PhD Scholarship, School of Civil Engineering

PHD SCHOLARSHIP

The School of Civil Engineering at The University of Queensland (Brisbane, Australia) is offering PhD scholarships for motivated students to contribute to research being undertaken within the Centre for Solid Waste Bioprocessing in close collaboration with Chemical Engineering. The successful student will be funded through Australian Research Council (ARC) projects. Potential students with an interest in biochemistry, microbiology, wastewater management and environmental engineering are strongly encouraged to apply. The scholarships will be for three (3) years and valued at $27,000 AUD per year with the possibility of a 6 month extension in approved circumstances. Top-up scholarships and international student fee-waivers are also available to exceptional candidates.

PROJECT INFORMATION

Creating a circular economy: from waste to resource

Due to recent success in grant application and increase in staff capacity, there are several exciting opportunities to undertake a Doctor of Philosophy program. The main theme of the research directive is creating a circular economy where resources are used in an efficient and sustainable way and subsequently recovered and reused. The project will focus on the development of a novel cost-effective technology for recovery of nutrients from wastewater and solid organic waste streams in the form of high quality products.

The project aims to assess the practical and economic potential using both lab-scale and field studies. All projects are in close collaboration with other research groups at the University of Queensland as well as with industry and international research institutes.

The role

The successful candidates will receive systematic training in Biological processes, physical processes and a detailed understanding of urban water management. The student will conduct detailed laboratory scale investigations to fundamentally understand relevant processes and reveal mechanisms, with the aim to ultimately translate the obtained findings and knowledge to pilot plant and/or field investigations. The candidate will be housed in an excellent research environment with excellent laboratory facilities and expertise.

QUALIFICATIONS

The candidate will have a master's degree or 1st Class Honours degree or equivalent in science and domestic applicants should be eligible for an Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) or equivalent (for more information, please visit: http://www.uq.edu.au/grad-school/domestic-student-scholarships). Background in environmental and/or chemical engineering is desirable. International applicants must meet the University of Queensland's English Language Proficiency (ELP) requirements detailed at http://www.uq.edu.au/grad-school/english-language-proficiency-requirements.

Mandatory requirements for international applicants:

• At least 1 high quality research publication or practical experience in the relevant field;
• Excellent academic performance evidenced by a high Grade Point Average (GPA).

HOW TO APPLY 

Please direct all enquiries to Dr Ilje Pikaar at (i.pikaar@uq.edu.au), - to apply please use the apply button and include:

A brief (1-page) cover letter detailing your relevant experience and research interests

A full academic CV including references to published material and at least two academic referees

A copy of your academic transcript (this does not need to be an official copy at this stage).

Should the EOI be successful you will be required to apply for admission through the School. Further instructions on this application process can be found at: http://www.civil.uq.edu.au/RHD-application-process.

Submission due by 15/08/2016

Reference: 499274