CRC CARE offers scholarships for potential and existing higher
degree candidates and Honours students who are studying at one of
its partner universities to investigate issues relating to
environmental contamination and remediation. At this time the
CRC has the following opportunities available:
Current Scholarships and Projects
Development of Analytical Methods for
Environmental Forensic Investigation of Soils and Sediments
(Honours)
Endpoints
for Petroleum LNAPL remediation-technology performance and risk
reduction (PhD x 3)
The interaction toxicity of polyaromatic
hydrocarbons, and harmful metals, commonly found at former gasworks
sites and their relevance to human health risk assessment
(PhD)
Honours
Project Title: Development of Analytical Methods for
Environmental Forensic Investigation of Soils and
Sediments
Project description: Hydrocarbons are a major
environmental contaminant both in Australia and globally.
Management of this form of environmental contamination requires
accurate detection and measurement of hydrocarbon levels in soil
and sediment, as well as the ability to determine the nature and
source of hydrocarbons. This project seeks to address this
through two components:
- Improvement of hydrocarbon measurement accuracy
- Developing techniques to determine the age (and thus the
source) of contaminant hydrocarbons in the environment.
The first component forms part of a collaborative CRC CARE
project in which a new reference method will be validated and a new
reference material produced and characterised. A variety of
techniques such as GC-FID, GC-MS and FTIR will be involved in this
project. The second component will involve using gas
chromatography profiles of aged hydrocarbons in soil
samples.
University Partner: This is a collaborative
project between the School of Chemistry and Forensic Science, at
the University of Technology Sydney, and the National Measurement
Institute (NMI).
Date for Applications: Closes when the position is
filled
For further information on the project, scholarship benefits,
and application process please visit: http://www.measurement.gov.au/Documents/HonsSchol.pdf
PhD Project title:
Endpoints for Petroleum LNAPL remediation-technology
performance and risk reduction
Project description:
The petroleum industry and regulatory agencies in Australia are
keen to support improved understanding of the sustainable
remediation of light non-aqueous phase liquids (LNAPLs) such as
petroleum fuels in groundwater environments. Such improved
understanding will be developed through better field-scale
quantification of the effectiveness of remediation strategies in
removing LNAPLs from aquifers and thereby reducing exposures and
risks.
There are 3 PhD research projects
available;
-
Field evaluation of the
inter-comparison of petroleum (LNAPL) remediation technology
efficiencies in complex fractured and/or porous media. This
will involve active field-based investigations of remediation
technologies at existing industrial sites throughout
Australia.
-
Multiphase modelling of
petroleum (LNAPL) remediation options in aquifers with complex
geologies. This will involve the development and evaluation of
numerical models for NAPL remediation technologies
-
Quantifying the transient
risk due to petroleum (LNAPL) removal from impacted sites.
This will involve experimentation and modelling to quantify risks
due the contamination
The PhD students will work closely
with project investigators, consultants and other specialist staff
on this well funded, industry linked project.
University Partner: The
projects will be conducted at CSIRO Land and Water, Floreat Western
Australia in partnership with the University of Technology Sydney,
and jointly with industry partners where field investigations are
undertaken and applications tested.
Date for Applications: Closes
when the position is filled
For further project related information please
contact: Colin Johnston (CSIRO Project Leader) on +61-(0)8-9333
6328; Colin.Johnston@csiro.au
or Robert McLaughlan on
+61-(0)2-9514 2614 (UTS Supervisor); robert.mclaughlan@uts.edu.au
PhD Project title: The
interaction toxicity of polyaromatic hydrocarbons, and harmful
metals, commonly found at former gasworks sites and their relevance
to human health risk assessment.
Project description: Identifying, measuring
and delineating contamination with sufficient certainty to make
good decisions within the available budget is a major challenge for
risk assessors and remediators. Added to this uncertainty
factor is the lack of reliable data on chemical mixture
bioavailability and toxicity. Current measurement methodologies and
technologies have many limitations which lead to uncertainty, time
and cost in the site assessment process.
Prior to the risk posed by contaminated sites being estimated or
any remedial activity undertaken, it is vital that the
bioavailability and toxicity of contaminants are adequately
understood. The results of quantitative toxicological tests play a
key role in identification and evaluation of risk, and thereby
increase remediation options for contaminated sites.
PAHs and toxic metals such as arsenic, lead, cadmium, zinc and
chromium are the common co-contaminants present in former
manufacturing gas-plants sites, which account for almost a third of
all contaminated sites in this country. However, current toxicity
assessments are generally restricted to individual contaminants and
rarely are mixtures tested. This project fills data gaps needed for
the risk-assessment of mixed contamination by generating
scientifically based toxicological knowledge and also improve the
current risk assessment methods by integrating the toxicity assays
for ecological and human health.
University Partner: This Project and Scholarship
will be coordinated through The National Research Centre for
Environmental Toxicology (Entox) and the School of Medicine, the
University of Queensland.
Date for Applications: Closes when the position is
filled.
For further information on the project, scholarship benefits, and
application process please review the following document:
