This position has been filled !
The company µQuans and the University of Montpellier are offering a PhD scholarship on the topic “Monitoring water storage changes with a new portable absolute quantum gravimeter” starting preferably before July 1, 2017.
The project is funded by the Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network “ENIGMA – EU Training Network for In situ imaGing of dynaMic processes in heterogeneous subsurfAce environments” within the Horizon 2020 Programme of the European Commission.
ENIGMA is a consortium of high profile universities, research institutions and companies located in France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, USA and UK, and will train 15 PhD students in total (Early Stage Researcher, ESR).
This particular PhD (ESR PhD 8) will be based at µQuans with research stays at UM Montpellier, UCPH Copenhagen.
Project description
Gravity measurements are pertinent to monitor water balance from local to basin scale. This technique can provide an estimation of the water storage spatial variability at kilometer scale with an integration scale of about 100 m. μQuans is developing a new absolute quantum gravimeter (AQG), fast and transportable (sensor ~30 kg). The AQG is a real technological breakthrough compared to current portable gravimeters, which provide relative measurements. It will allow a more efficient and precise mapping of gravity in space and time. The ESR student will perform the field validation of the first AQG against the most accurate gravimeters located at fixed stations (superconducting gravimeters available at H+ Larzac and LSBB sites). AQG will be used in to estimate the contribution of different water storage reservoirs (saturated vs unsaturated) in complement to vertically resolved complementary measurements (ERT, RMP, borehole logging). Coupled soil moisture and gravity measurements are planned at the HOBE observatory (ESR 7) as both techniques complementary for water mass balance.
Contact
Bruno Desruelle, Email: bruno.desruelle(at)microquans.com
Cédric Champollion, Email: cedric.champollion(at)umontpellier.fr
Department/Location: µQuans, City of Bordeaux and University of Montpellier