PhD Position - Smart Scenario Exploration for Digital Twins through Validity Envelopes

Position Overview

We are seeking a motivated PhD candidate to contribute to the Engineering Digital Twins (EDT) program within Catalyst: the Reliable Hybrid Model Forge. The research focuses on enabling intelligent exploration of scenarios in environmental digital twins through the concept of validity envelopes for scientific models.

The project targets anthropized environmental systems, particularly the water cycle and water management systems in coastal territories. The objective is to build digital twin systems capable of supporting long-term decision making in areas such as land-use planning and natural resource management.

The PhD will contribute to the development of an interactive digital twin platform allowing decision-makers to explore and assess the impact of alternative environmental and territorial scenarios.

Research Focus

This research addresses key scientific challenges related to model interoperability and scenario exploration in digital twins.

Many scientific models exist to simulate surface water and groundwater flows, but each model is typically designed for a specific context, including:

• particular spatial scales
• specific territorial characteristics
• targeted scientific questions
• defined levels of precision and uncertainty

However, these assumptions and limitations are rarely formalized and often remain implicit knowledge held by domain experts.

The PhD research will investigate how to make these constraints explicit in order to support the automatic selection, replacement, and combination of models when exploring alternative scenarios.

The main scientific topics include:

• Validity Envelope Modeling: Defining formal descriptions capturing the validity conditions of scientific models
• Model Interoperability: Enabling the replacement or combination of models based on their contextual validity
• Scenario Exploration Optimization: Automatically selecting appropriate models to evaluate decision scenarios
• Uncertainty and Precision Management: Representing and leveraging model accuracy and uncertainty in digital twin simulations

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct research on the formalization of validity envelopes for scientific models
• Design tools to assist scientists in defining the validity domain of their models
• Develop software components enabling dynamic model selection and composition
• Implement and evaluate scenario exploration strategies in environmental digital twins
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary researchers producing hydrological and environmental models
• Publish research results in leading conferences and journals
• Participate in meetings and collaborative activities within the EDT program

Research Environment

The position is based at Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour (UPPA). The PhD candidate will work in close collaboration with researchers involved in environmental modeling and digital twin architectures.

The project benefits from existing collaborations with scientists developing hydrological models, providing a rich experimental context for evaluating the proposed methods.

Facilities and Resources

• Access to environmental and hydrological modeling expertise
• Collaboration with interdisciplinary researchers within the EDT program
• Software engineering and digital twin architecture expertise
• Access to experimental case studies in coastal territories

Qualifications

Required

• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Environmental Modeling, Applied Mathematics, or related field
• Strong interest in scientific modeling and simulation
• Programming experience (Python, Java, or similar languages)
• Knowledge of software architectures or modeling frameworks
• Good communication and writing skills in English

Preferred

• Background in environmental modeling or hydrology
• Experience with model coupling or simulation platforms
• Knowledge of uncertainty quantification or model validation
• Interest in digital twin systems and decision-support tools

Application Process

Please submit your application including:

1. Cover Letter explaining your motivation and research interests
2. Curriculum Vitae
3. Academic Transcripts
4. Short Research Statement (1–2 pages)
5. Contact information for two references

Funding and Benefits

• Duration: 3 years
• Salary: Competitive PhD stipend according to French standards
• Benefits: Social security, health coverage, research travel support
• Travel: Support for conference attendance and research collaborations

Contact Information

Main supervisor: Supervisor: Johann Bourcier
Institution: Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour (UPPA)
Email: johann.bourcier@univ-pau.fr

Co-supervisor: Supervisor: Julien Deantoni
Institution: Université Côte d’Azur (UniCA)
Email: julien.deantoni@univ-cotedazur.fr

For scientific questions regarding the PhD topic, please contact the main supervisor directly.

About the EDT Program

The Engineering Digital Twins (EDT) program is a major French research initiative bringing together leading institutions to advance the science and engineering of digital twin technologies. The program aims to establish international leadership in digital twin engineering through interdisciplinary collaboration.