PhD Opportunity: Biogeography of Plant Traits that Govern Bushfire Risk and Drought Vulnerability (Australia)

The Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment at Western Sydney University (Australia) is looking for a highly motivated and qualified candidate for a 3-year PhD.

The project aims to model the spatial variation in plants traits that affect vegetation responses to drought and control temporal dynamics of forest flammability. The project will involve fieldwork across eastern Australia to model the response of live fuel moisture content to declines in soil water content. Additional fieldwork will be conducted to measure variation in key plants traits across environmental gradients.

Note: Some aspects of the project, including the project start date, may be modified subject to COVID-19 regulations.

What does the scholarship provide?

> A tax-free stipend of $30,000(AUD) per annum for up to 3 years to support living costs

> Substantial benefits in terms of additional operational funding for project fieldwork and data collection.