Research Associate for the Project “Benchmarking and Digital Twin Integration for Seismic Wavefield Analysis” in the project “Newtonian Noise Cancelling Headphones for the Einstein Telescope” § 28

Your responsibilities

Duties include academic services in the project named above. Research associates may also pursue further academic qualifications outside of their work responsibilities. They may also pursue doctoral studies outside of working duties.

The position is part of the proposed project „Benchmarking and Digital Twin Integration for Seismic Wavefield Analysis“ and belongs to the joint project PREDICT-NN „Newtonian Noise Cancelling Headphones“ in the scope of R&D for the Einstein Telescope in Germany. This project aims to develop advanced methods for characterizing and mitigating Newtonian Noise (NN) by integrating machine learning, high-performance computing, and novel sensor technologies. The successful candidate will join a dynamic research environment, contributing to the development of next-generation seismic monitoring systems and supporting the Einstein Telescope’s sensitivity goals.

Within PREDICT-NN, this position will focus on developing and validating a benchmarking workflow for seismic wavefield models using a digital twin of the Einstein Telescope. The candidate will quantify how subsurface heterogeneities, such as soil properties, geological layers, and structural complexities, affect Newtonian Noise (NN) variability. Key tasks include conducting numerical simulations to assess the sensitivity of NN to subsurface structures, analyzing model performance, and integrating findings into a digital twin framework. The role involves collaboration with researchers at the University of Hamburg and international partners to validate models against real-world data from testbeds such as the Black Forest Observatory and WAVE (https://wave-hamburg.eu/), as well as contributing to best practices and open-source tools for benchmarking.

This position offers the opportunity to work at the intersection of geophysics, computational modeling, and gravitational wave science, directly contributing to the next-generation gravitational wave detectors.

The position will be situated in the seismology group at the institute of Geophysics of the University of Hamburg. The group specializes in ambient noise seismology and the use of innovative seismic instrumentation. Their research focuses on understanding seismic noise sources, monitoring structural changes in Earth materials and beyond. They apply advanced sensors to investigate the near subsurface and use environmental seismology to monitor environmental processes.