The Exploration and Environmental Geophysics group at ETH Zürich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) has openings for an ambitious and talented PhD candidate and a Postdoc, starting between December 1st, 2020 and March 1st, 2021. The positions have a strong experimental component that will take place in the Centre for Immersive Wave Experimentation (CIWE), a novel wave propagation laboratory recently established at ETH. The real-time, complete level of control over the boundary conditions provided by the CIWE infrastructure will allow us to experimentally observe unprecedented wave phenomena.

In the current project, we explore the use of so-called immersive boundary conditions (IBCs) for real-time control of physical wavefields at both internal and external boundaries of an experimentation domain, with the goal to establish novel, broadband techniques for 2D and 3D meta-material characterization. This allows us, among other things, to realize non-periodic time-materials, whose properties are dynamically switched, and to study the physics of waves at time discontinuities. In particular, a link between wave propagation in time-materials and single-sided inverse-scattering will be explored which enables the experimental determination of so-called focusing functions that suppress multiple reflections at physical boundaries.

PhD position
A PhD student with a significant interest and experience in the field of physical acoustics experimentation will be recruited. The successful candidate should hold an MSc degree in Geophysics, Physics, Mechanical or Electrical Engineering or similar and should have a strong background in wave propagation. The student will use IBCs and our IWE laboratories to research and implement a framework for experimentally realizing 1D, 2D and 3D single unit-cell phononic crystals, as well as 1D and 2D parity-time symmetric media with variable gain, among other things. See also: https://www.jobs.ethz.ch/job/view/JOPG_ethz_QnTOmaY9abCKjXkoMu

Postdoc position
The postdoctoral researcher’s main objective will be the research and implementation of a time-material that enables step-like (i.e., non-periodic) changes in material properties. The identification of a setup for which a large dynamic range for the changes in effective material property can be achieved, will be a priority. Besides establishing the experimental setup, the post-doctoral researcher will also work on cross-disciplinary aspects of the project and in particular the physical construction of focusing functions and wave control using time media. Theoretical knowledge of phononic & spatio-temporal (non-reciprocal) acoustic/elastic media is a pro. See also: https://www.jobs.ethz.ch/job/view/JOPG_ethz_b3ldfxqghaHyMbuU81

We can offer a dynamic workplace with highly qualified scientists, excellent computational facilities, a broad range of state-of-the-art geophysical equipment, including access to the facility for immersive wave experimentation (https://eeg.ethz.ch/research/centre-immersive.html). In addition, our group has access to the HPC systems at ETH. The Exploration and Environmental Geophysics group is embedded in a vibrant Earth Science department.

For more information on the projects, you may contact Dr. Dirk-Jan van Manen (dirkjan.vanmanen@erdw.ethz.ch) and Dr. Marc Serra-Garcia (sermarc@phys.ethz.ch) [no applications].

Interested candidates should apply online only through the links above by November 1st, 2020.
More information on our group can be obtained at: https://eeg.ethz.ch

Later this year, the Midwater Assessment and Conservation Engineering (MACE) program at NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Seattle will advertise a position for someone with experience in underwater acoustics, broadband acoustics, and signal/data processing. The ideal candidate would be formally trained in acoustics and physics, and have a strong interest in applied/practical topics. We’ll be looking for a candidate who can work both independently and with a diverse team of researchers, is interested in working on research vessels at sea and in laboratories on shore, and has strong communication skills. The successful candidate will conduct research primarily focused on using active acoustics to study marine organisms and their environment, and will work closely with MACE researchers to improve methods used in acoustic-trawl surveys of marine species. As this position will be a full-time federal employee, applicants must be U.S. citizens.