As a research team we are committed to open and deep collaborations with national and international research groups, sharing open data, models and programmatic code. We also value a diverse background of life skills and perspectives. As New Zealanders, we are also committed to the Treaty of Waitangi.
Opportunities below are provided for Postdoctoral fellows and PhD/Masters research theses.
Postdoctoral fellows
Project-specific postdoctoral opportunities
NEW! Postdoctoral fellowship in Nonlinear Site Response Analysis
We seek a highly motivated individual with a research background in nonlinear seismic site response analysis, total and effective stress constitutive modelling of seismic soil response and/or 1D/2D/3D modelling of surficial soils to work with a highly skilled team of outstanding experts on two externally funded research projects. The successful applicant will undertake research to examine the seismic response of surifical soil deposits in the 2010-2011 Canterbury earthquakes and their role in the observed ground motions at strong motion stations, liquefaction severity and manifestation, and impacts on infrastructure. Numerical analyses will utilize 1D/2D/3D geometry, and total and effective stress constitutive model formulations to examine the modification of the amplitude, frequency content, and duration of ground motion during wave propagation in surficial soils.
The fellowship is externally-funded for 2 years. The successful applicant will have completed a PhD in Earthquake/ Civil Engineering, Geophysics, or a closely related subject. Applicants nearing completion of their PhD in the stated subject area will also be considered. The successful appointee will have excellent communication skills and written English, and have a strong research background in their chosen area.
The closing date for this vacancy is: no closing date
Prospective applicants are welcome to email Brendon Bradley (brendon.bradley@canterbury.ac.nz) to further discuss the opportunities associated with this position. Please include the project title in the email title and also provide information associated with all the four bullet points under 'general Postdoctoral opportunities' section below.
Postdoctoral fellowship in ground motion simulation
We seek a postdoctoral Fellow to undertake research in broadband ground motion modelling, its validation using historical earthquakes (including the 2010-2011 Canterbury and 2016 Kaikoura earthquakes), and application to likely ground motion characteristics of future major earthquakes in New Zealand through the application of validated broadband ground motion simulation methods via scenario ruptures and simulation-based probabilistic seismic hazard analysis. The fellow will be involved in one or more aspects of the above aspects based on their research ability and specific interests. This project is funded by the Royal Society of NZ's Marsden Fund under the title "Accelerating the advent of physics-based ground-motion simulation for seismic hazard analysis"
The fellowship is externally-funded for 2 years. The successful applicant will have completed a PhD in a relevant subject. Applicants nearing completion of their PhD in the appropiate subject area will also be considered. The successful appointee will have excellent communication skills and written English, and have a strong research background in their chosen area.
The closing date for this vacancy is: no closing date
Prospective applicants are welcome to email Brendon Bradley (brendon.bradley@canterbury.ac.nz) to further discuss the opportunities associated with this position. Please include the project title in the email title and also provide information associated with all the four bullet points under 'general Postdoctoral opportunities' section below.
General postdoctoral opportunities
Prospective postdoctoral researchers in general areas will need to explore funding opportunities with Dr. Bradley. In order to initiate discussions please contact Dr Bradley via email with the ALL of the following details:
A brief cirriculum vitae emphasising courses completed and publications
Attach all english conference or journal publications (including under review publications), and theses.
A brief statement of your career goals and research experience
Two or more referees who can be contacted for references
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
NEW! PhD scholarship opportunity - "Accelerating the advent of physics-based ground-motion simulation for seismic hazard analysis" (applications accepted anytime)
Applications are called for a PhD Scholarship in the area of ground-motion simulation and validation at the University of Canterbury. Further details, including the application form, can be found here. Prospective applicants can contact Brendon Bradley to informally discuss this opportunity. Please include the project title in the email title and also provide information associated with all the six bullet points under 'general PhD opportunities' section below.
NEW! PhD scholarship opportunity - "Spatial variation in ground motion through observation and simulation " (applications accepted anytime)
Applications are called for a PhD Scholarship in the area of spatial variation in strong ground motion at the University of Canterbury. Further details, including the application form, can be foundhere. Prospective applicants can contact Brendon Bradley to informally discuss this opportunity. Please include the project title in the email title and also provide information associated with all the six bullet points under 'general PhD opportunities' section below.
NEW! PhD scholarship opportunity - "Full-waveform tomography for improved ground motion simulation accuracy and precision" (applications accepted anytime)
Applications are called for a PhD Scholarship in the area of full-waveform tomography at the University of Canterbury. Further details, including the application form, can be foundhere. Prospective applicants can contact Brendon Bradley to informally discuss this opportunity. Please include the project title in the email title and also provide information associated with all the six bullet points under 'general PhD opportunities' section below.
PhD scholarship opportunity - "Improvements in New Zealand Seismic Hazard Analysis" (applications accepted anytime)
Applications are called for a PhD Scholarship in the area of seismic hazard analysis at the University of Canterbury. Further details, including the application form, can be foundhere. Prospective applicants can contact Brendon Bradley to informally discuss this opportunity (please include the scholarship title in the email subject).
General PhD opportunities
Dr Bradley is actively seeking domestic and international PhD students to work on one or more projects. If you consider yourself as having a strong academic background, are highly motivated, and have an interest in topics on this website for postgraduate research (see Research and Publications for more details), please contact Dr Bradley via email with ALL of the following details:
An academic transcript (not required for UC domestic students)
A brief cirriculum vitae (2pg max) emphasising courses completed and publications
For international students: Statements from two referees that should focus on the applicants: (i) academic ability; (ii) social ability to work as part of a vibrant research team; (iii) independent knowledge ability; and (iv) written and oral English communication ability (particularly for non-native English applicants). The referee statements may be sent either with, or separate to, the application from the candidate, but must be received by the closing date. A contact phone number and email of the referee should be provided in their statement.
Attach all English conference or journal publications (including under review publications), and theses. It is expected that people applying for a PhD will generally have one of more peer-reviewed publications (incl those in review)
For non-native english speakers: Evidence of sufficient english communication [See here. The minimum requirements are either: (1) a TOEFL score greater than 90, of which writing must be greater than 20; or (2) a IELTS score of 6.5 with no section lower than 6.0]
A brief statement (one page) of your career goals and previous research experience
I will only reply to your email if you provide all of the above material as I receive many incomplete/generic inquiries from prospective students (who clearly send the same email to throngs of potential supervisors).
Further details on postgraduate study at the University of Canterbury can be found here. You should also investigate potential scholarships to cover tuition fees and stipend from the UC Scholarships office, or external agencies.
Master of Engineering (ME)
Domestic students (NZ residents): Familiarise yourself with current research areas and please contact Brendon Bradley (brendon.bradley@canterbury.ac.nz) by email. You should also investigate potential scholarships to cover tuition fees and stipend from the UC Scholarships office, or external agencies.
International students: Our research group is not currently accepting international ME students under his supervision. This is because no scholarships are presently available to cover international fees for ME students. Other potential supervisors that may consider your application can be found from the Civil and Natural Resources Engineering academic staff list.