Connectivity of Coastal Marine Ecosystems PhD Scholarships

Three PhD scholarships are available as part of a multi-institutional project funded through the Collaborative Research Network involving the Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research (CMER) at Edith Cowan University and The University of Western Australia. The project will examine the processes creating connectivity among coastal marine ecosystems, with a view to quantifying the spatial and temporal extent of connection and informing the spatial management. The students will be enrolled at both Edith Cowan University and the University of Western Australia.

Two projects will be in the area of eco-hydraulics and one will be in the area of genetic connectivity with opportunities to work in the tropical Kimberley down to the temperate southwest Western Australian coast.

Application opening date: 3 June 2013
Application closing date: 30 August 2013
Method of application: Download forms

Payments

Amount: $25,000 per annum tax free plus an additional Collaborative Research Network top-up scholarship of $5,000 per annum tax free. For international students tuition fees are covered
Frequency: Fortnightly
Method: Electronic funds transfer

Eligibility requirements

Eligibility criteria:

  • Competitive for an International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (IPRS) or an APA (Australian Postgraduate Award)
  • Academic Merit - a first class honours or equivalent, or Masters degree in a related area of research
  • Experience working in nearshore marine ecosystems
  • For the genetics project, SCUBA and small boat handling experience and qualifications as well as a drivers license will be required (or applicants will need to acquire qualification before commencing)

Nationality:

  • Australian citizen
  • Australian permanent resident visa
  • Australian permanent humanitarian visa
  • New Zealand citizen
  • International

Level of study:

  • HDR - Higher degree research (PhD)

Faculty:

  • Computing and Health Sciences

School:

Study mode:

  • Full-time on-campus

Applicant information:

  • Each student will need to be competitive for an APA or ECU Postgraduate Research Scholarship. Generally, this requires a first class honours or Masters degree in a related area of research. Applicants should have experience working in nearshore marine ecosystems. For the genetics and microbial projects, SCUBA and small boat handling experience and qualifications as well as a driver's license will be required (or applicants will need to acquire qualification before commencing)
  • Applications should be submitted through the normal ECU scholarships application process by 31 August 2012
  • All intending applicants must discuss their application with Dr Kathryn McMahon prior to lodging their applications and should identify the project they are applying for

The projects will be in the following areas:

  1. Eco-hydraulics (2 positions)

Seagrass meadows are continuously affected by the ambient hydrodynamics, affecting the ability of meadows to capture particles and for propagules to be dispersed out of the meadows. The hydrodynamic transport of propagules and seagrass wrack determines their fate and impact along the coastal zone. Two PhD projects will investigate this exciting area:

  • the first project will involve laboratory investigation of the effects of hydrodynamics on particle capture and meadow residence times. Specifically, we need to know how the timescale of biogeochemical processes compare to the residence time within the meadow (if they are fast, then the process will be important). Little is known about residence times in seagrass meadows under wave-dominated conditions, a gap this project will fill. Using wave flume experiments with transplanted seagrass, this project will investigate the retention times of dissolved nutrients, suspended particles and kelp wrack in seagrass meadows
  • the second project will develop a conceptual framework for assessing the balance between transport, seagrass degradation and ecological connectivity, linking strongly with the other PhD projects
  1. Seagrass genetics

The study of connectivity among populations and across habitats leads to a greater understanding of population resilience, genetic divergence, adaptation, speciation, and persistence. Understanding these dynamics is vital for the conservation and management of natural systems. Seagrasses are an important habitat in coastal waters providing significant ecosystems functions. They are clonal plants that show high levels of genotypic diversity and low levels of spatial structuring within regions (<200 km), inferring that they are strongly connected over these scales. Few studies have addressed the level of connectivity of seagrass species in Australia, globally a seagrass diversity hotspot. This project will assess the connectivity of key seagrass species found in Western Australia using molecular techniques. Some experience in molecular laboratory techniques is desirable.

More information:

All intending applicants must discuss their application with Dr Kathryn McMahon prior to lodging their applications and should identify the project they are applying for.

Dr Kathryn McMahon
Email: k.mcmahon@ecu.edu.au
Telephone: (61 8) 6304 5145