PROJECT SCOPE: The project builds on existing work conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency, Victoria, integrating hydrological measurements, contaminant concentrations, microbial profiles, & land use data. It will identify contaminants of concern & assess their toxicity and ecological risks by linking observed concentrations with ecotoxicological thresholds for relevant species. The key research questions of the project include:

What are the ecological risk profiles for key flora & fauna species in flood-affected nonurban landscapes? How can land use, hydrological data, & contaminant profiles be used to understand and predict ecological risks during flood events in nonurban landscapes? How do flood-driven microbial dynamics inform environmental risk assessments for antimicrobial resistance (AMR)?

UNIVERSITY: The University of Queensland (available to domestic students only)

INDUSTRY PARTNER/S: Environmental Protection Agency Victoria | Northern Arizona University

FUNDING AVAILABLE: 

- Living stipend of $45,000 per annum

- Tuition fees covered

- A professional development funding package of $21,000 per candidate for 3 years

PROJECT SCOPE: This project develops natural crop coatings with antimicrobial, cooling, and moisture control properties to reduce pesticide use and improve crop health in wheat, corn, and soybeans.

UNIVERSITY: The University of Queensland (available to domestic students only)

FUNDING AVAILABLE:

- Living stipend of $45,000 per annum

- Tuition fees covered

- A professional development funding package of $21,000 per candidate for 3 years

PROJECT SCOPE: The urban water cycle contains various potential hotspots and mitigation opportunities for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) spread. In indirect potable water reuse, treated wastewater is recycled back to an environmental buffer, such as a dam, being withdrawn downstream and then treated again to meet drinking water quality standards. The dam itself is exposed to anthropogenic activity.

This PhD project proposes the investigation of the potential impact that the introduction of purified recycled water (PRW) has on the receiving water reservoir and the role of the latter in the amplification of AMR determinants potentially arising from PRW. The risk of this process will be assessed and compared to other activities impacting the catchment (e.g. cattle and horticulture).

The role of treatment barriers in risk reduction will also be quantified, with the aim of comparing the benefits of increasing the treatment steps upstream (advanced water treatment process) and/or downstream (drinking water treatment plant) versus improving catchment stewardship.

UNIVERSITY: The University of Queensland (available to domestic students only)

INDUSTRY PARTNER/S: Seqwater

FUNDING AVAILABLE:

- Living stipend of $45,000 per annum

- Tuition fees covered

- A professional development funding package of $21,000 per candidate for 3 years