HDR Opportunities in Environment Research

GeoQuest Research Centre

• Sedimentation in coastal/riverine environments including stratigraphy and dating of estuaries, floodplains and coastal lakes in southern or northern Australia [Brian Jones, Colin Murray-Wallace, Colin Woodroffe, Gerald Nanson]
•  Identification of natural hazards along the east coast of Australia such as landslides or the impact of tsunamis [Brian Jones, Phil Flentje]
• Ocean drilling, focused on paleoenvironments of the Gulf of Carpentaria and sedimentological interpretation of deep-sea cores on plate boundaries [Allan Chivas, Chris Fergusson]
• Geomorphology of rivers and the history of floods and aridity, particularly in central eastern and northern Australia [Gerald Nanson, Brian Jones]
• Catchment management, including social impacts, land-use change and indigenous land management [John Morrison]
• Geochemistry of sediments, and identification of contaminants in sediments and their transport in coastal catchments [Allan Chivas, John Morrison]
• Geological study of igneous rocks, ore deposits, and structural processes at plate boundaries [Paul Carr, Chris Fergusson, Solomon Buckman, Allen Nutman]
• Modelling (incorporating remote sensing and GIS) to examine disturbance events such as landslide risk. [Phil Flentje]
• Assessment of the effect of climate change on the evolution and sustainability of coastal environments in the Australian and southeast Asian region [Colin Woodroffe, John Morrison, Colin Murray-Wallace, Brian Jones, Helen McGregor]

Centre for Archaeological Science (CAS)

• Development of geochronology and geochemistry techniques for application to archaeological deposits and associated landforms (Roberts, Jacobs, Murray-Wallace, Chivas)
• Investigations of the form and function of stone, bone and shell artefacts by technological, use-wear and residue analysis (Szabó, Brumm, Morwood, Fullagar)
• Analysis of botanical remains from archaeological deposits and relationships between plant food processing and human evolution (Atchison, Fullagar)
• Studies of human prehistory, material culture, faunal evolution and environments in island SE Asia over the last million years (Morwood, Brumm, van den Bergh, Szabó)
• Dating and geoarchaeology studies of the last 200,000 years of human activity and environmental change in Africa, Arabia, India and southern Europe (Jacobs, Roberts, Chivas)
• Investigations of human occupation and rock-art sites, past environments and faunal responses in Australia (Murray-Wallace, Morwood, Jacobs, Roberts, Fullagar)

AUSCCER (Australian Centre for Cultural Environmental Research)

• Cross-cultural research on environmental issues, including (but not restricted to) biodiversity conservation, fire management, climate change, invasive species, urban ecologies (Lesley Head)
• Cultural research for sustainability: across scales from the household to the city and beyond, how do people, values, technologies and political-economic power shape the ways humans transform nature, and maintain mechanisms to access, share, distribute and/or hoard material resources? This theme includes critical research on what might constitute ‘sustainability’ in the everyday spaces and moments of human life – and what this means in terms of our response to the urgent challenge of climate change (Chris Gibson)
• Cultural economic research in cities and regions: creative industries, festivals, cultural infrastructure, cultural planning – with a focus on critical research perspectives, marginalised social groups and places (Chris Gibson)
• Applications of GIS and GPS for cultural research: GPS tracking of human mobility for a range of cultural and critical research agendas (including feminist and radical applications) (Chris Gibson)
• Sexuality research for an inclusive society: across sports fields, suburbs, country towns, cities and nations (Gordon Waitt, Andrew Gorman-Murray)
• Sexuality, gender and space research: sexual and gender identities, transformations, equalities and the politics of belonging, across private/public and urban/rural spaces (Andrew Gorman-Murray)
• Applications of taste, touch, smell, sight, and sound to geographical research: with a focus on tourism, sustainability and community (Gordon Waitt)
• Cultural diversity and environmental sustainability: how does cultural diversity impact on environmental attitudes and behaviours? What can we learn about environmental sustainability from Australia’s diverse immigrant groups? (Natascha Klocker)
• Geographies of racism: How ‘accepted’ are cross-cultural relationships in Australia? What experiences do people in cross-cultural relationships have? What types of stereotypes and discrimination do they face? (Natascha Klocker)
• The theory and practice of anti-racism: how successful are existing anti-racism initiatives in changing attitudes and behaviours? Developing and testing new anti-racism strategies (participatory action research). (Natascha Klocker)
• Cultural geographies of nature, especially water: diverse meanings and values associated with nature. ‘More-than-human’ geographies of nature. (Leah Gibbs)
• Environmental governance: formal and informal institutions and structures of environmental decision-making. The gap that exists between the meanings we associate with nature and the ways in which we govern nature. The politics of environmental knowledge and environmental decision-making. (Leah Gibbs)
• Multi-disciplinary research methods for environmental research: exploring possibilities for work across the creative arts, humanities, social sciences and sciences for environmental research. (Leah Gibbs)

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For Further Information:http://www.uow.edu.au/science/eesc

> Please view the Physical and Chemical Sciences web page for other Environmental Research opportunities with the Centre for Atmospheric Chemistry.

 

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