometers, sensor installation, or data logging

• Laboratory rock mechanics testing to ISRM suggested methods

• Reliability analysis, Monte Carlo, or importance sampling, and reliability-based design

• Materials engineering relevant to liners, cyclic loading, gas tightness, or hydrogen embrittlement

• Techno-economic evaluation (e.g., CAPEX/OPEX, NPV, IRR, feasibility studies)

• GIS and spatial data handling (e.g., QGIS, ArcGIS or equivalent)

• Scientific writing and prior publications (DOI/link to each)

• Advanced programming skills (link to demo/repository)

• Numerical modelling with FEM, FDM, BEM, or DEM

• Additional language skills (e.g. Swedish / Finnish)

Applicants must fulfill the eligibility and admission criteria for Aalto’s Doctoral Programme in Engineering as specified Aalto Doctoral Programme in Engineering | Aalto University. Admission to the doctoral programme is a condition for the employment. Do note that the applicants are not expected to apply to the Aalto Doctoral Programme at this point – only the successful candidate will do this at the next application window.

What we offer

You will join a research group that values an inclusive and supportive work culture, and encourages curiosity, innovation, and collaboration. The position offers great possibilities for competence development and learning across the fields of rock engineering and mining, with relevant work for both an academic or practice-based career.

Within Aalto’s broader community of students, researchers and other professionals, you will receive support to build your career and to reach your professional goals. Our professional development opportunities means you will grow and learn, having the chance to participate actively in staff trainings and development projects based on your interests and needs.

The preferred starting date for this position is in the Autumn of 2026. The initial contract period is 2 years, evaluated by a compulsory midterm review during the second year. Successful evaluation leads to a possibility of extension for the remaining period (the doctoral degree typically takes 4 years to complete at Aalto University).

The salary range, terms, and conditions are based on a collective bargaining agreement among Finnish universities. The starting salary is 3143 €/month (gross), and increases as the Doctoral Researcher progresses in their research and studies.

We value work-life balance and well-being in all aspects of life. We work in a hybrid model, with the primary workplace located at the Otaniemi Campus in Espoo, Finland. Life on the revitalized campus is vibrant, featuring stunning architecture, tranquil nature, and a variety of cafes, restaurants, and services, all complemented by excellent public transportation connections.

Join us!

To apply, please share your application with us through our recruitment site ("Apply now!”) at the latest by 31st August 2026. Applications submitted by email will not be accepted.

Please include the following attachments:

• Motivation letter with an indication of the earliest starting date (max 2 pages)

• CV including details of all academic outputs and publications (if available) with contact information for two referees who may be contacted to obtain a recommendation (max 2 pages)

• Copy of transcript of studies (with a clear explanation of the grading scale). Students in the final year of their Master’s programme are welcome to apply, but the expected graduation date must be clearly stated in the application. Candidates must have completed the master’s degree before the PhD contract begins.

Please note: Aalto University’s employees should apply for the position via our internal HR system Workday (Internal Jobs) by using their existing Workday user account (not via the external webpage for open positions). If you are a student or visitor at Aalto University, please apply with your personal email address (not aalto.fi) via Aalto University open positions.

For more information about the role or application process, please contact Prof. Lauri Uotinen (firstname.lastname(at)aalto.fi).

We will go through applications, and we may invite suitable candidates to online interview already during the application period. All candidates will be evaluated using the same principles. We follow a transparent and equal recruitment process, so feel free to ask us for further information.

Want to know more about us and your future colleagues? You can watch these videos:

This is Aalto University!
Aalto University – Towards a better world
and Shaping a Sustainable Future.

Read more about working at Aalto: https://www.aalto.fi/en/careers-at-aalto

Check out our new virtual campus experience: https://virtualtour.aalto.fi

More about Aalto University:

Aalto.fi
youtube.com/user/aaltouniversity
linkedin.com/school/aalto-university/
www.facebook.com/aaltouniversity
instagram.com/aaltouniversity

To view information about Workday Accessibility, please click here.

Please see more of our Open Positions here.