Research supervisors

Academic staff in the School of Environment, Science and Engineering can provide supervision for postgraduate research studies in several discipline areas and topics - for Honours, Masters (MA) and Doctorate (PhD) awards.

The following is a list of areas of research specialisation in the School.

For more information about postgraduate research studies and the availability of supervisors, please contact:

t: + 61 2 6620 3650
e: ese@scu.edu.au

Supervisor	Proposed Research Topics
Dr Kirsten Benkendorff	Marine molluscs and intertidal reef biodiversity Invertebrate immunity and impacts of stress Bioactive marine natural products
Professor Bill Boyd	Environmental management and planning Higher education and teaching & learning Socio-cultural perspectives on environmental management Cultural heritage management Quaternary geology including palynology Geoarchaeology
Dr Daniel Bucher	Coral reef ecology Subtropical reef ecology Benthic invertebrates of sandy sediments
Professor Les Christidis	Conservation and population genetics Biodiversity and Landscape Connectivity Evolutionary biogeography of the Australasian fauna
Dr Malcolm Clark	Engineering and Environmental Geochemistry Acid Rock Drainage Sediment water interactions
Dr Leigh Davison	On-site treatment of domestic waste and wastewater Water quality improvement using subsurface flow constructed wetlands (reed beds) Water quality improvement using sand filters
Dr Symon Dworjanyn	Aquaculture Seaweed and invertebrate ecology Chemical ecology
Dr Dirk Erler	Nitrogen cycling Wastewater systems Coral palaeoceanography
Professor Brad Eyre	Biogeochemistry Nutrient budgets and water quality Estuaries
Associate Professor Ross Goldingay	Conservation of threatened and endangered wildlife Ecology and management of forest wildlife Road impacts on wildlife and their mitigation
Professor Peter Harrison	Reproduction in reef corals Effects of bleaching and pollution stress on corals Coral reef monitoring and management
Dr Brendan Kelaher	Sustainable use of marine biodiversity Impact and restoration of marine environments Marine conversation and management Coastal carbon sequestration
Dr Neal Lake	Leadership and high performance teams Bridge design, evaluation, monitoring and asset management Civil engineering materials and alternative building materials Use of augmented reality in engineering practice and education Engineering education
Dr David Lloyd	Marine and Terrestrial Protected Area Management Environmental Interpretation/Education Community and Indigenous Consultation
Associate Professor Doland Nichols	Domestication of subtropical and tropical tree species Tree regeneration in Border Ranges Silviculture and forest health in subtropical eucalypt plantations
Dr Sumith Pathirana	Geographic information systems and remote sensing Environmental hazard risk mapping Climate change and vector borne diseases
Dr Steven Purcell	Fisheries and aquaculture Marine animal behaviour and ecology Conservation biology of marine animals
Dr Amanda Reichelt-Brushett	Ecotoxicology Trace Metals Sediment and water quality
Associate Professor Isaac Santos	Groundwater geochemistry Coal seam gas Carbon cycle in aquatic environments
Associate Professor Stephan Schnierer	Indigenous and Local Fisheries Traditional and Local Fisheries Knowledge Indigenous people and Biodiversity
Dr Anna Scott	Cnidarian reproductive biology (sea anemones and corals) Symbiosis – anemones, anemonefishes, zooxanthellae Impacts of the marine ornamental aquarium trade, and the potential for captive breeding to help alleviate these problems
Professor Scott Smith	Repair of civil infrastructure using advanced materials Recycled construction materials development Teaching and learning in engineering
Associate Professor Stephen Smith	Marine biodiversity Human impacts and their management The biology and ecology of marine molluscs The ecology of subtropical reefs
Dr Debra Stokes	Mangrove ecology Estuarine benthic ecology Coastal geomorphology
Associate Professor Caroline Sullivan	Ecological and Environmental Economics Ecosystem service valuation Resource use by indigenous people Climate adaptation Water resources and their management
Dr Kathryn Taffs	Palaeoecology Wetland ecosystems Environmental history
Professor Jerry Vanclay	Modelling competition in mixed species stands Plantations and water use Incentives for sustainable private native forestry
Dr Michael Whelan	Geographic information systems and database management Remote sensing Agricultural software
Dr Lachlan Yee	Environmentally applied polymer chemistry, soil and marine Chemical cues for marine organisms Antibacterial polymer surfaces

Updated: 14 June 2013