Thirteen PhD opportunities with the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program in Australia

The Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program (RRAP) <http://www.GBRrestoration.org> in Australia is now offering thirteen PhD opportunities for high-performing candidates who want to be in the front line of the world?s largest effort to help a significant ecosystem survive climate change. *https://www.gbrrestoration.org/join-us* 

*The opportunities include:*

  1. Three, four-year PhD student scholarships are available to study  hydrodynamics, wave forces and coral rubble dynamics on coral reefs. The  scholarships are part of the RRAP *Rubble Stabilisation Subprogram*. The   scholarship stipends are up to $35,000 per annum and are open to domestic Australian students (citizens or permanent residents) only at this time*.

  Applications close 31 October 2020. *

  2. Two, PhD opportunities within the RRAP *Moving Corals Subprogram* to   develop cost-efficient, large-scale production of billions of   genetically-diverse coral larvae to be used for direct restoration. Larvae   with enhanced environmental tolerance will be harvested from coral spawn   slicks and reared at sea, for transfer and settlement onto damaged reef   areas to catalyse coral restoration, adaptation and reef recovery.   Students will be enrolled through the Higher Degree Research Training   Program at Southern Cross University and will be encouraged to apply for a   competitive Research Training Program (RTP) PhD scholarship that provides a   living allowance of AU$28,092 per annum, indexed annually. *Applications   close 18 October 2020. *

  3. Five PhD opportunities focused on the social dimensions of reef   restoration and adaptation

  4. Two PhD scholarships assessing ecological limitations to early coral   recovery on the Great Barrier Reef

  5. A PhD scholarship focused on genetics of climate-change adaptation in   Great Barrier Reef corals.

*RRAP background*

RRAP brings together Australia?s leading experts to help the Great Barrier Reef resist, adapt to, and recover from the impacts of climate change. Visible from outer space, the Great Barrier Reef is the world?s largest living structure and one of the seven wonders of the world.

After completing a rigorous and comprehensive investigation into medium and  large-large reef intervention in 2019, RRAP is now is embarking on a long-term R&D program to develop, test and risk-assess novel interventions to help keep the Reef resilient and sustain critical functions and values.

The goal is to provide reef managers and decision-makers with an innovative suite of safe, acceptable and cost-effective interventions to help protect the Reef from the impacts of climate change, in conjunctions with best-practice reef management and reducing carbon emissions.

RRAP will be in a race against time to produce solutions and will require our best minds to work in partnership across many organisations and fields of expertise.

While RRAP is initially focused on developing technology and solutions to help the Great Barrier Reef, these solutions could also be applied to other reefs in Australia and around the world.

The first five years of the RRAP R&D Program, beginning in 2020, is funded  through the $100M allocated for reef restoration and adaptation science as part of the $443.3M partnership between the Australian Government?s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. This is to be supplemented with $100M each from philanthropy and research providers.

Partners include: Australian Institute of Marine Science, CSIRO, Queensland  University of Technology, James Cook University, The University of Queensland, Southern Cross University and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.

*For more information about these opportunities visit: **https://www.gbrrestoration.org/join-us *

Dr Ian McLeod

James Cook University