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Professor Jonathan Aitchison

Affiliate of Centre for Marine Scie
Centre for Marine Science
Faculty of Science
Professorial Research Fellow
School of the Environment
Faculty of Science
Availability:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Jonathan is a Professorial Research Fellow in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences (SEES) at The University of Queensland. Originally from New Zealand, he grew up on an active plate boundary where the rocks and types of landscapes he studies are generated. After graduating with a BSc Hons and MSc at the University of Otago and a stint in Antarctica, he studied in Japan as a Monbusho Schol at Niigata University. Following that he came to Australia where he undertook PhD studies at UNE focussing on the tectonic evolution of the New England orogen using radiolarian microfossils to determine the ages of marine rocks and constrain the timing of tectonic events. On completion of his PhD, he participated in the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Expedition 126 to the Izu-Bonin-Marianas system as a micropaleontologist to investigate intra-oceanic island arc development. He then returned to Japan to take up a JSPS (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) postdoctoral fellowship at Kochi University examining radiolarians in subduction complex rocks on the island of Shikoku. After spending five years during the early 1990s at the Department of Geology and Geophysics of the University of Sydney, he moved to the University of Hong Kong in 1995. At HKU he led the HKU Tibet Research Group and has now worked for over two decades on the India-Asia collision system. Most of his work involves using microfossils to constraint the ages of different rocks and thereby deduce the timing of tectonic events. We was Head of the Department of Earth Sciences at HKU from 2003-2009. In 2011, he returned to Australia and the University of Sydney after accepting the Edgeworth David Chair of Geology. Professor Aitchison commenced with UQ as Head of the School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management in February 2015 until the end of 2016 when this school was merged with Earth Sciences to become the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences. He was busy with duties and responsibilities as head of this very large school from 2017 through 2021. Now free to get on with his research, Jonathan maintains active programs in both micropaleontology and tectonics including: Early Paleozoic radiolarian evolution and development of microCT imaging techniques for microfossils, the India-Asia collision system, tectonics of eastern Gondwana, as well as paleobiogeography in Galapagos and the Indian Ocean. He has recently commenced an exciting investigation into deep recycling of organic carbon and the possibility that 'biodiamond's might occur in ophiolites of the SW Pacific region.

Jonathan Aitchison
Jonathan Aitchison

Professor Tom Baldock

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

Professor Tom Baldock, B.Eng, Ph.D (Lond), DIC, MIEAust.

****Ph.D. Scholarships in Coastal and Marine Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, University of Queensland, Australia****

Please enquire about forthcoming UQ scholarship opportunities for domestic Australian students (citizens or permanent residents) or international students who are currently in Australia.

Ph.D. projects are available on coastal processes, coral reef hydrodynamics, tsunami impacts, wave energy or a topic of your own

Professor Baldock’s research is primarily in the field of Coastal and Ocean Engineering, but also encompasses renewable energy and higher education. He has published over 120 journal papers and over 80 conference papers, notably in top-rated journals for his discipline (Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Proceedings and Transactions of the Royal Society), and is the most published author in the journal Coastal Engineering over the past decade. He is presently principal supervisor for 6 Ph.D. students, with 18 PhD students graduated since 2007, three of whom were awarded Dean’s awards, and nine have secured T&R or research positions nationally and internationally, one a full Professor. His Ph.D. students have published over 60 journal papers since 2004. They have worked on field and laboratory experiments in the UK, Europe, the USA, in association with international researchers and government agencies. Prof Baldock received a UQ Award for “Excellence in HDR Supervision” in 2017. He is currently working on a major project within the National Reef Restoration and Adaption Program (https://gbrrestoration.org/) focused on the Great Barier Reef.

He has strong national and international collaboration on research on topical issues in coastal engineering and close links with Government and National agencies, which includes consultancy and expert witness services in Marine Engineering. Recent and current relevant research projects include a multi-partner CSIRO Cluster project under the Wealth from Oceans Flagship, investigating tsunami impact on ultra-long submarine pipelines running from the deep ocean up to continental slope and then onshore, ARC Discovery, ARC Linkage and ARC LIEF projects investigating storm surge and wave run-up along the East Australian coast, and four European Union HYDRALAB IV transnational access projects to study beach erosion and recovery processes in large wave flume facilities. He is also working with Geoscience Australia on the Bushfire and Natural Hazards projects, Resilience of Coasts to Clustered storm events and with the Global Change Institute (UQ) on the World Bank project "Capturing Coral Reef Ecosystems Services".

He is a member of the Editorial Board for Coastal Engineering and a member of the Engineers Australia National Committee on Coastal and Ocean Engineering.

He was Chair of the Organising Committee for Coasts and Ports 2017, held in Cairns, June 2017

His primary research interests are in : Swash zone hydrodynamics, Beach face sediment transport, Coral reef hydrodynamics and associated shoreline behaviour, Long wave generation and surf beat, Extreme non-linear waves (freak waves), Storm surge and tsunami hazards.

His current research projects are in the fields of:

  1. Swash Zone hydrodynamics and Sediment Transport
  2. Wave overtopping, including tsunami overtopping
  3. Coral reef hydrodynamics
  4. Impact of sea level rise on coastlines on open and reef-fronted coasts
  5. Surf zone processes and beach erosion
  6. Infrastructure for offshore aquaculture
  7. Wave energy conversion

Google Scholar : https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?hl=en&user=QU14lwEAAAAJ

Top publications

Baldock, T.E., Swan, C. and Taylor, P.H., 1996. A laboratory study of non-linear surface waves on water. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, London, Series A. 354, 1-28. [ERA – A]

Baldock, T. E and Huntley, D. A., 2002. Long wave forcing by the breaking of random gravity waves on a beach. Proceedings of the Royal Society, London, Series A. 458, 2177-2201. [ERA – A*]

Baldock, T.E., 2006. Long wave generation by the shoaling and breaking of transient wave groups on a beach, Proceedings of the Royal Society, London., Series A. 462, 1853–1876. [ERA – A*]

Baldock, T. E., O’ Hare, T. J., and Huntley, D. A.., 2004. Long wave forcing on a barred beach. J. Fluid Mechanics, 503, 321-341. [ERA – A*]

Pritchard, D., Guard, P.A. and Baldock, T.E., 2008. An analytical model for bore-driven run-up. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 610: 183-193. [ERA – A*]

Baldock, T.E., Peiris, D. and Hogg, A.J., 2012. Overtopping of solitary waves and solitary bores on a plane beach. Proceedings of the Royal Society, London, Series A., doi: 10.1098/rspa.2011.0729. [ERA –A*]

Saunders, M.I. et al., 2014. Interdependency of tropical marine ecosystems in response to climate change. Nature Clim. Change, 4(8): 724-729. [ERA – A*]

Latest publications:

  1. Lancaster, O., Cossu, R., Wilson, M., & Baldock, T. E. (2022). A 3D numerical and experimental parametric study of wave-induced scour around large bluff body structures. Ocean Engineering, 112766. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2022.112766
  2. Astorga-Moar, A., & Baldock, T. E. (2022). Assessment and optimisation of runup formulae for beaches fronted by fringing reefs based on physical experiments. Coastal Engineering, 176, 104163. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coastaleng.2022.104163
  3. Thompson, M. E., Matson, B. J., & Baldock, T. E. (2022). A globally verified coastal glare estimation tool. Coastal Engineering, 177, 104190.
  4. Shabani, B., Ware, P. & Baldock, T. E. 2022. Suppression of Wind Waves in the Presence of Swell: A Physical Modeling Study. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 127, e2021JC018306.
  5. Lancaster, O., Cossu, R., Wuppukondur, A., Astorga Moar, A., Hunter, S., & Baldock, T. E. (2022). Experimental measurements of wave-induced scour around a scaled gravity-based Oscillating Water Column Wave Energy Converter. Applied Ocean Research, 126, 103268. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apor.2022.103268
  6. Wuppukondur, A. and Baldock, T.E., 2022. Physical and numerical modelling of representative tsunami waves propagating and overtopping in converging channels. Coastal Engineering, p.104120.
  7. Wiegerink, J. J., Baldock, T. E., Callaghan, D. P. & Wang, C. M. 2022. Slosh Suppression Blocks - A concept for mitigating fluid motions in floating closed containment fish pen in high energy environments. Applied Ocean Research, 120, 103068.
  8. Lancaster, O., Cossu, R., Heatherington, C., Hunter, S. & Baldock, T. E. 2022. Field Observations of Scour Behavior around an Oscillating Water Column Wave Energy Converter. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 10, 320.
  9. Blenkinsopp, C. E., Baldock, T. E., Bayle, P. M., Foss, O., Almeida, L. P. & Schimmels, S. 2022. Remote Sensing of Wave Overtopping on Dynamic Coastal Structures. Remote Sensing, 14, 513.
  10. Ibrahim, M. S. I. & Baldock, T. E. 2021. Physical and Numerical Modeling of Wave-by-Wave Overtopping along a Truncated Plane Beach. Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering, 147, 04021025.
  11. Thompson, M., Zelich, I., Watterson, E. & Baldock, T. E. 2021. Wave Peel Tracking: A New Approach for Assessing Surf Amenity and Analysis of Breaking Waves. Remote Sensing, 13, 3372.
  12. Birrien, F. & Baldock, T. 2021. A Coupled Hydrodynamic-Equilibrium Type Beach Profile Evolution Model. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 9, 353.
  13. Lancaster, O., Cossu, R., Boulay, S., Hunter, S. & Baldock, T. E. 2021. Comparative Wave Measurements at a Wave Energy Site with a Recently Developed Low-Cost Wave Buoy (Spotter), ADCP, and Pressure Loggers. Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 38, 1019-1033
  14. Baldock, T.E., Gravois, U., Callaghan, D.P., Davies, G. and Nichol, S., 2021. Methodology for Estimating return intervals for storm demand and dune recession by clustered and non-clustered morphological events. Coastal Engineering, p.103924.
  15. Bayle, P.M., Beuzen, T., Blenkinsopp, C.E., Baldock, T.E. and Turner, I.L., 2021. A new approach for scaling beach profile evolution and sediment transport rates in distorted laboratory models. Coastal Engineering, 163, p.103794.
  16. Blenkinsopp, C.E., Bayle, P.M., Conley, D.C., Masselink, G., Gulson, E., Kelly, I., Almar, R., Turner, I.L., Baldock, T.E., Beuzen, T. and McCall, R.T., 2021. High-resolution, large-scale laboratory measurements of a sandy beach and dynamic cobble berm revetment. Scientific data, 8(1), pp.1-11.
Tom Baldock
Tom Baldock

Dr Kim Baublys

Senior Research Fellow
School of the Environment
Faculty of Science
Availability:
Available for supervision

My research aim is to better understand the hydrogeological and hydrochemical processes that occur in large sedimentary basins such as the Surat Basin in Queensland. Understanding the fluid-rock and microbial interactions that influence the composition of the groundwater and gas, allows us to better manage this natural resource use now and for the future. I achieve this by the interpretation of geochemical and isotopic data against geological context (stratigraphic and tectonic) to determine the dominant processes controlling the down-dip geochemical evolution of the groundwater and gas.

My daily focus is manager of the Stable Isotope Geochemistry Laboratory which provides stable isotope analyses (C, H, O, N, S) for researchers across UQ and Australia as well as governement and industry. As a mass spectroscopist I advise researchers on sample collection protocols how best to collect their field samples (water and gas), develop equipment, methods and offer interpretation as required.

Manager of the Stable Isotope Geochemistry Laboratory (SIGL)

SIGL is one of the 3 analytical research laboratories which comprises the Centre for Geoanalytical Mass Spectrometry (CGMS) within the School of of Earth and Environmental Sciences and offers researchers stable isotope analyses of geological, ecological and biomedical samples.

To access services see details on the laboratory websites https://sigl.earth.uq.edu.au or https://sees.uq.edu.au/research/facilities/stable-isotope-geochemistry-laboratory

Kim Baublys
Kim Baublys

Dr Pascal Bolz

Research Fellow
Centre for Water in the Minerals Industry
Sustainable Minerals Institute
Availability:
Available for supervision

Pascal's research interests are diversified over various aspects of the Earth system, including geology, geomorphology, climate, soil and anthropogenic modifications in the context of spatial data analysis and interpretation.

Pascal holds a BSc in Geography from the University of Hamburg (Germany), a MSc in Earth Sciences from the University of Hamburg (Germany) and a PhD from the Queensland University of Technology (Brisbane, Australia). His PhD research on multi-method sediment provenance analysis focussed on the integration of U-Pb thermo- and geochronometer with novel techniques in image analysis and dimension reduction methods. The project was in cooperation with the Geological Survey of Queensland (DoR, GSQ) and the Geological Survey of New South Wales (GSNSW).

Over the last 10 years Pascal has worked with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in the context of teaching, academic research and for industry applications. He is proficient on a variety of GIS software platforms including ArcMap, ArcGIS Pro, QGIS and SAGA.

Pascal Bolz
Pascal Bolz

Dr Nevenka Bulovic

Research Fellow/Senior Research off
Centre for Water in the Minerals Industry
Sustainable Minerals Institute
Availability:
Available for supervision

Dr Nevenka Bulovic is a water resource engineer and her current research focus is on improving the climate resilience of the mining sector in the face of climate change. This work applies state-of-the-art climate models to assess risks to water availability, mine site rehabilitation and pollution risks. Nevenka's other research passion is in using remotely sensed data and novel approaches for improving knowledge on hydroclimate in data sparse regions such as Australia and the Andes.

Nevenka Bulovic
Nevenka Bulovic

Associate Professor David Callaghan

Affiliate of Centre for Marine Scie
Centre for Marine Science
Faculty of Science
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

Dr Sarah Chapman

Honorary Research Fellow
School of the Environment
Faculty of Science
Availability:
Not available for supervision

I am a Principal Climate Scientist on the Climate Projections & Services team, Queensland Government, and an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Queensland. My work focusses on the impacts of climate change on Queensland. As part of this, I am involved in downscaling global climate models to a high resolution, to better understand local and regional impacts of climate change. This data is publicly available on the Queensland Future Climate Dashboard, and is also part of our team's submission to the CMIP6 round of CORDEX (NCI Data Catalogue). I also work on climate extremes and health impacts from climate change, such as heat stress.

I completed my PhD at the University of Queensland in 2018, where I looked at the impact of climate change and urban growth on heat stress in Brisbane. I then worked as a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Leeds, UK, on the AFRICAP and CHAMNHA projects, where I looked at the impact of climate change on agriculture and heat-related child mortality in Africa. I joined the Climate Projections & Services team in 2022, and the University of Queensland in 2024.

Sarah Chapman
Sarah Chapman

Dr Tara Congo

Honorary Fellow
School of Chemical Engineering
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
Availability:
Available for supervision

2003 - 2006 Bachelor of Photonics and Nanoscience (Hons 1), Griffith University.

2008 - 2009 Graduate Certificate in Research Management, Southern Cross University.

2007 - 2014 Ph.D. Griffith University. Title: Adsorption of CO2 by coal and activated carbon: A study using in-situ small angle X-ray scattering and sorption manometry.

2018 - 2021 Research Assistant, The University of Queensland.

2021 - present Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The University of Queensland.

My current research examines the coal to coke transition and potential additives for a more environmentally sustainable coke product for steel-making applications. I primarily use the techniques of petrography, rheometry, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and small-angle X-ray scattering to study the composition, thermoplastic properties, volatile release behaviour and pore structure of the coals.

Main collaborators: Vale, Anglo American, School of Chemical Engineering (UQ).

Tara Congo
Tara Congo

Dr Remo Cossu

Affiliate Senior Lecturer of Instit
Institute for Teaching and Learning Innovation
Affiliate of Centre for Marine Scie
Centre for Marine Science
Faculty of Science
Senior Lecturer
School of Civil Engineering
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
Availability:
Not available for supervision
Media expert

Remo has over 15 years of research experience in water engineering and joined the School of Civil Engineering in February 2016. Remo’s research projects span over a range of topics such as marine renewable energy, hydrodynamics in coastal areas, sediment transport processes, seafloor mapping and environmental engineering.

Remo started his professional career as a Research Associate at the Franzius-Institute for Hydraulic, Waterways and Coastal Engineering at Hannover University, Germany. Remo did his PhD on the hydrodynamics of oceanic gravity and turbidity currents under the influence of Coriolis forces in the Earth Sciences Department, University of Toronto, Canada. He continued his work in Canada as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences at the University of Toronto where he focused on turbulence in coastal boundary layers and sediment transport processes in density currents. Before joining UQ, Remo was working as a Lecturer and Postdoctoral Fellow at the Australian Maritime College (AMC) at the University of Tasmania where he worked on projects in Tasmanian coastal waters (renewable energy, analysis of tidal currents, pipeline surveys) and limnological processes (Lake Ohau, New Zealand). A career highlight was a research trip with a team of sea-ice experts funded by NZARI to Antarctica (Cape Evans, McMurdo Sound) to analyze characteristics of the sea-ice ocean boundary layer using an autonomous underwater vehicle (UBC Gavia AUV).

Remo’s research over the last years has created advances in renewable energy site exploration methods that aims to fill a critical knowledge gap in understanding the suitability of candidate sites and linking local conditions (hydrodynamics, geotechnical aspects) with device design. Remo is involved as a lead researcher on several projects, for instance, the AUSTEn project for tidal energy exploration in Australian coastal waters (http://austen.org.au/) and the recently funded Blue Economy CRC (https://blueeconomycrc.com.au/).

Remo Cossu
Remo Cossu

Dr Grant Dawson

Affiliate of Centre for Geoanalytic
Centre for Geoanalytical Mass Spectrometry
Faculty of Science
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
School of the Environment
Faculty of Science
Availability:
Not available for supervision

Grant has degrees in both Chemistry and Earth Sciences and is presently focused on assessing the environmental impact of fluid-rock interactions on groundwater chemistry. This entails a variety of rock characterisation techniques (elemental, mineralogical, petrophysical), benchtop sequential extraction experiments, and pressure vessel experiments that mimic in-situ conditions deep underground, with data then fed into geochemical modelling software. The analytical equipment that Grant has operated to achieve his research outcomes includes ICP-MS, ICP-OES, SEM-EDS, Microprobe, XRF, Synchrotron XFM beamline, Petrographic Microscopes (both scanning and standard), Gas Permeameter, Helium Pycnometer, Pressure Vessels, etc. Grant also has an active interest in the geological storage of carbon dioxide, both via injection into deep geological formations and direct atmospheric capture facilitated by rock weathering to form stable carbonate rocks (mineral trapping of CO2). In the past, Grant has studied natural carbonate mineralisation (both veins and cement) throughout the Great Artesian Basin, to explore the variety of natural conditions that promote the transformation of CO2 into minerals. Early in his research career, Grant participated in paleo-climate research projects that involved botanically describing and assessing the cell morphology of fossil woods, coal petrography, studying coral cores, and picking foraminifera recovered from the sea floor.

Grant Dawson
Grant Dawson

Dr William Defliese

Lecturer - Geochemistry
School of the Environment
Faculty of Science
Availability:
Available for supervision

I am a sedimentary geochemist, and I work on a variety of problems in sedimentary geology, paleoclimate, and basin analysis through the use of petrology, elemental geochemistry, and stable isotope geochemistry. I run the Carbonate Research and Geochemistry group at UQ, where we have a variety of facilities for sample petrology, carbonate precipitation under controlled environmental conditions, and geochemical analysis. Several active and potential research areas are outlined below.

Clumped Isotope Reordering and Basin Analysis

Currently we are investigating clumped isotope reordering - the change that occurs in a sample's clumped isotope value as a result of solid-state diffusion of 18O and/or 13C within the crystal lattice of a carbonate mineral. This is important to understand for two reasons. First, if we are trying to get accurate paleoclimate data using clumped isotope paleothermometry, we need to know what conditions (burial depth and heating) allow for primary signals, and under which conditions the primary signal is lost. Second, if we know the kinetics of clumped isotope reordering, we can then apply that knowledge to understand past heat flow in a basin. Combined with a stratigraphic column and burial history for a body of rock, we can reconstruct geothermal gradients, and evaluate tectonic/basin models based on whether they could produce the required heat flux to match observed clumped isotope values. Areas of active research include precipitating model carbonates in the lab to study the effects of different cations, burial diagenesis, and applications to sediment hosted ore bodies/other economic systems.

Carbonate Sedimentation and Diagenesis

Carbonate sedimentation and diagenesis is one of our active research areas, with a focus on combining laboratory experiments, modern analogues, and ancient rocks to understand the long term evolution of carbonates and other sediments. Clumped isotopes are useful here as it turns out they do record the temperature of formation in most cases, and can be applied to a variety of problems, such as contemporary dolomite formation, or the temperature of formation of otherwise engimatic carbonate textures, such as 'beef' calcites. We are also interested in the sedimentation and diagenesis of carbonate reefs, such as the geological history of the Great Barrier Reef, and are currently studying the halogen composition of carbonates, reef rocks and corals, and oceanic sediments in general.

Paleoclimate Research

I have been interested in paleoclimate since I took my first geology class at Northwestern. Since then, I've worked on a variety of timescales and systems, but the common theme has been the application of stable isotopes and clumped isotopes. Clumped isotopes are a wonderful tool for paleoclimate research in situations where the water oxygen isotope composition is uncertain, such as terrestrial and lacustrine settings, deep time where even the oxygen isotopic composition of the ocean is uncertain, or even in (relatively) more modern systems that might be affected by runoff or glacial meltwater. Active projects and areas of interest include Holocene climate change/ENSO, Southern Ocean Cenozoic paleoclimatology, and 'bizzare' climate events such as the Neoproterozoic Snowball Earth glaciations.

Degrees and Positions Held

2008 B.A. Geological Sciences and Integrated Sciences (Honors), Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA

2014 Ph.D. Geology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

2014-2017 Postdoctoral Researcher, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA

2017-2019 Berg-Hughes Postdoctoral Fellow, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA

2019-Present Lecturer in Geochemistry, University of Queensland

William Defliese
William Defliese

Associate Professor Mansour Edraki

Principal Research Fellow
Centre for Water in the Minerals Industry
Sustainable Minerals Institute
Availability:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Dr Mansour Edraki is a geo-environmental scientist specialising in the field of inorganic geochemistry. He joined UQ in 2000 following completion of his PhD at University of New England. Prior to that, and before immigrating to Australia, he was a lecturer in earth sciences. Since joining UQ, Dr Edraki has focused on developing innovative techniques for understanding and predicting geochemical processes which underpin sustainable management of mine waste and mine water, particularly acid and metalliferous drainage. Mansour’s research has direct applications for the resources and energy industries and the impact of his work is evident in a continuous flow of industry-funded projects in the last decade. Dr Edraki has initiated research collaborations in many international locations including Indonesia (South Kalimantan and Freeport), Iran (Mehdiabad Zinc) Papua New Guinea (Ok Tedi), Philippines (USEP and Mindanao Development Authority), Korea (MIRECO and KIGAM), Peru (INGEMET), and Chile (Fundación Chile, Universidad de Concepción). Dr Edraki represents SMI-UQ at International Network for Acid Prevention (INAP), which is a global alliance for managing the issue of acid and metalliferous drainage. He leads SMI's Environmental Geochemistry Group.

Mansour Edraki
Mansour Edraki

Emeritus Professor Joan Esterle

Emeritus Professor
School of the Environment
Faculty of Science
Availability:
Available for supervision

Professor Joan Esterle is the Chair of the Vale-UQ Coal Geoscience Program. Her research interests are varied but focussed on how geological history impacts on coal measures behaviour during mining, processing and utilisation. She also develops 3D models for the distribution of sedimentary strata that can be used to predict geohazards in coal mines or reservoir behaviour in conventional and non conventional gas resources, and for geosequestration. In addition to working with Vale and other industry partners, she conducts multi-client studies through the Australian Coal Research Program (ACARP), The Australian National Low Emissions Coal Research (ANLECRD), and the UQ Centre for Coal Seam Gas (CCSG).

She received her PhD from The University of Kentucky, USA, in 1990. She worked for 17 years with CSIRO, followed by GeoGAS-Runge Group before joining the UQ full time in 2010. Current projects include:

  • CCSG Surat Geological Framework and Faults and Fractures
  • ACARP Rangal Supermodel-Bowen Basin and Cenozoic Fault Reactivation
  • ANLEC Outcrop Analogue Modelling for CO2 Sequestration
Joan Esterle
Joan Esterle

Associate Professor David Fielding

ATH - Associate Professor
Royal Brisbane Clinical Unit
Faculty of Medicine
Higher Degree by Research Scholar
School of the Environment
Faculty of Science
Availability:
Available for supervision

I am a physician at RBWH where I did my undergraduate training. I subspecialised in THoracic Medicine with a focus on bronchoscopy. I helped to create a large interventional service here. Part of that inlcuded instituting endobronchial ultrasound ( EBUS), an Australian first, in 2003. This has become standard of care for diagnosing lung cancer.

My research has been centred on how specimens from EBUS can be optimised. I have had strong collaboration with UQCCR, Pathology Queensland and QIMR Berghofer. Our work has expanded on 2 fronts- 1. use of simple cytology smears as the source for panel molecular testing and 2. The expanded role of WES and WGS on these samples.

We have instituted a large Australia wide collaborative network who are collecting samples along with us( The Debutant studies).We have Cancer Council Australia / CCQ/ and NHMRC grants fr these studies

David Fielding
David Fielding

Professor Daniel Franks

Program Leader, Development Mineral
Sustainable Minerals Institute
Availability:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Professor Daniel Franks is Director of the Global Centre for Mineral Security at the University of Queensland’s Sustainable Minerals Institute and is an Australian Research Council Future Fellow. Professor Franks is known internationally for his work on the interconnections between minerals, materials and sustainable development, with a particular focus on the role of minerals in poverty reduction. He has introduced a number of key concepts in development studies including ‘mineral poverty’, ‘mineral security,’ and ‘development minerals;’ and has worked with a wide range of public and private sector partners to implement breakthrough sustainability innovations, such as OreSand to drastically reduce mine waste, and ‘social impact management plans,’ a regulatory tool now adopted throughout the world.

He is the author of more than 160 publications, including 37 publications for the United Nations. His research has appeared in journals such as Nature Sustainability and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and is available in 11 languages. He is an Editorial Board Member of the International Journal of Minerals Policy & Economics, as well as Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal and has field experience at more than 100 mining and energy sites and 40 countries.

Daniel Franks
Daniel Franks

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

Mr Chris Glen

Associate Lecturer
School of Biomedical Sciences
Faculty of Medicine
Availability:
Available for supervision
Chris Glen

Emeritus Professor Sue Golding

Affiliate of Centre for Geoanalytic
Centre for Geoanalytical Mass Spectrometry
Faculty of Science
Emeritus Professor
School of the Environment
Faculty of Science
Availability:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Professor Sue Golding's research interests are in the fields of ore deposit geology and geochemistry, application of isotope geochemistry to minerals and energy exploration, coal bed methane, carbon sequestration, geomicrobiology.

Sue Golding received her PhD from The University of Queensland. She has been involved with resource exploration and isotope geochemistry research since 1977, following some 8 years industry experience in Australia and Africa. Building on this industry background Golding has combined field and laboratory studies to build an interdisciplinary research program with emphasis on hydrothermal systems and mineral and fossil fuel resources. This has involved the development of new techniques and methodologies for constraining thermal and fluid flow histories in sedimentary basins, which have provided significant insights into processes associated with evolving mineral and hydrocarbon systems. She also has considerable expertise in the application of stable and radiogenic isotope technologies in mineral and hydrocarbon exploration to evaluate terrain prospectivity, test the models employed and vector to ore based on isotopic haloes that surround many ore deposit types. A significant focus of her research group at the University of Queensland is technology related to environmentally sustainable energy provision. The research spans multiple scales from natural analogue studies of coal basins to determine the origins of coal seam methane and mechanisms that keep carbon dioxide naturally sequestered to experimental studies of the impact of carbon dioxide interaction with sandstones and coals on reservoir properties and groundwater chemistry. Golding was a senior researcher with the CO2CRC from 2006 to 2016.

Sue Golding
Sue Golding

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
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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

Associate Professor Lutz Gross

Honorary Associate Professor
School of Mathematics and Physics
Faculty of Science
Availability:
Available for supervision
Media expert
  • since 2023: Honorary Associate Professor, School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of Queensland.
  • 2017-2023: Associate Professor, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland.
  • 2003-2017: Deputy Director (Software), Earth System Sciences Computational Center (ESSCC) & School of Earth Sciences, The University of Queensland.
  • 2001-2003: Computational Scientist, CSIRO Mathematical and Information Sciences Division, Melbourne, Australia.
  • 2000-2001: Lecturer, Institute of Information and Mathematical Sciences, Massey University at Albany, Auckland, New Zealand.
  • 1996-1999: Research Fellow, Center for Mathematics and its Applications, School of Mathematical Sciences, Australian National University (ANU), Canberra.
  • 1989-1996: Research Scientist, Computing Center, University of Karlsruhe/Germany.

Links:

  • LinkedIn
  • researchgate.net
  • Editor: Geoscientific Model Development Journal (GMD), http://www.geoscientific-model-development.net & EGUsphere https://www.egusphere.net/
  • Australian Mathematical Society, ANZIAM
Lutz Gross
Lutz Gross