The ITN network, IMVUL, is aimed at training researchers in the major issues and processes relevant to groundwater vulnerability. The research objectives are to increase our understanding of the fundamental processes relevant to groundwater vulnerability and develop improved prediction tools that can contribute to the protection and sustainable use of Europe's groundwater resources. This will be achieved through a series of research projects on groundwater vulnerability issues for 11 Early Stage (ESR) and 4 Experienced (ER) researchers.

There are 11 Early Stage Researchers currently recruited at the host institutions of the IMVUL network partners.

• Host Institution: University of Leeds, School of Earth and Environment, UK
• Nationality: Canadian
• Education: Cranfield University, MSc in Environmental Water Management
• Work experience: Worked in the international disaster relief sector, taking up various water related and national coordination positions in countries across Africa and Asia
• Research interests: Previous areas of study and professional experience mainly focused on emergency water supply and surface water management
• Hobbies:
• 'IMVUL' Research project: Groundwater Vulnerability in the Unconfined Fractured Chalk Aquifer –East Yorkshire

• Host Institution: University of Leeds, School of Earth and Environment, UK
• Nationality: Egyptian
• Education: Zagazig University, Water Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Egypt; MSc in Groundwater Hydrology, 2007; Bsc in Civil Engineering, 2002.
• Work experience: 6 years in the Research Institute for Groundwater (RIGW), National water Research Centre (NWRC), Egypt.
• Research interests: groundwater aquifers vulnerability, flow and solute transport modeling, groundwater protection using modeling techniques to characterize potential pollution plumes dimensions, risky possibility of migration and well head protection areas
• Hobbies: fishing, aerobics, football and old music
• 'IMVUL' Research project: Borehole water level response to barometric pressure as an indicator of groundwater vulnerability

• Host Institution: University of Edinburgh, School of GeoSciences, UK
• Nationality: Polish
• Education: University of Warsaw, Poland; MSc, 2008
• Research interests: bioclogging, groundwater remediation, wastewater, environmental health
• Hobbies: reading, travelling, hiking, swimming
• 'IMVUL' Research project: Microbial controls on fluid flow and contaminant speciation in dual porosity media

• Host Institution : CNRS, University Rennes 1, France
• Nationality: Italian
• Education: University of Florence, Italy, 2009, Master Thesis's Title: “Collective Dynamics in a protocell model: analytical and numerical studies”
• Research interests: Statistical Mechanics, Complex Systems, Theoretical Physics
• 'IMVUL' Research project: Modeling chemical reactions in geophysical flows

• Host Institution : CNRS, University Rennes 1, France
• Nationality: Russian
• Education: Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), Dolgoprudny, Russia; M. Sc., Applied Mathematics and Physics, 2009; Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), B. Sc., Applied Mathematics and Physics; 2007.
• Work experience: 2006-2007 S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation “Energia”; 2007-2009 Schlumberger Moscow Research, Math and Modeling Department
• Research interests: Numerical modeling, fluid mechanics, signal processing, geophysics, acoustics, space technology
• Hobbies: snow boarding, painting in watercolours
• 'IMVUL' Research project': Flow tomography : inverse modelling of flow measurements for imaging hydrogeological systems

• Host Institution : University of Pierre and Marie Curie, Sisyphe, Paris
• Nationality: Polish
• Education: University of Technology in Szczecin, Poland, 2008, BSc in Electronics and Telecommunications; Pomeranian Pedagogical Academy in Slupsk, Poland, 2006, MSc in Physics and Informatics.
• Work experience: May 2008 – Sep. 2008, UPMC, Sisyphe, Paris, France; Traineeship - modeling transport phenomena in porous media using Fortran and Matlab; 2006 - 2008, RADPOL S.A., Czluchow, Poland; Accelerator Operator - operating and maintaining an electron accelerator used for polietilene cross-linking.
• Research interests: Reactive Transport, Fractured Porous Media, Numerical Modeling
• Hobbies:Numismatics
• 'IMVUL' Research project: Reactive transport in fractured porous media

• Host Institution : University of Pierre and Marie Curie, Sisyphe, Paris, France
• Nationality: Vietnamese
• Education: Soil Mechanics, rocks and structures in their environment MSc at UPMC, 2009; Civil Engineering, Hanoi University of Civil Engineering, Vietnam; 2005
• Research interests: maths applications, soil mechanics, transport in microbe system
• Hobbies: football, exotic culture, architecture
• 'IMVUL' Research project: Modelling of mineral- microbe systems

• Host Institution: Politecnico di Milano, Italy
• Nationality: Russian
• Education: Kazan State University, Russia, 2009, Specialist
• Work experience: RFNC (Russian Federal Nuclear Center) Worked with gas dynamics and difference schemes with high order of weak approximation
• Research interests:approximative methods and schemes, gas and hydro dynamics, shock waves, theory of weak approximation
• Hobbies: travels, rafting, web programming
• 'IMVUL' Research project: Vulnerability of natural aquifers and resources

• Host Institution : Politecnico di Milano, Italy
• Nationality: Spanish
• Education: Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – Universitat de Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain, 2009 - Geological Engineering
• Work experience: CRC Obras y Servicios S.L., field engineer - 2007, REPSOL, researcher in the Exploration department - 2008.
• Research interests:Geosciences, hydrogeology, numerical modelling, environmental remediation, water management, deep waste storage, hydrocarbons reservoir modelling and simulation, sea slopes stability
• Hobbies: Traveling, reading, cinema, music, computers, running and swimming
• 'IMVUL' Research project: Vulnerability of the drinking water well field

• Host Institution : CSIC, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA), Barcelona, Spain
• Nationality: Chinese
• Education: Lund University, Sweden; MSc in Water Resources, 2009. Engineering Southeast University, China, 2006, Bachelor of Engineering
• Work experience: Jiexin Engineering Design and Consultation Co. Ltd, China, 2007
• Research interests: reactive transport, biogeochemical degradation, numerical modelling, microbiology, urban water
• Hobbies: travelling, cooking, workout, walking
• 'IMVUL' Research project: Characterization of emergent pollutant degradation processes in soil and aquifers

• Host Institution : CSIC, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA), Barcelona, Spain
• Nationality: Italian
• Education: Universita’ degli Studi di Trieste, Italy, 2009, Master Graduation in Physics. Curricula: Earth and Environmental Physics. Universita’ degli Studi di Firenze, Itlay, 2006, Bachelor in Physics
• Research interests:Hydrogeology, stochastic processes, costal aquifer, saltwater intrusion, gravimetry
• Hobbies: Travelling, theatre, cinema, music
• 'IMVUL' Research project: Saltwater Intrusion in Coastal Aquifers