Zurich-comp-science
PhD position at ETH Zurich, Institute of Computational Science, in collaboration with the Institute of Biomechanics
A PhD position is offered in the context of a 3-year EU FP7 research grant. The goal of the project is to extend a very large-scale finite element code for bone structure analysis by including a fluid phase. Bone is a material of very complicated structure. The model discretization consists of hundreds of millions of voxels. The present code, ParFE (http://parfe.sourceforge.net), efficiently implements linear elasticity on geometries composed of voxel elements. This highyly parallel finite element code determines strains and stresses in minutes on massivly-parallel computers like Cray XT or IBM BlueGene. The solver employs the preconditioned conjugate gradient method. The preconditioner is smoothed aggregation AMG.
In this project the plain structural analysis shall be complemented by a model of the Darcy flow in the pores of the bone. To that end, the finite element code has to be extended by a mixed displacement/pressure method. The conjugate gradient method and the preconditioner must be adapted accordingly.
Applicants should have a university degree in Computational Science, Mathematics, Physics, or Mechanical Engineering with strong programming skills (C++). Previous exposure to the finite element method would be beneficial.
Please send applications by e-mail to Prof Peter Arbenz (arbenz@inf.ethz.ch). Applications must include a CV (with list of publications and contact information of two referees), grades of all university classes, and a one-page statement of your background and research interests in particular regarding this project.
