Integrated Natural Resource Management PhD Program: A joint UQ and CSIRO PhD Program

Integrated Natural Resource Management PhD Program: A joint UQ and CSIRO PhD Program
The University Of Queensland - The Faculty of Science (View all jobs from this organisation)

LOCATION: BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA

The Integrated Natural Resource Management (INRM) Science PhD program has been developed to address the current unprecedented demand for skills for sustainable, integrated, and efficient management of natural resources.

The program aims to develop and reinforce cross-organisational collaborations between individual researchers and research teams, and to provide individual students with the opportunity for close interaction, mentoring and supervision, with both CSIRO and UQ, especially through the Ecosciences Precinct development in Brisbane.

The program will support PhD students to conduct cutting-edge research with strong expertise in a broad range of disciplines through scholarship top-ups.

The role:

PhD studentships will be awarded in the integrated natural resource management field. Successful applicants will propose research that informs the management of natural resources (e.g. land, water, soil, biological resource base). Research may target a range of environments and land-use contexts (e.g. marine, coastal, terrestrial environments) managed for a variety of purposes (e.g. agriculture, forestry, urban settlement, fisheries, conservation etc). The research can relate to a range of scales, including global change and large-scale processes driving regional responses, but the choice of scale (both spatial and temporal) should be that which informs the management of natural resources.

Some examples of research areas that the INRM PhD Program encourages include those relating to:

• systems modelling and analysis (at a range of scales, including global change)
• integrated assessment approaches (including those addressing risk)
• proposals that integrate disciplinary perspectives (e.g. biophysical, social, economic and institutional dimensions of environmental change)
• policy and institutional alternatives (e.g. governance systems, policy instruments). The Integrated Natural Resource Management (INRM) Science PhD program has been developed to address the current unprecedented demand for skills for sustainable, integrated, and efficient management of natural resources.

The person:

Applicants must possess an academic qualification equivalent to a bachelors degree with Honours Class I or IIA or a Masters by thesis. Both international and domestic students are welcome to apply. PhD scholarships will only be awarded as top ups to those in receipt of an Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) or an equivalent university postgraduate award.

Applicants will be judged by the scholarship Steering Committee which will critique applications based on the:

• alignment of the candidate student's proposed area of research with integrated resource management science and the research priorities of the CSIRO and UQ
• novelty of the candidate student’s proposed research
• alignment of a candidate student’s existing scholarship arrangements with the agreed terms of the Program (especially in relation to IP and the Student Agreement)
• relevant post-graduate qualifications and track-record, and employment experience, especially as evidenced by the applicant’s publication record quality and appropriateness of the supervision arrangement for the applicant
• student's undergraduate track records that may include, course marks, conference papers, presentations, publications (the student must be expected to be capable or have gained a 1st class honours degree or equivalent).
• locus and strength of the UQ-CSIRO collaboration

This Program is intended to support new PhD projects, however, recently commenced projects (less than 6 months since commencement) will also be considered.

Further information can be found at http://www.gpem.uq.edu.au/inrm

Remuneration: These are full-time PhD top up scholarships with a value set at A$7000 per annum plus up to A$10,000 expenses (including travel) per annum.  

Contact: To discuss this role please contact Professor Mark Hockings, Environmental Management Program Director, telephone +61-7- 334-67845 or email m.hockings@uq.edu.au. To submit an application for this role, go to http://www.uq.edu.au/uqjobs/ and use the Apply button. All applicants must supply the following documents: Cover letter and Resume.

Applications Close: Round 2 on 30 November 2011, Round 3 on 25 May 2012 and Round 4 on 7 December 2012

UQ is an equal opportunity employer.