Higher Degree by Research Application Portal

In arid and semi-arid climates groundwater provides the primary source of drinking water for towns and communities. This groundwater can have solute concentrations that exceed drinking water guidelines, with common elements of concern including salinity, hardness, nitrate, and heavy metals. The presence of these naturally elevated concentrations of elements of concern results in a lack of water security in many remote communities within Australia.

The distributions of these solutes depend on the hydrogeological processes that have impacted this water since it fell as rainfall. This project will delineate the hydrogeological controls on groundwater quality as it relates to drinking water guidelines. The project will utilise existing data sets of groundwater quality and drinking water quality that have recently become available to identify the distribution of elements of concern within Australian groundwater systems.

The successful candidate will utilise their existing knowledge of hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical processes to successfully complete the project. GIS skills are desirable but can be developed during the project.    

The primary focus will be on the interpretation of existing data sets that are publicly available and have been recently made available to UWA researchers. Critical project costs are negligible, and field work is not essential for the successful completion of the PhD. However, support for costs associated with emerging field work opportunities will be provided by related Research Projects commencing 1st March and 1 July 2025.

Sarah Bourke, sarah.bourke@uwa.edu.au

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.