We are offering two exciting opportunities to undertake PhD programs at the Fenner School of Environment and Society at the Australian National University for an ecologist and a social scientist.

Farming occurs across almost half of Australia’s land area, meaning that research to improve land management practices can have enormous cumulative environmental benefits, while also contributing to the profitability and sustainability of Australian farms. Our understanding of the value of the ecosystem services provided to the farm enterprise by well-managed green infrastructure is continuing to emerge. Related to this, there is a pressing need to develop policy frameworks that reflect and support the value of nature based solutions.

Sustainable Farms is an interdisciplinary initiative aimed at understanding and communicating opportunities for improved environmental and financial sustainability of Australian farms, and the well-being of the farmers that operate them.

Biodiversity values of Australian farms (Ecologist)

Achieving good biodiversity outcomes in farmland requires new knowledge, particularly on the value of habitat features such as revegetation plantings, shelterbelts and dams. In this program, you will have broad scope to investigate the biodiversity and sustainability of farmland ecosystems, working with an interdisciplinary team of researchers as part of the Sustainable Farms Initiative. High value is placed on field-based, empirical projects, with the potential for a variety of approaches, including manipulative experiments.

Potential research projects include, but are not limited to:

• Biodiversity hotspots on farms: what role do features such as farm dams or revegetation plantings play in providing habitat for different species? Research could focus on a particular taxonomic group, or include multi-taxonomic investigations.
• Frogs in farmland: What factors shape the distribution of frogs in agricultural landscapes? How does competition between frog species shape species occurrence (with particular reference to the endangered Sloanes’ Froglet that occurs throughout the study region)?
• Biodiversity and nutrient flows: What role does biodiversity and vegetation structure play in intercepting and redistributing nutrient flows on farms? How do revegetation plantings affect dam water quality?

Applicants should contact Dr Martin Westgate to discuss potential projects. The PhD scholar will be supervised by Dr Westgate, Professor David Lindenmayer, Dr Ben Scheele, and other researchers at the Fenner School of Environment and Society.

The Sustainable Farms Project is an interdisciplinary initiative aimed at understanding and communicating opportunities for improved environmental and financial sustainability of Australian farms, and the well-being of the farmers that operate them. Professor Lindenmayer’s group includes some of Australia’s leading ecologists and conservation scientists. Research within the group addresses a diverse range of topics across mammals, frogs, birds, reptiles and plants. Past PhD graduates have a strong record of employment in academic, government and NGO sectors.

Duration and benefits

Three years full-time with a possible six month extension. The successful applicants will be offered a PhD top-up stipend of AUD$8000 p.a. in addition to RTP scholarship – see below. This funding is provided by the Sustainable Farms Initiative.

Candidate requirements

A bachelor’s degree with first-class honours or a research master’s degree from a recognised university is a prerequisite. Peer-reviewed publications are an advantage. Selection is based on academic merit and the candidate’s research proposal. Successful candidates will have experience in environmental science or ecology and management.

Domestic students must obtain and maintain a PhD scholarship stipend at The Australian National University (2019 rate: AU$27,596 p.a. tax free; see below). Candidates would be expected to commence their doctoral programs in early 2020.

Application process and closing dates

Interested domestic candidates are invited to discuss the project with Dr Martin Westgate and must submit a CV and a one page statement of possible research directions to him by 15 October 2019. Please email martin.westgate@anu.edu.au or call 02 6125 9286.

The closing date for domestic applications for a PhD stipend scholarship at The Australian National University is 31 October 2019. See http://www.anu.edu.au/students/scholarships/australian-government-research-training-program-agrtp-stipend-scholarship. Queries regarding scholarship matters can be directed to Amy Chen at hdr.student.fses@anu.edu.au.

Research at The Australian National University

In the latest World University Rankings, The Australian National University was the top-ranked institution in Australia for environmental research. The Fenner School of Environment and Society has a large, dynamic community of PhD students who are provided with high quality office facilities, computer and statistical support, and access to field equipment, laboratory facilities and a fleet of 4WD vehicles. Students are encouraged to collaborate widely and attend national and international conferences.

Sustainable agriculture top-up scholarship (Social Scientist)

Students are offered the opportunities to push the boundaries in knowledge exchange, stakeholder engagement and governance to support sustainable agriculture. Sustainable Farms will provide, top-up scholarship of $8,000 per annum to the successful applicant.

Projects that explore the specific practices involved in knowledge co-production to support the goals and objectives of Sustainable Farms will be regarded highly. More generally, we are looking to fund PhD research on work that sits at the intersection of land management, communication and engagement.

Potential research projects include, but are not limited to:

• An investigation of the different forms of expertise that exist within agriculture relating to the value of ecosystem services.
• A specific focus on interactional expertise for creating meaningful exchanges between scientists and non-scientists (farmers, finance actors and policy makers) is preferred.
• An exploration of the challenges of complex collaborative research

Applicants should contact the Director of Sustainable Farms Michelle Young to discuss potential projects. Applicants will build a panel involving both the CPAS and FSES potentially including Dr Chris Cvitanovic, Dr Will Grant and Professor David Lindenmayer.

Duration and benefits

The successful applicants will be offered a PhD top-up stipend of AUD$8000 p.a., for the duration of three years (full time) plus a possible 6 month extension. The top-up will only be awarded to applicants that have been successful in securing an offer of admission to a relevant HDR program in the College of Science, and a PhD Scholarship stipend – see below.

Applicant requirements          

A bachelor’s degree with first-class honours or a research master’s degree from a recognised university is a prerequisite. Peer-reviewed publications are an advantage. Selection is based on academic merit and the applicant’s research proposal. Successful applicants will have experience in social science research and natural resource management experience will be highly regarded.

Domestic and International applicants must obtain admission to a relevant HDR program in the College of Science, and maintain a PhD (stipend) Scholarship at The Australian National University (2019 rate: AU$27,596p.a. tax free; see below). In addition, applicants must hold a full Tuition Fee Scholarship.

Applicants would be expected to commence their doctoral programs in early 2020.

Application process and closing dates

Interested individuals are invited to discuss the project with Michelle Young and must submit a CV and a one page statement of possible research directions to her by 31 August 2019 for international applicants or 15 October 2019 for domestic applicants. Please email michelle.young@anu.edu.au or call 02 6125 1404.

The closing dates for applications for a PhD stipend scholarship at The Australian National University are: International – 31 August 2019; Domestic – 31 October 2019.

Queries regarding scholarship matters can be directed to the HDR Coordinator at hdr.student.fses@anu.edu.au.

Research at The Australian National University

In the latest World University Rankings, The Australian National University was the top-ranked institution in Australia for environmental research. The Fenner School of Environment and Society has a large, dynamic community of PhD students who are provided with high quality office facilities, computer and statistical support, and access to field equipment, laboratory facilities and a fleet of 4WD vehicles. Students are encouraged to collaborate widely and attend national and international conferences.