Overview

This PhD project will develop new conservation planning methods that are specifically adapted to Antarctica.

Scholarship details
Student type: Future students
Citizenship: Australian or New Zealand and International
Applications close: 31 October 2022

About the scholarship

This PhD project will be part of the Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF) – an Australian Research Council funded Special Research Initiative that aims to strengthen Antarctic science, policy, and governance at a time of rapid environmental and geopolitical change. QUT is a key partner in SAEF, contributing expertise in environmental decision making, data science, robotics, sensor technology, amongst others.

Anthropocene effects on the Antarctic continent have highlighted the need for a modern network of protected areas to be established to secure its unique biodiversity. Working with the newest datasets on biodiversity, ecological proxies and future environmental change, this project seeks to assist the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties create a coordinated, continent-wide network of protected areas that will be robust to future environmental changes.

This PhD project will develop new conservation planning theory and prioritisation methods that are specifically adapted to Antarctica’s unique biodiversity, threats, and governance. The project will identify priority areas for expansion of the protected areas network and deployment of other conservation actions/mechanisms across the Antarctic and in specific regional case study areas. Existing approaches to conservation and environmental planning will be adapted to account for the risks, dynamics, and uncertainty inherent in Antarctic systems and the diversity of values that are unique to the continent and sub-Antarctic islands.

Supervisory team

What you’ll receive

You’ll receive a scholarship, tax exempt and indexed annually of $28,854 per annum for a period of 4 years.

Eligibility

To apply for this scholarship, you must:

  • meet the entry requirements for a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) at QUT
  • have background in environmental science, conservation biology or related quantitative disciplines
  • an interest in studying complex environmental systems and identifying opportunities to improve protection
  • be able to commence the PhD course in 2022.

We are particularly interested in applicants from groups that are under-represented in academia, mathematics, and STEM, based on gender, sexuality, race, culture, disability status. There will be a strong focus on supporting your research development as part of the PhD research program.

How to apply

Please email your application to ilva.sporne@qut.edu.au and include:

  • a letter outlining your background, interest in, and fit with the PhD topic (1 page maximum)
  • your curriculum vitae.

Applications will be reviewed and those applicants who are deemed to be potentially suited to the position will be interviewed.