Higher Degree by Research Application Portal

We are looking to recruit up to three PhD students through the recently awarded Industry Fellowship for the “Integrative geophysics Under cover: getting images of the Unknown Unknown” project, supported by the Australia Research Council, the University of Western Australia (UWA), the Geological Survey of Western Australia (GSWA), and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). The goal of the project is to develop and extend new algorithms for integrating geophysical and geological data in undercover exploration scenarios at different scales, with applications to idealised and real-world data from Western Australia provided by GSWA. The methods to be investigated include geometrical (geophysical) inversion, trans-dimensional inversion, multi-physics integration, the integration of geophysical inversion with geological modelling.

In support to these goals, the PhD candidate we will recruit through this application will work on 3D, trans-dimensional geophysical (geometrical) inversion for the integration of different geophysical datasets, on the exploration of the space of equivalent models, and on the development of machine learning/artificial intelligence workflows for the integration of geophysical and geological data. 

The primary objectives of the project are:

• Development and extension of techniques to integrate seismic and/or magnetotelluric data with gravity and/or magnetic data within a level-set inversion framework.
• Improving the computational performances of current geometrical inversion codes through the transfer of techniques developed from open-source geophysical code, e.g., the Tomofast-x engine developed at UWA.
• Development of techniques for the exploration of the space of equivalent models
• Propose and test machine learning approaches to solve some of the following problems: geology-geophysics data integration, 3D model ensemble classification, posterior analysis of 1000’s of 3D models, topological analysis, the direct recovery of first order geological information from geophysical data geological quantities and measurements from geophysical data.

Field applications will be conducted in a mineral exploration context in collaboration industrial partners.

The project is supported by the Australia Research Council, the University of Western Australia (UWA), the Geological Survey of Western Australia (GSWA), and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). It will cover project costs. 

Applicants will need to apply for a Research Training Program (RTP) scholarship to cover tuition fees at UWA and living expenses.

https://www.uwa.edu.au/study/fees-and-scholarships/hdr-scholarships

International scholarship round for commencement in 2025

Open: 1 July 2024 (00:01 AWST)

Close: 31 August 2024 (23:59 AWST)

Ranking: 1 September – 11 October 2024

Offers from: 11 October 2024 

Commencement: 3 February-31 March 2025

Domestic scholarship round (incl UWA international students) for commencement in 2025

Open: 1 September 2024 (00:01 AWST)

Close: 31 October 2024 (23:59 AWST)

Ranking: 1 November – 5 December 2024

Offers from: 6 December 2024

Commencement: 3 February-31 March 2025

jeremie.giraud@uwa.edu.au

Skills in geophysics/physics, and/or numerical geology, and capability to code are essential.
Willingness to learn is a requirement. The capability to work in a team and independently and to take initiative will be appreciated.

The research will be based at the Centre for Exploration Targeting (School of Earth Sciences) at the University of Western Australia (Perth, Australia) within a dynamic team of students and researchers specialising in geophysics, mathematics, geology and statistics. The projects will be carried out in close collaboration with GSWA, and with researchers from UWA and CSIRO. The PhD candidate will also have the possibilty to collaborate with the Research for Integrative Numerical Geology Team (RING, GeoRessources, University of Lorraine, France, https://www.ring-team.org/home/about), and Monash University (Melbourne, Australia) through the Loop consortium (https://loop3d.org/).

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is a program of independent, supervised research that is assessed solely on the basis of a thesis, sometimes including a creative work component, that is examined externally. The work presented for a PhD must be a substantial and original contribution to scholarship, demonstrating mastery of the subject of interest as well as an advance in that field of knowledge. 

Visit the course webpage for full details of this course including admission requirements, course rules and the relevant CRICOS code/s.