OPPORTUNITIES
JOIN THE TEAL CARBON GROUP
Interested in gaining experience in sustainability, social sciences and policy making? The teal carbon group is looking for PhD candidates, interns and research assistants!
There is an untapped potential to develop low-cost strategies for managing farm dams to minimise their carbon footprint. In the future, governments could provide financial incentives (such as carbon credits) to encourage management actions that improve carbon drawdown and minimise greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Read more on the project website.
The successful candidate will join an ARC DECRA fellowship awarded to Dr Malerba to engage with farmers and run surveys and citizen-science projects to understand attitudes toward sustainable management of farm dams. The cosupervisory team includes Dr Lam, Prof Macreadie, A/Prof Vocino, and Dr Palacios.
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
• Background in Psychology/Sociology/Anthropology/ Human Geography or cognate discipline
• Proficient in academic writing
• Experience in running surveys
• Experience in conducting in-depth interviews
• Knowledge of Qualitative data analysis
• First class Honours or Masters
• Based in Melbourne
• Able to work independent
Find more information here.
CONTACT
Dr Martino E. Malerba (m.malerba@deakin.edu.au)
Dr Christie Lam (c.lam@deakin.edu.au)
PHD: GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS FROM FARM DAMS
We are looking for a Ph.D. candidate to join an ARC Discovery Early Career Research Award on “Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Farm Dams”.
The opportunity
Australian farm dams have some of the highest greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per area among freshwater ecosystems. In Victoria alone, we estimated they release over 4,800 tonnes of CO2‐equivalent each day, which is 4.5% of all the State’s agricultural emissions. These recently discovered emissions are triggered by fertiliser and manure run-off increasing nutrients and creating the ideal conditions for the production of methane (CH4) – a gas with 20-30 times greater warming potential than carbon dioxide (CO2).
This PhD project will aim to address the following aspects:
- Capture spatial and temporal variability in greenhouse gas emissions among farm dams
- Investigate the role of biotic (e.g., vegetation) and abiotic (e.g., climate) factors on greenhouse gas emissions
- Determine the impact of management interventions (e.g., fencing) and land use type (e.g., livestock, crops) on greenhouse gas emissions
- Analyse the role of microbial communities on methane emissions
To learn more, visit https://www.bluecarbonlab.org/farm-dams.
Desired qualifications
- Experience publishing in peer-reviewed scientific journal (preferably as first author)
- First class Honours or Masters
- Familiar with the statistical software R (or similar)
- Experience in carrying our research in environmental sciences, ecology, or similar
- Experience with spatial modelling or remote sensing
The laboratory
Deakin University’s Blue Carbon Lab is a multi-disciplinary research group at the forefront of global efforts to improve lives and livelihoods sustainably. We led the first study reporting unusually high methane emissions from farm dams (Ollivier et al. 2018). We also delivered a continental-scale map of farm dams in Australia (Malerba et al. 2021). We have collaborative partnerships and projects across 30 countries and are recognised as world leaders in the science underpinning natural climate solutions.
The candidate will work in close collaboration with the Sustainable Farms project at Australian National University. The Sustainable Farms project is among Australia’s leading research groups in sustainable farming. In recent years, Sustainable Farms have been monitoring the positive effects of farm dam enhancements on biodiversity, water security, and farming productivity. For the past two years, Sustainable Farms and Blue Carbon Lab worked together to show that enhancing farm dams can also reduce methane emissions. The successful candidate will further improve our understanding of the drivers of methane emissions at micro and macro scales.
Instructions
PhD applicants should email the following documents to Dr Martino Malerba (m.malerba@deakin.edu.au):
- 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
- The project will have a strong quantitative component. Extensive experience with the statistical package R (or similar coding languages) is a requirement. Ensure to outline any quantitative experience in the cover letter
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 successful PhD candidates at the Blue Carbon Lab: (a) A first-authored paper in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, (b) first class Honours/Masters, (c) strong quantitative skills, and (d) experience working in similar topics.
- Whilst we still accept applications from any persons interested in our roles, due to the impacts of COVID-19, we are currently prioritising applications from those with current working rights in Australia.
PHD: THE EFFECTS OF RESTORATION ON BELOWGROUND PROCESSES IN COASTAL WETLANDS
We are looking for a Ph.D. candidate to join an ARC Discovery Early Career Research Award on microbial carbon breakdown in wetland ecosystems.
Applications open now to 1 May 2022, or until the position is filled.
To apply, send strevat@deakin.edu.au your CV and a cover letter outlining your research interests and experience and why you want to do this PhD. Please include contact details for two referees.
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: TRANSLATING BLUE CARBON SCIENCE INTO ON-GROUND ACTION
(No longer accepting applications) We have a fully-funded PhD Scholarship available for immediate start, for a student interested in making real-world impact with blue carbon research.
The opportunity
Blue carbon ecosystems – mangroves, seagrasses, and tidal marshes- present a powerful opportunity to store carbon via natural processes. While research has made great strides in learning how best to restore these ecosystems and maximise their carbon storage potential, there are still social, legal, and financial considerations when planning blue carbon ecosystem restoration at scale. We are uniquely positioned in Australia to take decisive action on blue carbon opportunities, as we are the largest global contributor to blue carbon wealth.
This PhD student will have the opportunity to craft a project that contributes to making blue carbon restoration projects scalable, replicable, and cost-effective. This can include supporting the sustainable and equitable sharing of blue carbon benefits, improving blue carbon governance arrangements, and exploring new approaches to financing blue carbon projects. This opportunity would be suitable for candidates with a background in social science, environmental science, policy, and/or economics.
Instructions
PhD applicants should email the following documents to p.macreadie@deakin.edu.au
- 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 skills suit the position
Other opportunities (Postdoctoral fellows & Volunteers)
American-Australian Education Fund
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
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 Dr Micheli Duarte de Paula Costa and Dr Maria Palacios with your CV and research interests to discuss available opportunities.
Please note this scheme accepts applications from candidates who are nationally competitive for national and international fellowship schemes and project funding schemes, and undertake innovative research aligned directly with Deakin University Impact Themes and strategic research
priorities. Applicants must have been awarded a PhD on or after 1st January 2019 (with allowable career interruptions).
Volunteers & Interns (open)
Students are always welcome to join us in the laboratory and the field. Please fill out this form to let us know how you would like to get involved! Depending on your skills and interest, you might help processing soil samples in the lab, entering Blue Carbon data, joining one our coring campaigns, and more. It is a great opportunity to get upskilled and meet our scientists!
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