Current Research Higher Degree Projects
Featured Project:
Did Indonesian tectonic uplift change ocean circulation and global climate 3-4 Million years ago? (palynological aspects)
The project sits within a NZ Marsden Fast-Start project. The overall project PI is Dr. Mark Quigley, Geological Sciences, University of Canterbury, New Zealand.
Overall project brief: The cause of global climate change beginning ~3-4 Myr ago is unknown, despite its relevance for hominid evolution and the development of modern climate drivers such as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). This study will test a provocative hypothesis; that tectonic modification of the Indonesian seaway changed the source of surface waters flowing into the Indian Ocean from the warmer, saltier South Pacific to the cooler, fresher North Pacific during the mid-Pliocene. Global climate models predict that such a change would lead to increased aridity in eastern Africa, termination of permanent El Niño, cooling in New Zealand, and decreased atmospheric heat transfer to higher latitudes, amongst other global phenomena. To test this hypothesis, we will reconstruct the Pliocene tectonic, topographic, and palaeo-oceanographic history of part of the Indonesian seaway using an exceptionally well-preserved and scarcely studied sequence of ca. 5.6 to < 2.6 Ma marine sedimentary rocks now exposed on the island of East Timor. These rocks contain a wealth of information on past oceans and climates, and provide the world’s first opportunity to tie Pliocene ocean geochemical changes, climate seasonality, surface uplift, and large Indonesian earthquakes to a reliable, high-resolution chronology obtained from U-Pb dating of fossil Porites corals.
Read about other student projects below:
| Name | Degree | Topic | Principal Advisor |
| Abbott, John | PhD |
Understanding and Managing Uncertainty in Metropolitan Planning
|
A/Prof John Minnery |
| Adams-Hosking, Christine | PhD | Designing a Habitat Network for Conserving Koalas Throughout their Geographic Range in Queensland | Dr Patrick Moss |
| Adams-Smith, Alison | PhD | Dump Scavenger Communities in Developing Countries: How can their Wellbeing and Status be Improved? | Dr Donovan Storey |
| Armston, John | PhD | Detecting Long-Term Change in The Structure of Queensland's Forests and Woodlands using Lidar Remote Sensing | Prof Stuart Phinn |
| Aulia Sofyan, . | PhD | The Strategic Planning of Post Disaster Reconstruction: A caste Study of Banda Aceh Reconstruction | A/Prof John Minnery |
| Bhandari, Santosh-Prasad | PhD | Monitoring Forest Dynamics using Time Series Satellite Data | Prof Stuart Phinn |
| Blondeau-Patissier, David | PhD | Detection and Prediction of Harmful Algal Blooms in Australian Costal and Lagoonal Waters Using Ocean Colour Remote Sensing and Bio-optics | Prof Stuart Phinn |
| Bourgoin, Jeremy | PhD | Land Use Decisions on Property Rights Leading to Sustainable Ecosystem Management. A Southeast Asia Case Study | Dr David Pullar |
| Bowen, Michiala | PhD | Quantifying the Ecological Values of Brigalow Regrowth for Woodland Birds: A Hierarchical Landscape Approach | Dr Clive McAlpine |
| Budiyanti, Yanti | PhD | Evaluate Indonesia's Sustainable Development Planning: The System Dynamics Approach | Dr Donovan Storey |
| Butler, Sarah | PhD | The Associate Between the Ecological Condition of Remnant and Non-Remnant Brigalow Fragments with Structural, Spatial and Land-Use Attributes, Southeast Queensland | Dr Clive McAlpine |
| Campbell, Glenn | PhD | Remote Sensing Optical Water Quality Parameters for use by Water Resource Managers | Prof Stuart Phinn |
| Canto, Robert | PhD | Effects of Spatial Configuration of Selected Processes Influencing Algal Growth on the Dynamics of Algal Cover in Shark Bay Reef Flat, Heron Reef | Prof Stuart Phinn |
| Carter, Louisa | PhD |
Convergences: Governance and Public Dining Space in South-East Queensland
|
A/Prof John Minnery |
| Cattarino, Lorenzo | PhD | Impact of Habitat Frangmentation on Koalas: A Focus on Spatial Processes and Individual Response | Dr Clive McAlpine |
| Charles-Edwards, Elin | PhD | Modelling Flux: Towards the Estimation of Small Temporary Populations in Australia | Prof Martin Bell |
| Chatterji, Tathagata | PhD | Impact of Globalisation on the Peri-urban Interface: Technology Cluster Driven Informal Sectors in the Delhi National Capital Region | Assoc Prof John Minnery |
|
Chu, Jasmine
|
MPhil | Coral Reef Mapping: Improvement of Methods Using High-Resolution Satellite Imagery | Prof Stuart Phinn |
| Dahl, Kelsey | MPhil | Terrestrial Biodiversity Offsets: The Development of Ecological Guidelines to Inform Planning | Dr Ann Peterson |
| Elledge, Amanda | PhD | Environmental Impacts of Feral Pigs on Coastal Lowland Rainforests | Dr Clive McAlpine |
| Elliott, Peter | PhD | The Influence of High Voltage Overhead Transmission Lines on People, Communities and Property Values | Dr David Wadley |
| Ganis, Mary | MPhil | Masterplanning Adaptability in a Dynamic Urban Context | A/Prof John Minnery |
| Graham, Cameron | PhD | The Ecology and Density of Red Foxes and Feral Cats in Brigalow Landscapes, Brigalow Belt South | Dr Martine Maron |
| Hadi-Suseno | PhD | Wise use Principles for Wetland Management: A Case Study of Pemalang Coastal Area - Central Java - Indonesia | Dr Ann Peterson |
| Hewson, Michael | PhD | Investigating the Significance of Aerosols on Clouds and Rainfall in South-East Queensland using Remote Sensing | A/Pros Hamish McGowan |
| Howes, Alison | PhD | Maximising Woodland Bird Diversity in Brigalow Belt Forests | Dr Martine Maron |
| Huston, Simon | PhD | Residential Price Premium Evolution in a Metropolis. Reconstitution or a Wicked Sequence of Distortions and Deceptions | Dr David Wadley |
| Khanmohammadi, Mehrdad | PhD | Linking Freshwater Ecosystems and Diadromy in Selecting Marine Reserves in Enclosed and Semi-Enclosed Seas: Caspian Sea as a Case Study | Dr Clive McAlpine |
| Le, Thi Nhu Hoa | PhD | Ecotourism Development: The Case of Vietnam | Dr Pramod Sharma |
| Leiper, Ian | PhD | Mapping Tropical Marine Communities for Direct Application Purposes using Remote Sensing Techniques | Prof Stuart Phinn |
| Lewis, Donna | PhD | An Evaluation of Image and Field Data for Vegetation Community Mapping in Tropical Savannas | Prof Stuart Phinn |
| Li, Tiebei | PhD | Predicting Future Spatial Distributions of Population and Employment for South East Queensland + a Spatial Disaggregation Approach | Dr David Pullar |
| Lyons, Mitchell | PhD | Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of South-East Queensland Catchments and Moreton Bay - a Remote Sensing Approach to Mapping, Modelling, Monitoring and Management | Prof Stuart Phinn |
| Mackellar, Melissa | PhD | Coral Reef Micrometeorology: A Study of Reef-atmosphere Interactions | A/Prof Hamish McGowan |
| Menke, Norbert | PhD | Spatially Explicit Red Kangaroo Population Models for the South Australian Sheep Rangelands | Prof Stuart Phinn |
| Miyake, Saori | PhD | Land-Use Implications due to the Bio-energy Crops in Queensland | A/Prof David Neil |
| Moore, Richard | PhD | Breaking the Circle of Blame - Achieving Best Practice Ecological Performance on Medium to Large Scale Mixed use Precinct Developments | Dr Clive Warren |
| Mort, Kerry | PhD | Towards a Knowledge-based Model of Development | Dr David Wadley |
| Nguyen, Hai Hoa | PhD | Modelling Impacts of Forest Vegetation Condition Change on Natural Resources and Environment to Determine Optimal Forest Areas and its Distribution of Protection Forests in the North-West, Vietnam | Dr David Pullar |
| Ong, Jackie | PhD | Incorporating Sustainability into Planning for Coastal Tourism Development in Asia | A/Prof John Minnery |
| Parr, Angelique | PhD | Return Migration in Australia | Prof Martin Bell |
| Petherick, Lynda | PhD | Reconstruction of Intercontinental Palaeodust Transport Pathways for the Southern Hemisphere using Aeolian Dust Archives | A/Prof Hamish McGowan |
| Powell, Owen | PhD | Water Colonialism and the Transformation of Warrego Country | Dr Clive McAlpine |
| Renew, Warren | PhD | Traffic in Cities: An Analysis of Residents' Counteractions against Adverse Traffic Products | Dr David Wadley |
| Renouf, Marguerite | PhD | Environmental Implications of Product Diversification in the Australian Sugar Industry | Mr Robert Pagan |
| Robertson, Oliver | PhD | The Spatial Ecology of Birds in Fragmented Cotton Landscapes | Dr Clive McAlpine |
| Roelfsema, Christiaan | PhD | Integrating Field and Remotely Sensed Data for Assessment of Coral Reef and Seagrass Habitats | Prof Stuart Phinn |
| Rowe Gonzalez, Francisco | PhD | Characterizing the Inter-Regional Migration in Chile 1997-2002 | Prof Robert Stimson |
| Sander, Nikola | PhD | Retirement Migration in Australia, 1976-81 to 1996-01 | Prof Martin Bell |
| Sanderson, Chris | MPhil | Bird-Habitat Interactions in the Burnett-Mary Catchment Region | Dr Clive McAlpine |
| Schoettker, Birte | PhD | Remote Sensing to Improve Erosion Modelling and Management in a Coastal Catchment | Prof Stuart Phinn |
| Schmidt, Paul | PhD | Maximising Environmnental Governance of Climate Change Adaptation for Regional Sustainability | Dr Tiffany Morrison |
| Scopelitis, Julie-Delphine-Emilie | PhD | Modelling Habitat Evolution in Coral Reef at Decadal Scale: An Artificial Intelligence and Remote Sensing Approach | Prof Stuart Phinn |
| Skrandies-Martin, Jane | PhD | Structure and Condition of Riparian Zones: Monitoring Water Quality in Tropical Rainforest Streams | Prof Stuart Phinn |
| Smith, Andrew | PhD | The Conservation of Widely Distributed Species: Implications of Differences between Western and Eastern Koala Populations | Dr Clive McAlpine |
| Smith, Paul | PhD | Developing a Compositional Model of the Floristics of the Tingle Mosaic | Dr Grant Wardell-Johnson |
| Speirs, Johanna | PhD | Foehn Winds in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica | A/Prof Hamish McGowan |
| Steinberger, Lincoln | PhD | Combining Paleoecological and Archeological Histories of Fire in the Atherton Tablelands of Northeast Queensland | Dr Patrick Moss |
| Thomas, Evan | PhD | Theoretically Sound Approaches to Calculating Environmental Liabilities using Balance-Sheet Models for Monitoring Local-Scale Environmental Accounts | Dr Jackie Robinson |
| Tran, Van Dien | PhD | Mapping and Monitoring Coral Reefs in Vietnam’s Coastal Waters from High-Spatial Resolution Remote Sensing and Field Survey Data | Prof Stuart Phinn |
| Wong, Choong | PhD | Planning Framework for Sustainable Affordable Housing Policies in Developing Countries | Dr Jonathan Corcoran |
| Worrall, Rhys | PhD | Past, Present, Future: Sustainable Environmental Management of Ipswich District Open Cut Coal Mines, Queensland | A/Prof David Neil |
| Wulf, Peter | PhD | Self-regulatory Codes of Practice and their Effectiveness in Achieving Best Environmental Management Practices within North Queensland's Primary Industries | Dr Ann Peterson |
| Zann Schuster, Maria | MPhil | The Use of Remote Sensing and Field Validation for Mapping Coral Communities of Harvey Bay and Great Sandy Strait and Implications for Coastal Planning Policy. | Prof Stuart Phinn |
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