Degree type
PhD
Closing date
1 June 2025
Campus
Hobart
Citizenship requirement
Domestic
About the research project
Edge habitats act as dynamic frontiers that shape biodiversity, yet the ecological processes governing species and community changes at these margins remain poorly understood. This PhD project offers a unique opportunity to investigate how vertebrate communities respond when transitioning from interior habitats to edges across Tasmania’s diverse landscapes—spanning reserves, production forests, and farmland. Drawing on an extensive existing camera-trap database (>1,200 sites) and new data from interior-to-edge transects, the successful candidate will test theories of edge effects, community composition, and biodiversity turnover under varying land use and disturbance regimes.
The project provides considerable scope for personalisation: it may lean toward field-based ecology—deploying and servicing camera traps at 6-month intervals—or focus on innovative data science by applying advanced statistical and machine-learning techniques (including deep learning and structural equation modelling). Both approaches promise to unearth novel insights into how climate change, forestry, fire, and invasive species jointly influence species distributions and community dynamics.
Close collaborations with Sustainable Timbers Tasmania, the Forest Practices Authority, and the Tasmanian Department of Natural Resources & Environment will ensure that findings inform real-world management, with practical implications for sustaining biodiversity in mixed-use landscapes. The candidate will be guided by an experienced team at the University of Tasmania known for high-impact ecological and conservation research, gaining an exceptional training ground for a future career in science or environmental policy.
Primary Supervisor
Funding
Applicants will be considered for a Research Training Program (RTP) scholarship or Tasmania Graduate Research Scholarship (TGRS) which, if successful, provides:
- a living allowance stipend of $33,511 per annum (2025 rate, indexed annually) for 3.5 years
- a relocation allowance of up to $2,000
- a tuition fees offset covering the cost of tuition fees for up to four years (domestic applicants only)
If successful, international applicants will receive a University of Tasmania Fees Offset for up to four years.
As part of the application process you may indicate if you do not wish to be considered for scholarship funding.
Other funding opportunities and fees
For further information regarding other scholarships on offer, and the various fees of undertaking a research degree, please visit Scholarships and fees.
Eligibility
Applicants should review the Higher Degree by Research minimum entry requirements.
Ensure your eligibility for the scholarship round by referring to our Key Dates.
Additional eligibility criteria specific to this project/scholarship:
- Applicants must be able to undertake the project on-campus
- Only open to domestic candidates or on-shore international candidates
- Applications are open to Conservation Biology, Wildlife or Community Ecology discipline backgrounds, with experience in statistical analysis and modelling
Selection Criteria
The project is competitively assessed and awarded. Selection is based on academic merit and suitability to the project as determined by the College.
Additional essential selection criteria specific to this project:
- Demonstrated strong research and analytical skills
- Familiarity with analysis/modelling tools: R, GIS, Excel, SQL, Python
Additional desirable selection criteria specific to this project:
- Experience in remote field work (ideally using wildlife camera traps)
Application process
- Select your project, and check that you meet the eligibility and selection criteria, including citizenship;
- Contact Prof Barry Brook to discuss your suitability and the project's requirements; and
- In your application:
- Copy and paste the title of the project from this advertisement into your application. If you don’t correctly do this your application may be rejected.
- Submit a signed supervisory support form, a CV including contact details of 2 referees and your project research proposal.
- Apply prior to 1 June 2025.
Full details of the application process can be found under the 'How to apply' section at Research degrees.
Following the closing date applications will be assessed within the College. Applicants should expect to receive notification of the outcome by email by the advertised outcome date.
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