Investigate methane emissions from Australian wetland trees - PhD scholarship

Updated: over 1 year ago
Location: Success, WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Deadline: The position may have been removed or expired!

Seeking fully-funded 3-year PhD candidate to investigate methane emissions from Australian wetland trees

Southern Cross University is offering a PhD scholarship to investigate methane emissions from Australian wetland trees

Project Description

Wetlands are among earth’s most efficient ecosystems for carbon sequestration, yet this capacity can be offset by emission of methane (CH4). Recent research indicates that wetland trees can be an important pathway for methane emissions in some systems (1). Various aspects of this pathway are largely unquantified and there are many dimensions that remain relatively unknown (2). Hence, this emerging topic has considerable scope for significant new discoveries (3-7).

This project involves determining the drivers and rates of methane flux from freshwater wetland forests and will employ cutting-edge techniques, including portable greenhouse gas analysers and use of isotopic signatures. Investigations will include exploring the spatial, temporal and seasonal CH4 dynamics of tree-stems with a view to furthering our understanding of key processes, drivers and their overall significance in methane budgets.

We are offering an opportunity for an excellent PhD candidate to work with Professor Damien Maher, Professor Scott Gregory Johnston and Dr Luke Jeffrey on this innovative project that will explore tree-mediated methane emission in Australian forests. The successful student would be part of a vibrant research group located in subtropical Australia (Lismore) and supported by a 3 year Australian Research Council Discovery Project grant (DP210100096). Candidates will undertake / participate in both field-based investigations and controlled laboratory-based studies in a variety of Australian forest types under varied seasonal conditions.

Expressions of Interest are invited from outstanding and enthusiastic graduates with a first-class honours degree or Masters degree or equivalent in Environmental Geochemistry.

  • The applicant’s qualifications should include experience studying environmental systems via field experiments, ideally with some experience using automated greenhouse gas analysers.
  • Very high degree of proficiency in both written and spoken English (strict criteria apply for non-native English speakers).
  • Experience in collecting field data and capacity to undertake independent fieldwork.
  • The applicant’s academic background must be strong enough to qualify her/him for a scholarship, stipend and fee (tuition) waiver.

Funding Notes

Successful candidates will be offered a full-time PhD position and the project includes scholarship at the Australian Research Training Program rate; (the 2021 rate is $28,597 per year, indexed annually), fee-waiver and an additional stipend to cover research costs of up to $5000 AUD pa will be available. Contingent on satisfactory performance, this will be extended to a total period of 3 years. Applications must include a CV, academic grade transcripts, copies of previous research outputs and a cover letter outlining a summary of your research experience, your reasons for wanting to do a PhD and information on how your skills will be relevant to the project.

Please enquire to Professor Damien Maher ([email protected])