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, and model space sampling. 

In support to these goals, the PhD candidate we will recruit through this application will work on: 

• the assessment of geological interpretability and interpretation uncertainty from different geophysical inversion approaches, by comparison of, e.g., geometrical inversion and continuous property inversion,

• the development of methods for the direct extraction of geological data and information from geophysical data or inversion,

• the development and application of techniques for the integration of geological principles and constraints into the geophysical inversion process,

• the development of techniques for the geological analysis and visualization of 10s to 1000s of geophysical models produced by techniques sampling the space of models allowed by the geophysical data. 

With support from lead researchers at UWA, the PhD candidate will contribute to the extension of existing codes and propose, implement, and test new workflows. After validating the proposed methodology, field applications will be conducted in a mineral exploration context using data from Western Australia in collaboration with the industrial partners of the Industry Fellowship.

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.

International scholarship round for commencement in 2026 

Close: 31 August 2025 (23:59 AWST) for international applications 

Close: 31 October 2025 (23:59 AWST) for domestic applications 

jeremie.giraud@uwa.edu.au

vitaliy.ogarko@uwa.edu.au

*Please ensure that you meet all the eligibility criteria set forth by UWA before the deadline*.

Skills in geology, geophysics and/or numerical geology are essential. Elementary knowledge in programming, and a willingness to learn, are required. Knowledge or experience in mineral exploration and/or economic geology will be appreciated. The ability to work independently and take initiative will be valued.

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.