SB – LRS PhD Student in Multiphysics Analysis of Advanced Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Behavior

Your mission

The Laboratory for Reactor Physics and System Behavior (LRS) at EPFL is looking for a motivated PhD student in the field of high-fidelity, multi-physics modeling of nuclear reactors.

The PhD is expected to begin in early 2023 (the effective starting date is open to discussion). The offered position is based 100% in the EPFL campus in Lausanne and will last for up to 4 years.

Project description

The PhD student will investigate the multi-physics effects of thermomechanical phenomena such as core radial expansion, core flowering and assembly bowing, which are highly relevant for advanced reactor concepts. The aim is to focus both on structural integrity issues (stresses and deformations) and on the impact on neutronics and thermal hydraulics.

The student will have the opportunity to acquire a wide range of numerical and modeling skills, and to learn a wide set of tools. These will include the two open-source codes developed at LRS and based on OpenFOAM, i.e. OFFBEAT for fuel mechanics and GeN-Foam for the multi-physics analysis of nuclear reactors, as well as the Monte Carlo neutron transport code Serpent, the fuel behavior code TRANSURANUS and Ansys Mechanical.

The PhD is partly embedded in the ESFR-SIMPLE project, led by the CEA (France) and is participated by several European institutions, research centers and universities. The PhD student will be partly responsible for the tasks assigned to EPFL in the framework of this project.

Your profile

A MSc degree in Nuclear Engineering is appreciated, but degrees in other Engineering (e.g. Mechanical), as well as in Physics, Applied Mathematics or related fields are also accepted, provided some credits in Nuclear Engineering have been included in the MSc curriculum.

We expect the candidate to be self-driven and sincerely passionate about the world of simulation and numerical modeling of nuclear reactors.

Previous experience with programming (C++, OpenFOAM) or computer assisted simulations such as CFD or structural analysis (ANSYS, Abaqus etc) are very appreciated but not required.

Mastery of English both in written and spoken form is mandatory.

Application Process

If you think you have the correct profile for this position and you are interested in the proposed research topic, please write to alessandro.scolaro@epfl.ch . Please include:

• your CV, with transcripts of all courses (in English).
• a short description of your background and motivations (just a few lines in the email text are sufficient).
• if applicable, any relevant publication, MSc thesis included.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to apply to the EDEY doctoral school of EPFL. This parallel application process is necessary to be eligible for a PhD at EPFL.