News - Career

Post offer: Post-doctoral position on parametric shape optimisation in hydraulic

Saint-Venant Hydraulics Laboratory, Université Paris Est
(joint research unit Ecole des Ponts ParisTech, EDF, Cerema)
Location: EDF Lab Chatou (France)

The Saint-Venant Hydraulics Laboratory is a joint research laboratory between Ecole des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC), Electricité de France R&D (EDF R&D) and Cerema. This gives it a unique position in the field of applied fluid mechanics, at the interface between academy and industry.

The Saint-Venant Hydraulics Laboratory seeks to fill a 18 month post-doctoral position in the
fields of parametric shape optimisation in application of hydraulic problems:

  • Structure. Shifting, resizing and rotating river and coastal protection structures to optimise selected flow variables to a desired stable state;
  • Zone. Identifying optimum zones to maximise sustainability and minimise costs.

The aim of this post-doctoral position is to provide an efficient numerical tool based on TELEMAC system able to deliver optimal shape design for hydraulic engineering applications. The purpose of the present work is to develop methods to solve the optimisation problem based on derivative-free and gradient algorithms. These algorithms will be tested on a simplified configuration and then on industrial cases.

Successful applicants should, by the start of the appointment, have a Ph.D., or equivalent experience in Applied Mathematics, Applied Physics, Computer Sciences or Mechanical/Civil Engineering. The use and development of high performance numerical computing are highly desirable. The researcher will be employed by Ecole des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC). Salary and benefits will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.

About Saint-Venant laboratory and the host research team

The Saint-Venant laboratory is actively engaged in fundamental and applied research, and its research activities are organised along three main themes:

  • Waves and marine hazards;
  • Modeling and simulation of free-surface flows;
  • Sediment transport and morphodynamics.

The laboratory has access to a unique variety of facilities, such as the 8000 m2 of experimental facilities and the development of high-performance Computational Fluid Dynamics models for environmental flows and transport processes, including the opensource Telemac-Mascaret modelling system. The laboratory is located on the EDF Lab site in Chatou (France), about 15 km from Paris downtown.

More information about our laboratory can be found at: http://www.saint-venant-lab.fr

How to apply

Applicants should send to Dr. Riadh Ata and Dr. Cedric Goeury (see e-mail addresses below) a cover letter and CV. All applications completed by March 31st, 2016 will receive full consideration, but candidates are urged to submit all required material as soon as possible. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

For additional information, please contact:

  • Dr. Riadh Ata [EDF and Saint-Venant Laboratory], e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Dr. Cedric Goeury [EDF], e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

This position is now filled: Development of a new framework in Python for hydraulic-habitat models

IRSTEA, Aix-En-Provence, France

IRSTEA (National Research Institute of Science and Technology for Environment and Agriculture) is currently looking for a software development engineer in hydraulic-habitat models. A new open-source framework (middleware) is to be constructed between 1D-2D hydrodynamic world-class solvers (TELEMAC 2D, MASCARET 1D, or others) and fish habitat models.

A detailed job description (in French) can be found here.

Candidates can send CV and motivation letter to the address This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. indicating the following reference: 2016-7-IR-HYAX

Researcher in hydrodynamic/sediment transport modelling (M/F)

The Luxembourg Institute for Science and Technology in Luxembourg is currently looking for a postdoctoral researcher in sediment transport modelling using Telemac-Mascaret.

The online version of the job description can also be found there: job description

Candidates interested in the above position can apply online via our website: www.list.lu

The application file should include:

  •  a CV, including a list of RDI outcomes (patents, prototypes, publications,...)
  • a motivation letter
  • contact information of 2-3 references
  • any other document you may think useful to be considered in your application file

For any questions regarding the scientific background of the project, feel free to contact Renaud Hostache (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or Christophe Hissler (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

PhD post: Dynamics of the Amazonian mud bank system

Dynamics of the Amazonian mud bank system through spatial observation and hydro-sedimentary modeling: application to the coastal domain of French Guiana


Due to its geographical position near by the Amazon river estuary, French Guiana coastal domain is permanently under the influence of huge mud inputs from this river forming important mud bank structures migrating along the coastline. The migration of these mud banks continuously modulates the geomorphology of this coastal area characterized by an alternance of erosion and accretion zones. The understanding of the processes driving the migration of the mud banks represents a crucial issue at regional scale for various field of application (e.g. ecology, coastal management...). Recent studies have demonstrated the interest of using the information delivered by ocean color observation (MERIS, MODIS, SeaWIFs) for describing synoptically the Amazonian mud banks system. Despite their obvious interest, the latter medium spatial resolution data are however not fine enough for allowing a precise description of the hydro-sedimentary processes involved in this original geomorphological system.

This PhD was built in the latter context and will aim at providing a better understanding of the Guianese mud banks system through the development of innovative approaches coupling medium and high spatial resolution remote sensing observation and hydro-sedimentary modeling.

Specifically, a first of the PhD will consist in developing remote sensing observation of suspended sediment concentration in the coastal waters of French Guiana using medium (e.g. MERIS) and high resolution sensors (Landsat-8). This activity will need the development of inversion algorithms adapted to the high turbidity of this coastal domain and will provide innovative data especially regarding the high resolution sensors.

Further, a second part of the PhD activity will consist in the adaptation of a hydro-sedimentary model (TELEMAC) to the investigated region based on the in situ and satellite data gathered in the frame of the PhD that will complement existing data in the area.

In practice this PhD will be held at the CNRS-Guyane (Cayenne) and will couple in situ and programming activities that will benefit from the facilities already available in the laboratory.

Application: Resume and cover letter.

Contact: Antoine Gardel (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), Vincent Vantrepotte (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) & Nicolas Huybrechts (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

The open TELEMAC-MASCARET template for Joomla!2.5, the HTML 4 version.