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Rheology – from the Greek word ‘to flow’ – is a critical issue for numerous industrial and natural processes. For example, understanding and controlling the rheology of complex fluids is essential for manufacturing cosmetics, paint, polymers, processed foods, ceramics and glass.
On a global scale, the complex rheology of the Earth is exemplified by plate tectonics, the heterogeneous deformation of the Earth’s surface in response to slow and continuous convection in the solid mantle underneath that controls the large-scale dynamics of our planet. Understanding the rheology of Earth materials is also critical for estimating earthquake and tsunami hazards and for determining where it is safe to locate reservoirs for chemical and radioactive waste.
The interaction between geological deformations and fluids is also a fundamental factor in energy production, both for the extraction of fossil fuels and for the development of clean energy from sources such as geothermal.
The EU-funded project CREEP is providing multi-disciplinary education in rheology and related fields to 16 early-stage researchers across 10 academic institutions and 11 private sector organisations. This experience-based training is supporting PhD projects that focus on the complex mechanical behaviour of Earth materials and its implications for geodynamic and industrial processes.
The CREEP network is encompassing this broad and varied range of applications for rheology research, providing early-stage researchers with skills in experimentation, modelling of deformation at various space and time scales, and seismology, using state-of-the-art research techniques.
The EU’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions programme is supporting CREEP through the innovative training networks (ITN) scheme which is designed to boost scientific excellence and business innovation.