Available HDR research projects

Inviting Expressions of Interest on broad topic areas: Energy transitions and the Social and Institutional aspects of resource extraction

The Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining is currently inviting expressions of interest from bright and passionate candidates interested in social science research in the field of energy transition, and resource extraction. Specifically, the Centre is looking for PhD students to work in the following areas of study:

• Indigenous participation in the energy transition, including through co-ownership of renewable energy (RE) and mining projects in Australia and overseas
• Land use interactions (RE/ agriculture/ mining for Energy transition minerals (ETMs))
• ETMs and geopolitical networks 
• Transition planning for shift in energy systems, including the study of socio-economic impacts of coal mine and coal-fired power station closures

Prospective candidates should meet the following criteria:

• Applicants must be eligible for acceptance by The University of Queensland into a PhD program. 
• Please note at this stage, we are able to support only Australian Domestic students and those international students who are currently on-shore and have completed a UQ Program in Semester 1 2025.  
• Academic excellence in a social science field such as human geography, sociology, and political science. 
• Candidates with interdisciplinary training are also invited to apply as long as they are also able to demonstrate past research experience and/or interest in applying a social science lens to address complex problems.
• Knowledge of mixed methods research techniques, including remote sensing and spatial analysis is highly desirable.

To express interest, applicants should submit the following by 15 March 2025:

• Cover letter expressing their interest in a topic of research aligned with areas identified above, and
• Full CV, including publications

Inviting Expressions of Interest in: Justice and fairness, energy transitions, and transition planning

CSRM is accepting expressions of interest from bright and passionate candidates interested in research in the fields of justice and fairness, energy transitions, and transition planning. Specifically, the Centre is searching for PhD students to work in the following areas of study:

• Socio-economic transitions in post-mining regions in Australia
• Impacts of closures of coal mines and coal-fired power stations
• Indigenous participation in energy transitions

Prospective candidates should meet the following criteria:

• Applicants must be eligible for acceptance by The University of Queensland into a PhD program (Domestic Applicants)
• Academic excellence in a social science field such as human geography, sociology, and political science
• Knowledge of qualitative research methodology and GIS is highly desirable.

To express interest, applicants should submit the following:

• Cover letter explaining their interest in an identified topic of research relevant to the research areas set out above
• Full CV, including publications
• All prior undergraduate and graduate transcripts.

Candidates with CALD (Culturally and Linguistically Diverse) backgrounds and those with work experience in industry are encouraged to apply. Shortlisted candidates will be supported to develop a full research proposal and apply for a UQ PhD scholarship.

For questions and to express interest, contact Dr Julia Loginova (j.loginova@uq.edu.au).

Topics currently available for research projects

Ecosystem Assessment, Restoration and Resilience

For further information, please contact Associate Professor Peter Erskine

Industrial Ecology & Circular Economy

• The role of primary mining in the future circular economy
• LCA in mining and mined land rehabilitation
• Technical, economic and environmental challenges in processing complex ore bodies
• Reuse and reprocessing of mine waste
• Minimising environmental footprint through progressive mined land rehabilitation
• The role of mining in sustainable development of regions and communities
• Strategies and solutions for managing and rehabilitating abandoned mines
• Climate change, mining, and resources supply chains
• Metals in urban waste and electronic waste
• Circular economy in product design for longevity, reuse and recycling

For further information, please contact Associate Professor Glen Corder

Ecological Engineering of Mine Wastes (Soil-Plant Systems)

For further information, please contact Associate Professor Longbin Huang

Mine Closure and Sustainable Landforms

Environment Geochemistry

For further information, please contact Dr Mansour Edraki

Contaminant Management in Mining

For further information, please contact Dr Barry Noller

Projects and topic available

Developing critical design criteria for soil cover systems on minerals waste

The purpose of cover systems is to ensure the long-term chemical and physical stability of minerals waste storage facilities (including waste rock piles, heap leach residues, and tailings storage facilities) and to provide a suitable substrate for vegetation.

Covers are site- and material-specific and largely influenced by spatial and temporal climate variations. It means that a ‘one-size-fit-all’ approach is not suitable for cover systems. Site-specific cover designs need to be trialled and monitored for sufficient lengths of time in the context of each site. However, large-scale field trials are logistically challenging and often do not concur with mining schedules during the life of an operation.

In this project we will test a range of design criteria under controlled conditions including the depth of storage layer, the depth of vegetative layer, degree of compaction, the location and type of capillary break layer(s), cover material biochemical weathering and degradation, by subjecting the covers to a series of simulated rainfall and evaporation events. The data generated will help the industry to benchmark site specific cover designs against validated examples of typical covers before attempting field trials, rather than a means to replace field trials.

For further information, contact Associate Professor Mansour Edraki (m.edraki@cmlr.uq.edu.au) and Dr Mandana Shaygan (m.shaygan@uq.edu.au)

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Evaluating the use of hydrological and erosion models to support design of leading practice erosion and sediment control plans

Globally, mining operations are highly attuned to their duties to control erosion and sediment export. There are technical challenges as available guidance is not generally adapted to mine site conditions. Design criteria are often specified without consideration of expected performance. Changes to rainfall intensity and frequency can lead to difficulties in designing and maintaining control structures. CWiMI is developing a strong research program to address these gaps, which include several potential MPhil or PhD projects:

1. Assessing the use of existing hydrological models (HEC-HMS or PCSWMM) to evaluate performance of sediment basins in New Caledonia’s nickel mines
2. Assessing the use of existing erosion models to assist with evaluating performance of sediment control structures.

Contact details for applicants:

Professor Claire Cote – c.cote@uq.edu.au

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Long-term predictions of the hydrology and water quality of mine pit lakes

Open-pit mining creates large voids, which often fill up with water to create lakes after mining stops. The PhD will undertake research into how new data sources, potentially including remote sensing, can help reduce uncertainty in predictions of mine pit hydrology and water quality. The candidate will need Masters level knowledge of hydrology or environmental chemistry and good data analysis skills in Python, R or Matlab.

Contact details for applicants:

Professor Neil McIntyre – n.mcintyre@uq.edu.au ; +61 7 3346 4038

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Repurposing mine pit lakes to enable sustainable regional development

Post-mining land use refers to the use of mined land once active mining has been completed. Pit lakes are the legacy of open-pit mining because the voids fill with water. This PhD project aims to answer the question: how can pit lakes be optimally incorporated into regional water supply systems to enable regional development while considering economic, environmental, and social aspects? The candidate requires good data analysis skills. Coding and GIS skills are also desirable.

Contact details for applicants:

• Professor Neil McIntyre – n.mcintyre@uq.edu.au ; +61 7 3346 4038

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Accounting for climate change in mine design

Climate change and intensifying extremes pose an operational and environmental risk to mining landscapes, such as tailings, pit lakes, and waste rock dumps. The PhD will investigate how insights from new climate change data and scenarios, and the respective uncertainties, can be incorporated into mine planning. The candidate will need a background in hydrology or climate science and good coding skills in Python, R or Matlab.

Contact details for applicants:

• Professor Neil McIntyre – n.mcintyre@uq.edu.au ; +61 7 3346 4038
• Nevenka Bulovic – n.bulovic@uq.edu.au

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Monitoring high-elevation mountain snowpack with new satellite technology and a data assimilation framework

The snowpack is a critical source of freshwater in some mountainous environments but extremely difficult to monitor. This project will investigate how to fill this gap by utilising a data assimilation approach that leverages the complementary strengths of model-based snow estimates with new high resolution remote sensing observations (such as Planet, Sentinel-1 and 2). The candidate will require knowledge on remote sensing or hydrological modelling, and coding skills in Matlab, Python, or R.

Contact details for applicants:

• Nevenka Bulovic – n.bulovic@uq.edu.au

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Gaining insights into mine waste rock piles to avoid environmental legacies

The project aims to develop new methods for identifying pollution source hotspots and pathways inside mine waste rock dumps. This addresses the national need for effective management of Acid and Metalliferous Drainage (AMD), which is now a critical consideration in the viability of new mines and in confronting pollution legacies of old mines. The research will develop and test innovative methods of geophysical and geochemical analysis and their integration that provide 3-dimensional mapping of key physical and chemical features of the dump. Expected outcomes include greater confidence in the ability of the mining industry to manage its AMD liability.

Contact details for applicants:

• Associate Professor Mansour Edraki – m.edraki@uq.edu.au ; +61 7 3346 4060

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Improved Prediction, Remediation and Closure of Acid and Neutral Metalliferous Drainage (AMD/NMD) Sites by Examination of Mine Waste Behaviour at the Meso-scale

Small-scale kinetic tests such as standard humidity cell test or column leaching experiments are widely used to predict chemistry of drainages from mine waste storage facilities and to assess the long-term performance of remediation measures and constructed covers on mine waste. However, the results from these bench-top tests cannot be directly applied to field scale. This is partly because the complex interactions of solids, water and gases and the microbial activity, inside large-scale waste rock piles and tailings storage facilities, cannot be easily simulated in the laboratory, and partly because those interactions are not well understood and quantified, and it is not clear how the change of scale may affect those relationships.

The aim of this project is to investigate and quantify, through experimental work and numerical modelling at different scales, the significance of parameters that control the chemistry of acid and neutral drainage from mine waste storage facilities and use that information to more accurately scale up the results of kinetic tests.

Contact details for applicants:

• Associate Professor Mansour Edraki – m.edraki@uq.edu.au ; +61 7 3346 4060

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Delineating water tables and flow pathways inside spoil piles to support water quality predictions

Spoil piles have a highly heterogeneous composition and internal structure. Understanding the location and fluctuations of the water table inside spoil piles is essential for the success of progressive rehabilitation plans and mine closure, and in particular for predicting the water balance and water quality of final voids. The overall aim of this project is to detect the spatial and temporal distribution of water inside spoil piles, including the main water table and any perched water tables.

Contact details for applicants:

• Associate Professor Mansour Edraki – m.edraki@uq.edu.au ; +61 7 3346 4060

Projects currently available

PhD Title: Improving Mineral Processing Liberation Measurement by coupling X-Ray Tomography and 2D SEM Information

Project Summary
Liberation is a key parameter affecting performance in mineral processing.  This PhD at the JKMRC will develop techniques to more accurately measure mineral liberation by coupling 2D MLA and 3D XRT data and applying AI and stereological correction methods.  

1. Develop improved methods of visualising, segmenting and quantifying the mineralogy of particle images collected by XRT using programs such as Dragonfly and Matlab
2. Evaluate whether 2D SEM information can improve mineral identification in the XRT images using Artificial Intelligence techniques
3. Evaluate whether 3D XRT liberation measurement can be used to develop or calibrate stereological corrections for 2D SEM information

Project – EU Horizon Europe-funded m4mining project

As part of the m4mining international consortium, SMI has multiple PhD opportunities in the fields of geological sciences, mineral resources, environmental monitoring, drones, and application of AI and ML to hyperspectral sensing. Europe’s key funding programme for research and innovation (Horizon Europe) will support research costs, field work around Australia and opportunities to travel to Europe.

For further information, contact Associate Professor Steven Micklethwaite (s.micklethwaite@uq.edu.au)

See more information on the project