Student Assistant and FEAR project in Bedretto Underground Laboratory Job Zurich area,Zürich Kanton Zürich Switzerland,Engineering

Position: Student Assistant for the BEACH and FEAR project in Bedretto Underground Laboratory
Location: Zürich

The Bedretto Lab (Bedretto Underground Laboratory for Geosciences and Geoenergies) is an innovative research facility operated by ETH Zurich. It is situated in a 5.2 kilometers long tunnel with entrance in the Bedretto Valley (TI). The Bedretto Lab, which is outfitted with cutting‑edge technology, provides perfect circumstances for conducting experimental study on earthquakes nucleation, geothermal reservoir building and geobiology. The laboratory is also key to creating state‑of‑the‑art methods and sensors for geothermal energy exploitation, earthquake physics, and tracing microbial community dynamics underground.

The Bedretto Lab team consists of about 30 ETH scientists from different disciplines and collaborates with several research institutions from Switzerland, Europe and USA.

Project background

The advertised role requires significant time working in an underground tunnel and involves primarily three key tasks:

You will assist with general fieldwork in the Bedretto Lab, particularly within the context of sampling for the BEACH (Bedretto Energy Storage and Circulation of Geothermal Energy) and FEAR (Fault Activation and Earthquake Rupture) projects. BEACH aims to demonstrate and develop fractured thermal energy storage (FTES) as a new technology for storing and retrieving energy in Switzerland using the Bedretto tunnel as a model system.

The core idea of FEAR is to gain an understanding of how earthquakes start and stop by using hydraulic stimulation to modify stress and initiate small, non‑damaging earthquakes (magnitude ~1.0 events) on candidate faults in the vicinity of the Bedretto Tunnel. Groundwater sampling involves filtering with different types of filters, e.g., for DNA or dissolved organic matter (DOM) extraction, using submersible or peristaltic pumps.

Additionally, you will collect sub‑samples for water chemistry, water isotope, and radiocarbon analyses.

In the context of BEACH and FEAR, water parameters such as electrical conductivity (EC), pH, oxidation‑reduction potential (ORP), temperature, and total dissolved solids (TDS) are regularly monitored using handheld and automatic probes. Installing and maintaining these instruments, including regular calibration and data acquisition, will be part of your work.

Both the BEACH and FEAR boreholes are connected to the tunnel fracture system and can be affected by the infiltration of surface water. To assess changes to the Bedretto groundwater in general and differentiate allochthonous from autochthonous changes, additional fractures along the tunnel and surface water sources are sampled regularly. If needed, you will assist with additional fracture sampling and with surface sampling campaigns during the summer.

Job

description

We are looking for students preferably in their first master year in Earth Sciences or Biology.

You will help the Bedretto Lab team with:

Groundwater sampling for DNA and Dissolved Organic Matter (DOM) extraction and water chemistry analysis
Measurement of water parameters such as EC, ORP, pH, Temperature, and Tds
Data acquisition with borehole logging techniques and rock core scanning devices
Data analysis with standard software e.g. Wellcad (training will be provided)
Data and metadata storage in our databases
Transport of field equipment between Zurich and Bedretto
Occasionally guiding scientific guests in the tunnel
Possible Extension:
Spinoff‑Master Thesis are highly encouraged

Profile

You have good manual skills and are ready to work in a unique environment like the Bedretto Lab.
We expect you to have a valid driver’s license, be flexible with your time schedule, enjoy collaborating with colleagues from different disciplines, and be willing to do physical work.
Speaking English or German is required. Speaking Italian is a plus.
You can start as soon as possible.
You must be enrolled at ETHZ or Uni Zurich and must be willing to work 15h/week on average during the semester.
It is possible to work more during the semester breaks (up to 40 hours possible).
We handle working time flexibly such that you can take time to study for exams or fulfil other obligations for your studies while coordinating with the team when tasks…


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