Destination Australia PhD Scholarship 2022

Project: Ecology of freshwater habitats in a World Heritage Landscape - K’gari (Fraser Island) The Project

K'gari (Fraser Island) is World Heritage listed in part due to its aquatic ecosystems, which includes half of the world's perched lakes and unique peat swamps with significant carbon sequestration. Despite the island’s high significance to the region’s traditional owners (Butchulla), the World Heritage status and protection as a National Park, the island has had major historical and contemporary disturbances (logging, sand mining, and tourism). Threats associated with climate change, such as altered fire and hydrological regimes, are likely to be especially relevant for the island’s aquatic ecosystems.

Unfortunately, our current ecological knowledge of these systems is extremely low, which undermines our ability to protect and conserve them and fulfil our World Heritage obligations. This project will be the first major study of freshwater ecosystems with an emphasis on data deficient keystone species such as freshwater turtles and aquatic invertebrates.

Based out of our Hervey Bay campus, we will be utilizing USC's Environmental Teaching and Research Centre on K'gari (Dilli Village).

The ideal candidate will have skills in animal ecology, statistical analysis using r, field ecology experience. In would be an advantage if they experience in population genetics, eDNA, environmental chemistry, ARC GIS (or QGIS), camera trapping, BRUVs, connection to country.

Supervision Team

Primary supervisor- Assoc Prof Kathy Townsend

 Co-supervisors - Dr. Gabriel Conroy , Prof Cathy Yule , and Dr. Ross Dwyer