Coral Reef Vulnerability Mapping scholarships

About QUT

The school hosting this scholarship is QUT. QUT is a recognized leader in transdisciplinary research. They are at the center of progressive research an exciting and rewarding place to be. QUT increases capacity for transformative research with real-world relevance through its research strengths and by supporting researchers with world-class infrastructure. They prioritize partnerships and high-quality research outputs with societal impact by facilitating co-creation and co-authorship and focusing on the real-world difference our research can make.

The scholarship Project Description

Project Topic; The Vulnerability and Risk Mapping of Coral Rubble Generation on the Great Barrier Reef.

The scholarship will be funded by a funding Body and Project Alignment by the name ‘Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program (www.gbrrestoration.org)

Project Description: The Great Barrier Reef is vulnerable to damage by a range of natural and anthropogenic causes that can generate large and sustained volumes of coral rubble that hinder coral and reef recovery. At present, it remains unknown which reefs on the Great Barrier Reef are likely to get, or currently have significant and damaging coral rubble loads. and how frequently coral rubble generation occurs, or if it is a recurring problem, and what the timescales or recovery periods are between coral rubble-generating events, which is crucial for the success of intervention methods following a rubble-forming event; and how vulnerability to coral rubble generation may vary both along and across the Great Barrier Reef. The project(s) will focus on key areas in the Great Barrier Reef and integrate several different datasets on drivers of rubble generation (e.g., cyclones tsunamis, Crown of Thorns Starfish invasions, bleaching events) to develop vulnerability maps at the individual reef to local reef group scales.

The Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program (RRAP) is underway on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and is designed as a large-scale collaborative research and development program to develop, test, and assess innovative interventions to enhance reef resilience and sustain ecological functions and values. Rubble Stabilisation, a subprogram of RRAP, is a reef-based R&D project that aims to investigate methods to stabilize damaged reef surfaces where dead or degraded corals have become loose and unconsolidated rubble, preventing or slowing reef recovery. As a first step then, it is important to be able to identify coral reefs that can benefit most from restoration strategies: those most vulnerable to rubble formation, and those where prevailing wave regimes can make mobile rubble persist and hinder recovery.

Two MPhil scholarships and projects, or One Ph.D. scholarship and project are available.

Expertise and experience are required from candidates in the following:

• Any of the fields of oceanography, marine science, marine geology, and natural hazards
• GIS

Experience in the following is highly desired:

• Coding in Python and R
• Prior experience with the Great Barrier Reef or other coral reef systems.

Benefits

The scholarship benefit has been broken down into two programs for easy understanding.

For Master of Philosophy scholarships

The selected applicant(s) for the Master of Philosophy will receive a living allowance for up to 1.5 years of $21,041 per annum. The scholarship award is only for full-time students and can be used to support living costs.

For Doctor of Philosophy Scholarship

The selected applicant for the Doctor of Philosophy will receive a living allowance for a duration of three years of $35,000 per annum. The scholarship is only awarded to full-time students and can be used to support living costs.

The scholarship award will include the following;

• A possible extension of up to six-month, subject to approval by QUT.
• International students will also be considered for a Tuition Fee Sponsorship.
• There will either be two MPhil scholarships or one Ph.D. scholarship.

To be Eligible

Applicants must meet the following requirements to be selected for the scholarship award but also know that the provision of a scholarship is conditional on successful application and admission to the Doctor of Philosophy or Master of Philosophy course.

• Applicant must meet the QUT academic and English language entry requirements as listed below;
• Make sure you meet the entry and English language requirements
• Be sure to find a supervisor
• Make sure you prepare your supporting documents
• Be sure to complete your research proposal.
• If you’re applying in the annual scholarship round, it may take longer to receive your outcome. Make sure you check the eligibility and dates for applying for a research scholarship.
• Applicants must have recently completed a degree in Spatial, Marine, Earth, or Environmental Sciences; Minimum GPA requirement for MPhil Study or First-class honors (H1) or equivalent for Ph.D. study.

Applicants will also be assessed against the Science and Engineering Faculty’s scholarship requirements as listed below;

• Grade point average (GPA) of at least 6
• Publications and conference or journal patents
• Research, lab, field, and professional experience
• Strategic alignment with faculty research strengths, priorities, and values
• School and supervisor support
• English language proficiency level (benchmarked and ranked against an overall score higher than QUT’s minimum English test requirements, or a comparison for approved QUT EMI equivalence)

Eligibility for admission to a research degree is determined by the Graduate Research Centre.

How to Apply

The applicants for this scholarship are in two-phase

The First Phase

Interested applicants must submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) for consideration prior to applying for this scholarship, as per QUT’s how to apply website. The EOI must include:

• an up-to-date curriculum vitae (CV), including recent IELTS or equivalent score for international applicants
• a two-page research proposal addressing the scholarship topic
• a writing sample (e.g. copy of an article/essay/thesis you have completed).
• The EOI should indicate that you are applying for this scholarship, and must have Associate Professor Scott Bryan nominated as your potential supervisor.
• The EOI must be submitted online no later than the set deadline.

Phase Two

On review of the EOI selected applicants will then be invited to submit a full application.

EOIs will be reviewed next by the supervisory team. An informal interview may be requested of short-listed candidates.

Note; Applications will remain open until a suitable candidate(s) is found.

For more information on the scholarship, kindly visit the official website at; https://www.qut.edu.au/study/fees-and-scholarships/scholarships/coral-reef-vulnerability-mapping-scholarships