Linking soil biology, plant community composition and hydrology to understand drivers of soil carbon storage in highland grasslands.

About the research project

Highland grasslands are a dominant and crucially important component of Australia’s alpine and sub-alpine ecosystems. These communities support unique biodiversity and have enormous aesthetic and emotional appeal. What is perhaps less obvious, however, is that these communities also support soils that are extremely dense stores of carbon, due to their peaty nature caused by the accumulation of undecomposed plant material. These peaty soils are crucial to Australia’s prosperity - capturing, storing, filtering and releasing water worth $A10 billion p.a. to the Australian economy. By absorbing and then later releasing vast amounts of water, these soils help prevent floods during wet periods and keep rivers flowing during drought and their ability to do so is entirely dependent upon their peaty nature. However, highland peatlands are threatened by the combination of a warming, drying climate and historically-installed drainage channels, which could lead to increased loss of soil carbon through changes to plant community composition and function, higher rates of decomposition and reduced carbon inputs.

This project will make use of state of a new landscape-scale experiment that manipulates hydrology in several highland areas in Tasmania, covering a range of plant communities. The project will investigate variation in soil biological composition and function in relation to plant community composition and local hydrology. Approaches will include some or all of field sampling, manipulative experiments and molecular and/or soil function analyses.

The successful candidate will become part of a large multi-institution research program centred around the Tasmanian sites in the Australian Mountain Research Facility. The candidate will be based in the School of Natural Sciences at the University of Tasmania, supervised by Prof. Mark Hovenden and Dr Elizabeth Wandrag, who are collaborating to discover ways that adaptive management can ensure long term sustainability of these ecosystems.

Primary supervisor

Meet Professor Mark Hovenden

Funding

The successful applicant will receive a scholarship which provides:

• a living allowance stipend co-funded with ARC of $34,315 per annum 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)

A tuition fee offset may be offered to eligible international applicants following competitive assessment 

As part of the application process you may indicate if you do not wish to be considered for scholarship funding.

Additional Funding

Meals and accommodation are provided during all fieldwork associated with the project.

All equipment necessary for the project is also provided as are field vehicles.

Other funding opportunities and fees

For further information regarding other scholarships on offer, and the various fees for undertaking a research degree, please visit our Scholarships and fees on research degrees page.

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:

This project is open to graduates in the fields of ecology, biology, plant science, soil science, agriculture or environmental science. Applicants must be able to undertake the project on-campus, be prepared for extensive, physically-demanding remote-area fieldwork in often challenging conditions.

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:

1. An honours degree or equivalent in ecology, biology, plant science, soil science, agriculture, environmental science or mathematics
2. A current, unrestricted drivers licence
3. The ability to work in the field in remote locations under adverse climatic conditions
4. Good physical fitness and mobility

Additional desirable selection criteria specific to this project:

1. Experience in the study of plant-soil interactions
2. Experience in soil biology
3. Proven fieldwork experience, especially in remote areas
4. Experience with high altitude/alpine/high latitude ecosystems
5. Ability to code effectively in R or Python

Application process

1. Select your project, and check that you meet the eligibility and selection criteria, including citizenship;
2. Contact Professor Mark Hovenden to discuss your suitability and the project's requirements; and
3. 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.
4. Apply prior to 1 August 2026.

Full details of the application process can be found under the ' How to apply ' section of the Research Degrees website.

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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