OPPORTUNITIES
Call for PhD candidates to join our team and lead research on Coastal ‘Blue’ Carbon, Freshwater ‘Teal’ carbon, Ecosystem restoration, Ecosystem services, Farm Dams, and more. Please get in contact with p.macreadie@deakin.edu.au and attach your CV and a Cover letter outlining your research interests and experience.
PhD candidates are also needed for the specific projects below:
THE EFFECTS OF WETLAND MANAGEMENT ON MICROBIAL CARBON BREAKDOWN IN AUSTRALIAN WETLANDS
We are looking for a PhD candidate to join the Blue Carbon Lab on the project “The effects of wetland management on microbial carbon breakdown in Australian wetlands”.
The PhD candidate will investigate how wetland restoration and management influences a key part of the carbon cycle – plant litter decomposition. It is a multidisciplinary project that combines microbial ecology, biogeochemistry and wetland ecology. This work sits within a larger research program investigating global wetland decomposition, TeaComposition H2O.
3-year program inclusive of a AUD$28,600 per year stipend, tax exempt. International applications contingent on COVID-19 restrictions. Domestic applicants may be prioritised.
Who should apply?
The scholarship would suit a highly-motivated candidate with an interest in coastal and freshwater wetland ecology, biogeochemistry and/or microbial ecology. Applicants will require a first-class honours (or equivalent) or a Masters degree in a similar field. We are looking for a candidate who is independent and works well in an interdisciplinary team environment. Excellent written communication skills are desired. A driver’s license is required for the fieldwork component. Selection will be based on prior academic experience.
Research Environment
The PhD candidate will be principally supervised by DECRA fellow Dr Stacey Trevathan-Tackett and will work within Deakin University’s Blue Carbon Lab, led by A/Prof. Peter Macreadie, the School of Life and Environmental Science and the Centre for Integrative Ecology. The position is based at the Melbourne/Burwood Campus.
Instructions
PhD applicants should email the following documents to Dr Stacey Trevathan-Tackett:
- CV highlighting your skills, education, publications and relevant work experience
- Cover letter (1 page) outlining your interest in the position and how your previous experience and technical skills suit the position
- Contact details for two referees
Applications open now to February 2021, or until the position is filled.
MECHANISM UNDERPINNING THE FORMATION AND STABILISATION OF COASTAL BLUE CARBON
We are looking for a PhD candidate to join our ARC Discovery grant research on the “Mechanisms underpinning the formation and stabilisation of coastal blue carbon”. Candidates can apply for either of these two projects:
MICROBIAL COMMUNITY GENOMICS WITHIN BLUE CARBON ECOSYSTEMS
The project will aim to address the following:
- Characterise the functional capacity of microbial communities associated with recalcitrant Blue Carbon
- Investigate sequence variation in taxonomic groups, functional gene repertoires and metabolic potential
- Provide significant insight into the higher-order community organisation and dynamics of coastal microbiomes, and their variation among habitat type and depth.
BIOCHEMICAL MECHANISMS OF BLUE CARBON
The applicant will need to:
- Characterise recalcitrant carbon within Blue Carbon ecosystems using NMR for particulate organic carbon (POC) and FT-ICR-MS for dissolved organic carbon (DOC)
- Identify mechanisms of formation and destabilisation of recalcitrant carbon and quantify the impacts of environmental controls
- Coordinating all relevant analyses (ie. gas flux measurements, elemental analyses, and chemical characterisation)
Instructions
PhD applicants should email the following documents to Dr Stacey Trevathan-Tackett:
- CV highlighting your skills, education, publications and relevant work experience
- Cover letter (1 page) outlining your interest in the position and how your previous experience and technical skills suit the position
Please note:
The student will be enrolled in a 3-year PhD. Applicants will be based at Deakin University’s Burwood campus (Melbourne).
We are UNABLE to provide individual feedback on competitiveness. The following features were common among PhD candidates interviewed at the Blue Carbon Lab: (a) First authored-paper in scientific journal, (b) first class Honours/Masters, (c) experience directly related to the project, and (d) an accolade that reflects the student being among the top in their academic cohort.
Applications will be received until the position is filled.
THE IMPORTANCE OF OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS (O&G) STRUCTURES TO GLOBAL FISH POPULATIONS
We are looking for a highly qualified candidate to apply for a PhD scholarship in early 2020 to join the Blue Carbon Lab on the project “The Importance of offshore oil & gas infrastructure to global fish populations”.
The project will aim to address the following questions:
- Can fisheries production/enhancement be reasonably quantified from offshore O&G structures at local scales?
- What fish biomass (and if quantifiable – fisheries production) is supported by O&G structures globally?
- What are the possible methods to calculate the contribution O&G structures make to fisheries in sustainably fished compared to heavily overfished regions?
Instructions
Please email the following documents to Dr Mel Wartman:
- CV (2-page) highlighting your skills, education, and relevant work experience
- Cover letter (1 page) outlining your interest in the selected project and how your previous experience and technical skills suit the position
*Please note we are UNABLE to provide individual feedback on competitiveness. The following features were common among PhD candidates interviewed at the Blue Carbon Lab: (a) First authored-paper in scientific journal, (b) first class Honours/Masters, (c) experience directly related to the project, and (d) an accolade that reflects the student being among the top in their academic cohort.
Applications will be received until the position is filled.
Other opportunities (Postdoctoral fellows & Volunteers)
American-Australian Education Fund (open)
The USA to Australia Graduate Education Scholarships will support full-time Graduate level study (Masters, Ph.D. or Postdoctoral Research) in the fields of STEM at an accredited educational institution in Australia. Open for application on September 1 to October 15 each year.
Alfred Deakin Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (opens 5 Oct 2020 – closes 2 Nov 2020)
These fellowships aim to recruit and support talented early career researchers whose areas of research interest directly align with research priorities at Deakin University. Contact p.macreadie@deakin.edu.au to learn about available opportunities.
Eligibility: (1) PhD award date on or after 1 January 2017; (2) hold Australian work rights
Funding: Two years of salary support at Level A or B ($88,209 – $117,503 per annum; commensurate with experience) plus $15,000 p.a. research support funding.
Volunteers & Interns (open)
Students are always welcome to join us in the laboratory and the field. Please contact p.waryszak@deakin.edu.au or p.macreadie@deakin.edu.au to learn more about available opportunities. Depending of your skills and interest, you might help processing soil samples in the lab, entering Blue Carbon data, or joining one our coring campaigns. It is a great opportunity to get upskilled and meet our scientists!
DON’T MISS AN OPPORTUNITY.
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