PhD Program
One Basin CRC’s PhD program provides unprecedented leadership development and extensive industry networking opportunities, and the chance to establish a deep understanding of your chosen field.
Develop world-leading skills in helping communities tackle climate change and accelerate rural innovation through training from internationally renowned experts, while working with our industry partners in the iconic Murray-Darling Basin on real-world problems.
Our PhD graduates will be the future leaders in basin research and application. The One Basin CRC offers attractive PhD packages in a broad range of disciplinary fields and across multiple universities in Australia including:
• Australian National University
• Charles Sturt University
• Flinders University
• The University of Adelaide
• The University of Melbourne
• The University of Sydney
• University of Southern Queensland.
Our PhD program will give you the professional skills and networks to accelerate your career in research or practice across the water, agriculture or environmental sectors.
Key features of the One Basin CRC PhD program include:
- A 3.5 year scholarship with an additional 6-month funded internship with an industry partner or equivalent part-time employment.
- A flexible funding package including a stipend of as much as $56,000 pa* and generous travel and operational support. Additional income from working part-time with industry partners and further scholarships may be available.
- The PhD program seeks to achieve gender balance and attract candidates from all walks of life, with Australians of Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander heritage particularly encouraged to apply.
- Opportunities for travel (including the possibility of international conferences), development and engagement with a strong research network that is being developed through the 10-year CRC.
- Each candidate will be based for the majority of their time in one of the following research hubs: Loxton (South Australia), Mildura (Victoria), Griffith (NSW) and Goondiwindi (Queensland) in order to facilitate place-based research and interactions with industry partners.
Potential PhD candidates can submit a general Expression of Interest by sending a letter of introduction and CV to educationandtraining@onebasin.com.au
*This is dependent on the host university policies, other available co-funding, and candidature experience and background. Candidates will receive a minimum stipend of $35,840 pa and a further minimum $20,000 (total) in operational funding. The exact allocation of the funding package between the stipend and support activities (such as conferences, travel to and from regional hubs) will be agreed to by the host university, PhD student and the 1BCRC. Applicants must be intending to apply for, and be highly competitive for, a Research Training Program (RTP) Stipend (or an equivalent scholarship). The student will enter the PhD program in 2025 and enrol on a full-time basis.
Featured PhD Opportunities
One Basin CRC
PhD general expression of interest
Submit a general expression of interest to undertake a PhD through the One Basin CRC by sending your CV and cover letter.
One Basin CRC
Removal of Bryozoa from Irrigation Systems
Fouling growths in water pipelines is a common problem around the world and is very difficult to manage. The most difficult scenario is with irrigation water where the typical control measures are either prohibitively expensive or have significant chemical residue issues. This project will work to better understand the causal factors to Bryozoa growth in irrigation water pipelines and investigate potential mitigating measures. The researcher will be based in Loxton, South Australia and will work closely with the Renmark Irrigation Trust and other stakeholders.
One Basin CRC
Understanding the factors that inhibit or enable greater engagement of irrigators across the Murray–Darling Basin in actively contributing to river health through innovative on-farm land and water management practices (‘Fish Friendly Farms’).
With the help of one or more PhD projects we seek to explore two dimensions of this challenge: to describe current land and water management practices and identify innovative and best practice environmental management adoption across different sectors; and to analyse what factors enable or inhibit uptake of these best practices.
One Basin CRC
Understanding of survival and recruitment needs of River Blackfish in south-eastern Australia to inform management in a changing climate.
This project will establish greater understanding of the complexities affecting River Blackfish abundance, and will provide direction in the recovery of endemic and important ecological and cultural freshwater fish.