PhD scholarship: War on waste in Outback Australia

Project Title: PhD scholarship in reducing waste from remote cattle stations.

3 years full-time appointment

$42,100 pa indexed annually.

Multiple locations including Darwin/ Brisbane/ Alice Springs/ Sydney

About the Opportunity

Like many industries, agriculture produces a significant amount and diversity of waste. The industry is keen to adopt the principles of the waste hierarchy and a circular economy to improve waste management on their farms and properties. Tyres from machines and vehicles are one such problematic waste. You will have the opportunity to work with industry partners (Tyre Stewardship Australia and one of Australia’s largest pastoral companies) to deeply understand the issues with used tyres and other hard-to-dispose-of waste from remote northern Australian agricultural enterprises and to develop novel approaches to manage this critical waste stream. This research will enhance understandings of past and current approaches for dealing with problematic waste streams and move towards minimizing waste, improving efficiency, sustainability and profitability by finding a future for these problematic waste materials. This project also has the potential for the student to complete an industry internship if they would like to, as part of their PhD. 

This project will be supervised by Associate Prof. Beth Penrose (Darwin) and Dr Deepika Mathur (Alice Springs). Students could be located in Darwin or Alice Springs (where the supervisors are based), or anywhere in Australia by negotiation. The candidate would be expected to travel to remote Northern Territory locations as part of the project. 

If you are interested in this opportunity, please send an expression of interest (1 page maximum) and a CV to Associate Professor Beth Penrose (************@cdu.edu.au). 

 Please note that this opportunity is only open to Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens or Australian permanent residents.

Scholarship Details

The successful applicant will receive a Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship which will include an RTP Scholarship ($32,100) plus $10,000 industry top-up.

The RTP scholarship conditions for CDU can be located at: Higher Degree by Research - RTP Scholarship Policy and Procedure.

For further information on the Scholarship, please visit Higher Degree by Research Scholarships at CDU. 

Website URL for project: https://www.cdu.edu.au/riel/RINA/pastoral-production-systems-sustainability

Eligibility

The successful applicant must:

Essential Criteria:

• Be an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident or a New Zealand Citizen.
• Meet the PhD course entry requirements at CDU.
• Be willing to travel to remote areas of northern Australia.
• Have an Australian (or equivalent) driving license or be willing to get one soon after starting their PhD.

Desirable criteria:

Applicants should have Honours (or equivalent) or Masters in a science or social science such as (but not limited to) environmental science, sociology, agricultural science or sustainability.

How to Apply

To submit an expression of interest please send the following to Dr Beth Penrose at ************@cdu.edu.au

• A curriculum vitae, including a list of any peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations and relevant work and/or research experience. 
• A brief statement not exceeding 500-words in length that explains why you are interested in this research project/area.

Please do not select the ‘Apply’ button.

For further enquiries please contact Dr Beth Penrose on 0889467*** or email at ************@cdu.edu.au

Diversity and Inclusion

At CDU we actively celebrate our diversity. We innovate, embrace new ideas, and act with courage and kindness. We’re about what we can give to the world rather than what we take, and we believe in the transformative power of education. We work hard to make sure every member of our university community feels that they truly belong. Understanding that it is through our focus on our people and leveraging our differences that will make CDU the most connected university in Australia, we are striving to ensure that our culture and our community is inclusive of all our staff, students and visitors. We are committed to maintaining a culture where everyone feels respected, safe, encouraged to speak up and supported in achieving their professional goals. Applications from First Nations people, women at all levels, culturally and linguistically diverse people, people with disability, neurotypical and neurodiverse people, LGBTIQ+ people, people with family and caring responsibilities and people at all stages of their careers are welcomed.

 You make CDU. And we want you to be exactly who you are.  

Please get in touch with Dr Beth Penrose asap to express interest to avoid missing out.