4 PhD scholarships in seismology/ground-motion simulation/seismic risk — University of Canterbury — apps reviewed as received, close 15 Nov 2026

[Brendon Bradley]

On behalf of Prof. Brendon Bradley, University of Canterbury 

Four PhD Scholarships — Full-waveform tomography, ML-accelerated ground-motion simulation, NZ geotechnical modelling, and regional seismic risk

Applications are invited for four PhD scholarships at the University of Canterbury (Christchurch, New Zealand), each funded at NZ$35,000/year (tax-free) plus tuition, tenable for 3 years:

1. Full-waveform tomography for improved ground-motion simulation and earthquake source characterisation— extending New Zealand's 3D crustal velocity model in spatial coverage and frequency range, and its application to 3D earthquake location and moment tensor inversion. Co-supervised with Dr. Dan Bassett (Earth Sciences New Zealand) and Dr. Artie Rodgers (LLNL).
2. Machine-learning acceleration of physics-based ground-motion simulation — applying ML to accelerate simulation workflows and massive simulation datasets.
3. A New Zealand geotechnical model for high-resolution near-surface characterisation, and its use in 3D ground-motion simulation — building a high-fidelity 3D model of near-surface elastic and plastic properties for use in regional and site-specific simulation, with a focus on high-frequency, high-intensity shaking.
4. Next-generation seismic risk analysis using New Zealand as a natural laboratory — covering exposure modelling, fragility/vulnerability surrogate modelling, and time-dependent seismic hazard, co-supervised with Prof. Carmine Galasso (UCL) and Prof. Vitor Silva (University of Aveiro/GEM).

Applications are reviewed as received; deadline 15 November 2026. Full project details and application instructions: https://www.brendonbradley.com/research/research-opportunities

Enquiries to brendon...@canterbury.ac.nz

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