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.

MSc in geophysics, physics, mathematics, geology, or related field.

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.

Apply online using UWA's website.

jeremie.giraud@uwa.edu.au