Available postgraduate projects

Supervisor(s): Brett Murphy, Sarah Legge (UQ/ANU)

Project suitable for: Honours

Project summary

 The monsoon vine thickets of the Dampier Peninsula, just north of Broome, Western Australia, are an Endangered ecological community. They are thought to be threatened by frequent high-intensity fires, which kill trees and damage the canopy.

This project will analyse historical and recent satellite records of the extent of the vine thickets, in order to evaluate whether the thickets are contracting, and whether thicket contraction is related to the frequency of late dry season fires. There will be field surveys to ground-truth and validate satellite-derived observations.

The project is fully funded through the National Environmental Science Programme's Threatened Species Recovery Hub – a partnership between the Department of the Environment and multiple research partners across Australia.

Charles Darwin University (CDU) is a lead partner in the Hub. The project will commence in early 2020 and involve collaboration with local Traditional Owners and land management groups.

The student would be based at CDU’s Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, in Darwin.

Funding info: Funded by the NESP Threatened Species Recovery Hub. No top-up.

Closing date: Open

More information: brett.murphy@cdu.edu.au

Area of Research Strength: Biodiversity Conservation, Savanna & Arid Ecology

Supervisor(s): Brett Murphy, Patricia Werner (ANU)

Project suitable for: Honours

Project summary

Northern Australian savannas are experiencing a rapid loss of biodiversity, and altered fire regimes may be to blame.

It has been suggested that highly flammable annual native grasses, especially Sorghum spp. (spear-grasses), have increased in abundance and fuelling high frequencies of intense fires. This hypothesised phenomenon is an example of a grass–fire cycle.

This project will evaluate this hypothesis, by re-visiting a number of sites in the lowland savannas of Kakadu National Park, that were previously surveyed in the late 1980s.

The dataset from the 1980s includes measurements of grass biomass and assessment of the dominant grass species, and similar measurements will be made now. This data will allow us to evaluate whether grass biomass and grass layer diversity have changed over 30 years, and in particular whether Sorghum has become more dominant.

Funding info: Funded. No top-up.

Closing date: Open

More information: brett.murphy@cdu.edu.au

Area of Research Strength: Savanna & Arid Ecology

Supervisor(s): Professor Sam Banks, Molecular Ecology group (https://sambanks.weebly.com/)

Project suitable for: PhD, Masters or Honours

Project summary

Molecular ecology uses methods in genomics and ecology to understand biodiversity and how it responds to environmental change.

My group is seeking students to work on projects that use laboratory genomics, computer simulation modelling and field-based ecology to contribute to the knowledge and conservation of northern Australian vertebrates.

We are interested in broad-scale patterns of biogeography of native mammals across this region, as well as understanding impacts of major ecological processes (such as fire regimes, climate and refugia) on the ecology and persistence of species across this region.

Funding info: tbc

Closing date: Open

More information:

Area of Research Strength:Biodiversity Conservation, Savanna & Arid Ecology

Supervisor(s): A/Professor Brett Murphy

Project suitable for: PhD, Masters or Honours

Project summary:

Our research investigates the sustainable management of tropical savanna landscapes. We are seeking passionate and skilled students to work on projects that explore how fire has shaped and maintains the biota of tropical savannas, and how contemporary fire regimes can best be managed for biodiversity conservation, especially in relation to declining small mammals and fire-sensitive vegetation communities.

Funding info: tbc

Closing date: Open

More information: brett.murphy@cdu.edu.au

Research Group: Tropical Savanna Ecology

Area of Research Strength:Biodiversity Conservation, Savanna & Arid Ecology

Supervisor(s) Anna Padovan

Project suitable for: Honours

Project summary

We have detected Vibrio parahaemolyticus in shellfish in Darwin Harbour. 

To understand the ecology of this potentially human pathogenic bacterium, the student will measure the concentration of total V. parahaemolyticus and virulent strains in seawater and sediment from different times and locations with varied physicochemical parameters, in particular, seawater temperature, salinity, rainfall events and nutrients.

Multivariate analysis will be performed to determine if there are conditions likely to lead to the proliferation of V. parahaemolyticus, particularly virulent strains.

Funding: n/a

Specific requirements: Experience working in a PC2 lab; microbiological techniques (culturing, plating); molecular techniques (DNA extractions, gel electrophoresis, PCR, qPCR); understanding of and ability to work with biohazards; well-organized

Closing date: Open

More information anna.padovan@cdu.edu.au  ph 8946 6555

Area of Research Strength: Water & Catchments

Project supervisor(s): Anna Padovan and Karen Gibb

Project suitable for: PhD

Project summary

Vibrio spp. are common in biota, water and sediment in estuarine and coastal environments including Darwin Harbour.

Several vibrio species have human pathogenic strains and globally, are the major cause of bacterial gastroenteritis following the ingestion of uncooked seafood.

This research provides an opportunity to study the abundance and distribution of Vibrio species in seawater over different seasons, and their association with environmental factors.

An additional focus could be an analysis of the annual Trichodesmium bloom holobiont and whether this has an association with Vibrio ecology prior during and after the bloom event. The results will have implications for public health and to inform further research on aquaculture and seafood harvest in tropical coastal areas.

The study will initially focus on Darwin Harbour, Northern Territory, Australia, where blooms regularly develop in the months of September and October.

Closing date: Open

Specific requirements: Experience in microbiology and DNA analysis

Funding: tbd

More information: anna.padovan@cdu.edu.au

Supervisor(s): Jo Randall, Keith Christian, Karen Gibb, Di Barton, Dave Crook

Project suitable for: PhD

Project summary

The Black jewfish is a large-bodied species of croaker that is highly prized for its table qualities. Black jewfish are aggregative in behaviour, making them a key focus of all stakeholders in the Northern Territory. They have been heavily overfished across their tropical Indo-West Pacific distribution with northern Australia from the western Gulf of Carpentaria to northern Western Australia remaining one of the last strongholds of this species. Yet, there remains a lack of knowledge on the effect of microbiome communities on health and disease in this species.

While gut microbiota has been linked to health and disease, the diversity amongst fish means that baseline data from wild fish and a clear understanding of the role that specific gut microbiota play is still deficient. In addition, our understanding of other host-associated microbial niches, such as the skin mucus microbiome, remains limited. Like the gut microbiota, the skin mucus microbial community plays vital roles for fish. Skin mucus bacteria constitute the first barrier of defence against infections by environmental opportunistic pathogens and parasites. With constant contact with the external environment, fish skin mucous and its associated microbiota is vulnerable to environmental physicochemical disturbances compared to the stable conditions of the buffered gut environment. This sensitivity indicates that skin mucus bacteria could potentially be used as microbial biomarkers or proxies of fish health, which would assist management of wild fish populations and enable rapid diagnosis of fish gut diseases through skin mucus microbiota profiling, thereby improving performance and growth of captive fish.

Key project goals

1. Explore the phylogenetic structure of fish skin mucus and gut microbial communities
2. Investigate the effect of environmental drivers (i.e. freshwater outflow, salinity, temperature) on the structure of microbial communities in both tissues
3. Examine relationships between microbial communities and indicators of fish health, including parasite loads and body condition indices
4. Provide research outputs linking microbiome structure to fish health and disease to provide tools for fisheries management

Prospective students with backgrounds or interest in the following topics are encouraged to apply:

• Microbiology and DNA analysis
• Marine ecology
• Fisheries biology

The project would involve laboratory work at CDU’s Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Darwin. The student can be based on the CDU campus in Darwin or work remotely if preferred.

Closing date: Open

Funding: Domestic Research Training Stipend ($28,597 per annum in 2021) and operating funding

More information: Jo Randall (Joanne.Randall@cdu.edu.au), Keith Christian (Keith.Christian@cdu.edu.au)

Supervisors and collaborators: Sam Banks and Carol Palmer (Charles Darwin University), Alana Grech (James Cook University), Rob Harcourt (Macquarie University), Vinay Udyawer (AIMS), Chandra Salgado-Kent (Edith Cowan University), Jo Day (Taronga Conservation Society), Feach Moyle (Parks Australia)and collaborators at NT Parks and Wildlife, Larrakia Rangers and Gumurr-Marthakal Rangers.

Project suitable for: PhD

Project summary:

We are seeking a PhD candidate for an ARC Linkage-funded project on marine turtles and coastal dolphins around the Northern Territory of Australia. The broader project is a partnership involving Kakadu National Park, Larrakia Nation Aboriginal Corporation (Larrakia Rangers), the Marthakal Homelands and Resource Centre (Gumurr Marthakal Rangers), NT Parks and Wildlife (Garig Gunak Barlu National Park), Taronga Conservation Society, the Australian Institute of Marine Science, Charles Darwin University, James Cook University, Edith Cowan University, Macquarie University and Sea Darwin Ltd. The project involves marine fieldwork, seascape genetics methods and GPS telemetry to conduct marine megafauna surveys around the Top End coast and map patterns of population structure and habitat use to inform and interpret monitoring programs with sea country managers.

We have a RTP scholarship for PhD project that provides the opportunity to combine biological research with the implementation and evaluation of protocols relating to the ownership, attribution and sharing of data in the context of Indigenous sea country management, Traditional Knowledge and research collaboration and co-production. The project can be tailored to the strengths and interests of the candidate but would involve remote marine fieldwork with a large collaborative team including a number of NT coastal sea ranger groups and opportunities for research using seascape genetics and /or movement ecology approaches.

The project team and potential supervisory panel includes Sam Banks and Carol Palmer at Charles Darwin University, Alana Grech at James Cook University, Rob Harcourt at Macquarie University, Vinay Udyawer at AIMS, Chandra Salgado-Kent at Edith Cowan University, Jo Day at Taronga Conservation Society, Feach Moyle at Parks Australia and collaborators at NT Parks and Wildlife, Larrakia Rangers and Gumurr-Marthakal Rangers.

Candidates would need to apply for a RTP scholarship through Charles Darwin University and contact sam.banks@cdu.edu.au with an email about your interest in the project and CV attached.

Funding information: Project funded by the Australian Research Council (no top-up scholarship currently available)

Closing date: End of November 2021

More information: Sam.Banks@cdu.edu.au