The central research topic of Section 4.2 aims at understanding the physical processes that control dynamics and mechanical properties in the Earth's crust and mantle lithosphere. This covers the entire spectrum of topics ranging from geomechanics and rock physics to the rheology of crust and uppermost mantle, ranging over the entire spatial bandwidth from the laboratory through mine and reservoir scale to the deformation of tectonic plate boundaries. At the field scale, we investigate seismic and aseismic deformation processes and aim at identifying slip transients covering the entire frequency band of seismic signals.

The ERC research project QUAKEHUNTER (Real-time monitoring of earthquake nucleation for faults near urban areas) aims to (1) determine the most effective approaches to detect fault-related transients preceding moderate to large earthquakes, and (2) to monitor seismic and aseismic processes and infer from them the fault conditions under which earthquake nucleation processes emerge, and the optimal instrumentation required to capture them.

This PhD project focuses on illuminating the faulting structures with an unprecedented resolution by creating next-generation micro-seismicity and focal mechanisms catalogues using classical and AI-based techniques in the broader Sea of Marmara region, NW Turkey, including the Istanbul megacity area. The main goal will be to image seismically quiet patches representing future potential earthquake nucleation hot spots and to identify the main drivers exerting a non-negligible stress loading on target fault structures.

Your responsibilities:

• Development of next-generation catalogues for the study region
• Analyses of the kinematics and stress of each region
• Analysis of local non-tectonic forcing promoting earthquake triggering
• Publish your results as scientific papers in ISI peer-review journals 
• Present and disseminate your research results at scientific meetings

Your qualifications:

• Master in geophysics or equivalent
• Solid background in the field of seismology
• Programming skills (AI/ML programming frameworks, e.g. PyTorch or TensorFlow, Python, MATLAB, SQL)
• Fluency in English (written/oral) 
• Willingness to work in an interdisciplinary and international environment
• Interest to participate in field campaigns on the North Anatolian Fault