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Dr Dia Adhikari Smith

Affiliate of Dow Centre for Sustain
Dow Centre for Sustainable Engineering Innovation
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
Research Fellow/Senior Research off
Dow Centre for Sustainable Engineering Innovation
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
Research Fellow
School of Civil Engineering
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
Availability:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Dr Dia Adhikari Smith is the Tritium E-Mobility Research Fellow at The University of Queensland’s Dow Centre for Sustainable Engineering Innovation (School of Chemical Engineering) and the Transport Engineering Group (School of Civil Engineering). Her current research focusses on advancing the performance, economics, and uptake of E-Mobility globally, with a particular focus on the decarbonisation of both on-road and non-road heavy vehicles used in transport, construction, and mining sectors in Australia. Dia’s research expertise in low and zero emission heavy vehicles, powered by electric, hydrogen and advanced biofuels, has been demonstrated through several industry and government engagements to deliver decarbonisation feasibility studies, emissions modelling, cost benefit analyses, total cost of ownership scenarios and developing strategic roadmaps and recommended policy packages to achieve net zero emissions. Dia has a PhD in Power and Energy Systems Engineering from Glasgow Caledonian University, UK and worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for Integrated Renewable Energy Generation and Supply, Cardiff University, UK and as a Lecturer at the Grand Canyon University, Phoenix, USA.

Dia's postdoctoral research experience, at Cardiff University, involved in-depth research to investigate Smart Grid network assessment and planning methodologies that would consider type, extent, and pathway of various smart, innovative, and sustainable technology interventions (renewable energy sources, distributed generation, battery storage, electric vehicles, and hydrogen). Dia has worked on different quantitative and qualitative research methods to analyse the factors affecting the diffusion of low and zero emission technologies in the UK and conducted feasibility studies to evaluate the inhibiting factors for Smart Grid transition within the building industry (smart sustainable houses) and the mining sector (electric heavy vehicles, renewable energy sources, and energy storage) in the perspective of users, energy experts, energy providers, respective industries, policymakers, regulators, and the government. Dia's research projects involved close collaboration with Academia, Government and Industry to propose strategic guidelines, evaluate policies, and publish joint work-stream reports, for the successful diffusion of zero-emission technologies and renewable energy systems.

Dia Adhikari Smith
Dia Adhikari Smith

Dr Lisa Bai

Affiliate of Australian Centre for
Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
Availability:
Not available for supervision

Lisa Bai is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology at the University of Queensland, where she is involved in a range of research projects on process development for sustaibale waste and wastewater management. Her main research focus is resource recoverying from waste and wastewater for the production of bioenergy sources and value-added materials such as biodegradable plastics.

Dr. Bai obtained her Bachelor Degree in Bioengineering in Central South University, China and a PhD degree in the School of Chemical Engineering at the University of Queensland. Both her bachelor and PhD thesises were focusing on open culture microalgae mass production as well as product, nutrients and energy recovery from the biomass. Before joining ACWEB, Lisa worked in an environmental service company in North Queensland (Townsville - Bowen) for four years, focusing on process design and development for the aquaculture water bioremediation using macroalgae technologies and utilising waste streams as feedstocks for the production of biomass for a diverse usage including aquaculture feed, fertiliser, and other bioactive compound.

Lisa Bai
Lisa Bai

Professor Damien Batstone

Centre Director of Australian Centr
Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
Affiliate of Australian Centre for
Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
Centre Director, ACWEB
Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
Centre Director, ACWEB
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
Availability:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Prof. Damien Batstone is Director of the Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, where he leads environmental biotechnology and resource recovery research programmes. His research work has focused on renewable energy from biomass, production of commodity chemicals from renewable sources, and the water-energy-food nexus, including production of novel chemicals and feeds for aquaculture from gases such as hydrogen.

Anaerobic and Environmental Biotechnology

Our group specialises in processes which use anaerobic (or without air) conversions to produce bioenergy, green electricity, and other high-value products from wastes and other low value feeds.

Damien Batstone
Damien Batstone

Associate Professor David Callaghan

Associate Professor
School of Civil Engineering
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
Availability:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Before joining the University of Queensland, Dave P. Callaghan held positions within industry including Parsons Brinckerhoff and Lawson and Treloar and research sector including Nederlands Instituut voor Ecologie and the University of Queensland. He is an observer of the Queensland Water Panel and active in the newly created Australian Hydraulic Modelling Association. He is the author of a book section and more than 50 other technical documents with applied and research applications. He is a consultant to private and government organisations. He has worked recently with private and government organisations to improve understanding of extreme coastal weather responses. He is recognised for leading edge research in coastal engineering including statistics of extremes, beach erosion from extreme events, physical and biological interactions of salt marshes and coral reefs, lagoon dynamics and wave propagation.

David Callaghan
David Callaghan

Professor William Clarke

Director of Teaching and Learning o
School of Civil Engineering
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
Professor
School of Civil Engineering
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
Availability:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Prof Bill Clarke (Schools of Civil and Chemical Engineering) has an extensive publication record in methods for accelerating the solubilisation and digestion of solid organic waste, measuring landfill emissions and the ingress of O2 and subsequent composting of waste in landfills, the utilisation of waste as a carbon source for H2S production in the mineral processing industry, on-site digestion of combined wastewater and solid organic waste and the fate of pathogens, heavy metals and POPs in organic treatment processes. He was an Associate Editor of Waste Management (2008-13) and is on the Managing Board of the International Waste Working Group.

William Clarke
William Clarke

Dr Nathan Cook

Lecturer
School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences
Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences
Availability:
Available for supervision
Media expert

I am a motivated and enthusiastic Accredited Practising Dietitian and Accredited Sports Dietitian. I am interested in building sustainable foodservices worldwide, sports nutrition for recreational runners and seperate entrepreneurial ventures. I have a passion for clinical research and quality improvement projects in hospital dietetic services. Currently I want to help build sustainable foodservice systems for public/private entities that consider the future of human and planetary health. I am an ambitious individual who loves networking and who is eager to collaborate, please reach out.

My PhD research has focussed on the measurement and management of food waste in hospital foodservices through aggregate food waste audit activities and diverting food waste from landfill.

Nathan Cook
Nathan Cook

Dr Peter Dart

Honorary Associate Professor
School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability
Faculty of Science
Availability:
Not available for supervision
Media expert
Peter Dart

Associate Professor Paul Dennis

Associate Professor in Env Science
School of the Environment
Faculty of Science
of School of Agriculture and Food S
School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability
Faculty of Science
Affiliate of Centre for Horticultur
Centre for Horticultural Science
Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation
Availability:
Available for supervision

Paul Dennis leads an exciting research group that applies cutting-edge technologies to understand the roles of microorganisms and their responses to environmental change.

He is also a passionate educator and public speaker who advocates for the importance of biological diversity and evidence-based environmental awareness. He has talked about his research on ABC Radio and a range of other media outlets.

His teaching covers aspects of ecology, microbiology, plant and soil science, and climatology. He considers these topics to be of fundamental importance for the development of more sustainable societies and takes pride in helping others to obtain the knowledge and skills they need to build a better future.

Paul's research has taken him to Antarctica, the Amazon Rainforest, high mountains and oceans. The approaches used in his lab draw on a wide range of expertise in molecular biology, ecology, statistics, computer science, advanced imaging and soil science. He applies these skills to a wide-range of topics and systems including plant-microbe interactions, Antarctic marine and terrestrial ecology, biogeography, pollution and human health.

Paul Dennis
Paul Dennis

Associate Professor Rebecca Dunlop

Associate Professor in Physiology
School of the Environment
Faculty of Science
Availability:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Originally from Ireland, Rebecca Dunlop completed her BSc (Honours) degree in Environmental Biology followed by her PhD in fish neuroethology, both from The Queen’s University of Belfast. She migrated Australia in 2004 to undertake a post-doc in humpback whale social communication at UQ where the research resulted in a number of highly cited papers, solidifying her international reputation as a leader and expert in large whale communication and social behaviour. She then began lecturing in the School of Veterinary Science in 2010, mainly in animal physiology and moved to the School of Biological Sciences in 2021 to take up a lecturing position in animal behaviour and physiology.

Research

Rebecca'a research interests are in animal physiology, behaviour, and communication. She mainly works on humpback whales, though has worked on bottlenose dolphins, beaked whales, pilot whales, and false killer whales. Her lab focuses on four main research areas: cetacean acoustic communication, hearing, and behaviour; the effects of noise on humpback communication, behaviour, and physiology; humpback whale social behaviour; and endocrine physiology in cetaceans. Her past and current PhD students and honours students all work within these core research areas.

She is, or has been, a P.I in several large collaborative projects aimed at determining the effects of noise on large whale behaviour and hearing in large whales. Understanding underwater noise impacts on marine mammals is a scientific area that is growing due to interest from the Navy, Oil and Gas companies, the vessel industry and from other ocean stakeholders such as whale watching companies.

Her work on social behaviour and reproductive behaviour uses a combination of behavioural and physiological indicators of reproductive status as well as stress and she currently has an endocrinology lab based at Moreton Bay Research Station. She also collaborates with researchers within the school of veterinary science to develop projects on large whale health and disease.

Rebecca Dunlop
Rebecca Dunlop

Associate Professor Badin Gibbes

Associate Professor
School of Civil Engineering
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
Availability:
Available for supervision

Badin is an environmental engineer with over 20 years’ experience in environmental hydrology and water resource engineering. In his current role with the University of Queensland’s School of Civil Engineering he leads a program of research that aims to support the sustainable management of water resources and aquatic ecosystems. This research seeks to quantify water flows and the associated transport of sediment and contaminants in environmental systems ranging from upland rivers and streams to lakes, estuaries and the near-coastal ocean as well as their connected groundwater systems. Badin employs a multi-disciplinary approach that combines the application of innovative environmental monitoring with a range of models to better understand how different factors influence water quality and ecosystem health in these systems.

Prior to joining the University of Queensland, Badin was active in engineering and environmental management roles within various local government, state government, not-for-profit and professional engineering consulting organisations. He applies this past industry experience in his current research activities, which are characterised by close collaboration with water management agencies, to deliver scientific information to support management decisions.

Badin also maintains an active involvement in the University of Queensland’s undergraduate and post-graduate teaching programs where he delivers lectures in various subjects including environmental engineering, hydrology, environmental risk assessment and modelling of surface water and groundwater systems. The experience gained in these roles enables him to communicate complex environmental information with a level of detail appropriate to a range of different audiences from community stakeholders to the engineering profession and regulatory agencies. Badin also supervises a number of post-graduate and undergraduate students who are pursuing research in the area of environmental hydrology and contaminant transport, with many focusing on the implications of forecast climate shifts on water resource management decisions.

Badin Gibbes
Badin Gibbes

Dr Alistair Grinham

Honorary Associate Professor
School of Civil Engineering
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
Director of Research of School of C
School of Civil Engineering
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
Availability:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Monitoring and understanding of greenhouse gas emissions and sediment dynamics in shallow water bodies.

My primary interests are in monitoring and understanding biogeochemical processes within shallow water ecosystems. My formal training was in biochemistry and marine biology focusing on Southern Ocean food webs. Subsequently, I have focused on monitoring sediment loading and greenhouse gas emissions from sub-tropical coastal and freshwater systems.

I joined the School of Civil Engineering in 2007 to work in the area of sediment biogeochemical cycling in freshwater storages and coastal lagoons. In order to better understand these processes it is critical to monitor overlying water column processes as well as catchment interactions. Therefore, my primary research activities have been in the developing novel monitoring systems of catchments and their receiving water bodies.

Alistair Grinham
Alistair Grinham

Dr Adrien Guyot

Secondee Fellow
School of the Environment
Faculty of Science
Senior Research Fellow (Secondment)
School of the Environment
Faculty of Science
Availability:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Dr Adrien Guyot is an environmental scientist whose research focuses on the impacts of climate variability on ecosystems. His current role at the School of Civil Engineering within the University of Queensland is to manage projects, in the different aspects of their lifetime: from attracting fundings to support research, designing methods to address fundamental or practical issues, implementing and following up everyday life of projects, to the delivery and the communication of the results. He is using a combination of cutting edge environmental sensors and advanced numerical models to address the complexity of the processes. He is currently working on a few applied projects (details below), with a particular focus on specific issues related to Australian landscapes: droughts and wildfires. He is particularly interested in developing methods to characterise processes to further improve environmental management.

Adrien is also involved in teaching, giving some guest lectures in catchment hydrology courses, or sustainable designs at The University of Queensland. He is always keen to work with undergraduate and postgraduate students and regularly proposes some projects. Feel free to contact him!

Adrien Guyot
Adrien Guyot

Professor Peter Halley

Affiliate of Dow Centre for Sustain
Dow Centre for Sustainable Engineering Innovation
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
Professor
School of Chemical Engineering
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
Availability:
Available for supervision
Media expert

BIO:

Noun (n): I am a Professor in polymer processing in Chemical Engineering, a chief investigator in Advanced Materials Processing and Manufacturing (AMPAM) centre, a chief investigator/director of external links of the ARC industrial transformation training centre (ITTC) in bioplastics and biocomposites, a chief investigator in food and beverage accellerator (FaBA).and a chief investigator in the solving plastic waste cooperative research centre (spwCRC).

Verb (v): I work at the translational research interface between universities and industry. Specifically my research involves rheology, processing and product design of bio-based materials, polymers and nanocomposite materials. I lead translational research projects in biopolymers and biofluid platforms for agrifood, biomedical and high-value manufacturing sectors which attract government and industry funding; and produce patents, licences. industrial know-how as well as fundamental papers.

History (h): I have worked in industry (SRI international, Sola Optical, Moldflow), have worked in five cooperative research centres (CRCs -Food Packaging, Sugar Innovation, Polymers, Fighting Food Waste, Solving Plastic Waste), have acquired and managed continuous government and industry research projects since 1994, was heavily involved in the spinoff of Plantic Technologies from the CRC food packaging in 2002 (and ongoing research support with them until 2016), and was involved in the research that led to the TenasiTech (TPU nanocomposite) spinoff from UQ in 2007.I am a fellow of the institute of chemical engineers (IChemE) and a fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI). I am on the editorial board of the Plastics, Rubbers and Composites, Starch, the Journal of Renewable Materials, Green Materials and Functional Composite Materials-Springer-Nature. I have experience on the boards of the UQ Dow Centre, the UQ RTA Centre, and the UQ-HBIS Sustainable Steel Innovation Centre. I won IChemE Shedden Uhde Award and Prize for excellence in Chemical Engineering (2004), the CRC Sugar innovation award (2008), the CRCPolymers Chairman’s award for research and commercialisation (2011), and have received the CRC Association Technology Transfer Award, twice, in 2002 and 2015.

Research:

Current projects are focused on developing new sustainable and bio-based polymers and biochemicals from formulation through to degradation/disposal, understanding processing of nanostructured polymers, developing smarter biopolymers and materials for biomedical, drug delivery, food and high value applications, understanding rheology and processing of a range of polymer, foods and liquids and is involved in new initiatives in circular plastics.

Teaching and Learning:

My teaching has spanned Introduction to Engineering Design, Engineering Thermodynamics, Polymer Engineering, Process Economics, Research Thesis and Engineering Management. I am developing new courses in Sustainability and the Circular Economy. My overall teaching goal is to be a relevant, well organised, enthusiastic and empathetic enabler of learning using multiple teaching and learning modes, and be highly connected to current industrial practices and cutting edge research.

International links

I have been a visiting or invited professor at ENSICAEN-University, Caen, Normandy, University of Nottingham, Queen’s University Belfast, the University of Strasbourg and Institut national des sciences appliquées (INSA) de Lyon in France. I have strong international collaborations with the US Department of Agriculture, Albany, USA; Colorado School of Mines, USA; AnoxKaldnes, Sweden; University of Bradford, University of Warwick, University of Nottingham, University of Sheffield, UK, SCION, NZ; Michigan State University, USA, and many Australian universities.

Peter Halley
Peter Halley

Dr Anthony Halog

Lecturer
School of the Environment
Faculty of Science
Availability:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Dr. Anthony Halog: A Pioneer in Sustainable Systems and Circular Economy

Dr. Anthony Halog is a leading authority in sustainable systems engineering and circular economy, with over 22 years of post-PhD experience in academia and research. His work focuses on integrating life cycle assessment (LCA), systems thinking, and industrial ecology to advance global sustainability efforts. Dr. Halog has successfully led numerous research projects in industrial ecology and sustainable supply chain management, contributing significantly to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) and Planetary Boundaries frameworks.

His prolific career includes over 125 publications that have been widely cited and referenced in policy documents by international bodies such as the United Nations and the European Union. With a strong commitment to mentoring, Dr. Halog has guided numerous PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers, fostering the next generation of sustainability experts. Since completing his PhD, he has examined numerous theses from various universities in Australia, North America, Africa, and Asia. His experience also extends to reviewing several grant proposals for prestigious funding bodies, including the National Science Foundation in the USA and European funding schemes.

Dr. Anthony Halog has received numerous fellowships and awards throughout his career. Notably, he was awarded fellowships from prestigious institutions such as the OECD, DAAD, and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). He has held visiting fellowships across the globe, including in the UK, Germany, Japan, and Saudi Arabia, focusing on areas like Circular Economy, Green Hydrogen Policy, and Life Cycle Assessment. Dr. Halog's accolades also include early career fellowships from NSERC (Canada) and JSPS, along with several international research grants and academic scholarships, reflecting his global recognition in sustainability science and engineering.

Key areas of expertise include circular economy, bioeconomy, LCA, sustainable supply chain management, and the application of operations research and optimization in engineering sustainable systems. Dr. Halog’s interdisciplinary approach and international collaborations have positioned him as a thought leader in transitioning to a low-carbon, circular economy.

Anthony Halog
Anthony Halog

Professor Paul Jagals

Director, WHOCC for CH&E
Child Health Research Centre
Faculty of Medicine
Availability:
Not available for supervision

Paul specialises in Assessment and Management of Risk and Impact of Socio-Environmental determinants on the Wellbeing of our younger generations across their life span.

His overall vision is about how we use Environmental Health Intelligence to improve decision-making towards delivering more efficient Environmental Health Practices, Services and Solutions for local and regional communities in remote and disadvantaged socio-economic settings.

Within the complex interdisciplinary domains that hold the socio-environmental determinants of wellbeing, Paul’s operational research focuses on how / what interventions would best support communities to prevent, mitigate and adapt to EH risk and impact in rapidly changing environments and climate.

Paul Jagals
Paul Jagals

Associate Professor Paul Jensen

Affiliate of Australian Centre for
Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
Associate Professor
School of Chemical Engineering
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
Associate Professor
Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
Availability:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Paul Jensen is a research leader in the areas of anaerobic biotechnology and resource recovery at ACWEB; and leads projects in the areas of waste treatment with a focus on recovery of renewable energy resources, production of bio-fertilizers, bio-plastics and other high value products from wastes and other low value raw materials.

Complex challenges require multi-disciplinary thinking and Paul’s team incorporates engineering, biological sciences, modelling and information processing approaches to research and technology development for a range of partners across municipal, agricultural, animal and industrial sectors.

Paul and ACWEB are recognised as both national and global experts on biogas and resource recovery technologies. They actively contributes to over 12 research and consulting projects per year with applications across the product development cycle. Importantly, the team are having real world impact, and have contributed to a range of major wastewater infrastructure projects in the last 5 years.

Paul Jensen
Paul Jensen

Professor Lydia Kavanagh

Deputy President, Acad Board
Office of the President of the Academic Board
Deputy Associate Dean Academic
Faculty of Science
Deputy President, Academic Board
Office of the President of the Academic Board
Availability:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Since returning to academia from industry in 1998, Professor Lydia Kavanagh has become a leader in engineering education and has used her background as a professional engineer to design both curricula and courses for active learning by combining real-world projects and specialist knowledge. She has had a significant impact on the delivery of UQ’s undergraduate engineering program through creative new teaching pedagogies including the Flipped Classroom, innovative authentic approaches to assessment, and the introduction of multi-disciplinary courses. As Director of First Year Engineering for almost a decade, Lydia was responsible for a significant program of extra-curricular transition support for first year students and she co-coordinated two compulsory courses that delivered what could arguably be the world's largest flipped classroom for 600 students. Recently, she has set up a Leadership and Mentoring Program for all EAIT faculty students (undergraduate and postgraduates), and continued this into a Leaders@EAIT, an ongoing academy for these students to continue to develop leadership competencies.

Lydia is now the Deputy Associate Dean Academic (Curriculum Review and Teaching Innovation) for the Faculty of Science where she has overseen a faculty-wide overview of curriculum resulting in streamlined undergraduate and postgraduate offerings. She holds a concurrent fractional position with the Institute of Teaching and Learning Innovations, where she has developed frameworks and systems for UQ shorter form credentials.

Lydia is also heavily involved institutionally with training and mentoring academics and professional staff with teaching responsibilities through the development and implementation of the Graduate Teaching Assistant program (for PhD scholars and postdocs), Teaching@UQ (for staff new to teaching), and TeachingPlus@UQ (for emerging leaders in Teaching and Learning).

Lydia’s work was recognised with a Principal Fellowship of the HEA, an ALTC Excellence in teaching award in 2011 and she has lead and participated in Carrick/ ALTC/ OLT projects on teamwork, online learning, curriculum innovation (2x), preparing students for first year engineering, and Flipped Classrooms.

Lydia Kavanagh
Lydia Kavanagh

Dr Danish Kazmi

Adjunct Senior Lecturer
School of Civil Engineering
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
Availability:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Dr Danish Kazmi completed his PhD in Geotechnical Engineering at The University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia. His PhD research investigated the potential use of crushed waste glass as a sustainable alternative to depleting traditional construction sands (natural and quarried) to backfill granular columns for in situ ground improvement. He is a pioneer globally in researching the potential use of crushed waste glass to backfill granular columns for ground improvement in clayey soil.

His research mainly focuses on developing sustainable geomaterials by recycling ever-increasing wastes as alternatives to diminishing and increasingly expensive natural aggregates in geotechnical construction, helping the transition to a circular economy.

Danish is a TEDx Speaker and delivered a TEDx Talk at TEDxBrisbane. He is also one of the youngest researchers ever from his centre at UQ to receive a PhD.

Danish won the prestigious Career Development Fellowship at UQ, funded by the Australian Government. He received the coveted UQ Global Change Scholar Award and Future Leader Award. He won the Young Science Ambassador Award for the Wonder of Science Program in Australia to help promote a STEM culture in Queensland schools. He is a passionate science communicator and a double award winner at the Three Minute Thesis Competition (3MT®) at the UQ’s School of Civil Engineering level. His PhD research has been featured in several Australian magazines and has led him to win several scholarships, alongside his selection to present at well-reputed live science communication events. Danish has published three high-definition UQ-branded Video Abstracts to communicate his research to the broader society and help maximise science outreach. Danish was interviewed by Inspiring Australia as part of Australia's National Science Week celebrations to help spark the interest of students in STEM education. He has successfully initiated cross-institutional research collaborations with world-leading national and international organisations and is an invited reviewer for various top-ranking scientific journals.

Danish currently works full-time as a Geotechnical Engineer in the Tunnels & Geotechnics Team (South Queensland Region) at GHD in the Australian industry. Previously, he worked as a full-time Lecturer in Geotechnical Engineering at UQ. He is passionate about helping to develop transformative civil and geotechnical engineering solutions through leading-edge research leveraging university-industry collaborations.

Danish is a UQ Global Change Scholar and Green Office Representative. He is an accredited Mental Health First Aider and a UQ Mental Health Champion. He is also a certified Carbon Literate. Danish cares deeply about the environment and believes planet Earth is our most valuable asset. Outside work, he enjoys volunteering for sustainability and social initiatives, connecting with nature, and spending time at the beach.

Australian Geotechnical Industry Experience Highlights

  • Asset management, site inspections, construction quality assurance and compliance
  • Dam inspections, monitoring, regulatory compliance and high-level reporting
  • Geotechnical site investigations (including sonic drilling, auger drilling, etc.)
  • Borehole and test pit logging
  • In-situ sampling of soils and rocks
  • Standard Penetration Test (SPT)
  • Dynamic Cone Penetration Test (DCP) and PANDA® Lightweight Dynamic Cone Penetration Test
  • Packer Test (to determine the average hydraulic conductivity of underground rock formations)
  • Geotechnical instrumentation (standpipe and vibrating wire piezometers, data loggers, telemetry, etc.)
  • Geotechnical cost estimation, report writing and proposal development
Danish Kazmi
Danish Kazmi

Professor Deanna Kemp

Centre Director of Centre for Socia
Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining
Sustainable Minerals Institute
Professorial Research Fellow and Ce
Sustainable Minerals Institute
Availability:
Available for supervision

Deanna is a leading international expert focused on the social and political challenges of the global mining industry. She specialises in industry-engaged social science that bridges company and community perspectives on extractive industries. Particular areas of expertise include company-community conflict, displacement and resettlement, and human rights and development challenges. Deanna studies how the global mining industry is organised, resourced and incentivised to respond to these pressing challenges.

Deanna Co-chairs the Board of Trustees for the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB), and the New Member Review Panel for the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM). She is a Senior Associate of the Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership, a member of the International Association of Impact Assessment (IAIA), the International Network of Displacement and Resettlement (INDR) and the Society for Applied Anthropological Association (SfAA).

After commencing her research career with UQ in 2006 as a Senior Research Fellow with CSRM, in 2012 she became Associate Professor and CSRM’s Deputy Director, and then in 2016 Professor and Director of the Centre. Deanna has made significant contributions to positioning CSRM as a world-leading centre of research excellence. In her current role, Deanna develops and delivers high-profile research, leads diverse project teams, and oversees more than 40 staff and PhD students.

Industry Engagement

Deanna engages with most of the world’s major mining companies, and many of its peak industry bodies, including the International Council of Mining and Metals (ICMM). She also engages with international finance institutions and other norm-setting bodies. She has collaborated with international non-government organisations—including Oxfam and Human Rights Watch—on industry-related studies. Before her academic career, Deanna held senior positions in the mining industry, working in corporate and operational roles at BHP, and as an advisor to a number of other global resources companies, including Newmont Mining.

Collaborations

At The University of Queensland, Deanna has collegial relationships with the School of Social Science, including the Institute of Social Sciences Research (ISSR). She also has a range of national and international collaborative projects, including with the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) and Monash Indonesia. She has in the past collaborated with the Harvard Kennedy School of Government on joint research.

Deanna Kemp
Deanna Kemp

Dr Gunnar Kirchhof

Principal Research Fellow
School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability
Faculty of Science
Availability:
Available for supervision
Media expert

May 2002–ongoing: Senior Lecturer Land Resources Sciences, Principla Research Fellow, School of Land, Crop and Food Sciences; The University of Queensland, Australia

As lecturer of Land Resources Sciences at the University of Queensland, Dr Kirchhof has both led and collaborated on over half a dozen projects, and supervised numerous research staff and students. His research has focussed on:

  • Soil–Water relationships;
  • Conservation Agriculture and Irrigation scheduling
  • Soil erosion
  • Water and Nutrient Balances;
  • Spatial Variability of Soil Properties from Ped to Landscape Scales;
  • Dry-land Salinity Management;
  • Water Recycling
  • Computer Modelling of Water Flow with Special Reference to Variability and assessment of deep drainage
  • Knowledge Management;

2011-15 Course leader: Australia Awards in Africa Dryland Farming/Soil and Water conservation Short Course Awards, UniQuest; Australia and Africa, Dr Kirchhof led the design and delivery of the AusAID-funded Dryland Farming Short Course Award, contracted to UniQuest/UQ-ID through GRM International, which was delivered twice a year in 2011 and 2014.

Countries of work experience: Indonesia, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Burkino Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Tunisia, Uganda, Kenya, Tunisia, Australia.

Previous postions:

Oct 1997–May 2002: Senior Soil Scientist, Soil Conservation, NSW Agriculture; Australia

Mar 1996–Oct 1997: Soil Physicist, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture; Ibadan, Nigeria

Dec 1991–Mar 1996: Research Fellow, Department of Agriculture, The University of Queensland; Brisbane

Jan 1989–Dec 1991: Soil Scientist, CASSIRO Ltd, Wauchope, NSW

Gunnar Kirchhof
Gunnar Kirchhof