The PhD will be supervised by Dr Andrea Griffin and will involve working closely with staff from Hunter Local Land Services, Hunter Bird Observers Club, Department of Planning and Environment, and National Parks and Wildlife.The project will employ an automated telemetry array spanning both estuaries to detect small tags fitted to the birds. Automated 24/7 telemetry detections will reveal where birds of different species go to forage and roost at night, and the extent to which they move between neighbouring estuaries. This knowledge is needed to predict how habitat choices will be affected by sea level rise associated with climate change and to develop effective conservation strategies now and into the future.The project will involve extensive field work in both the Port Stephens and Hunter estuaries, hand-held and automated radiotelemetry to measure movement and behaviour. The research project is funded by Hunter Local Land Services.

Funding: This is a donor-funded scholarship from Ms Margaret Flynn. $32,192 per annum (2024 rate) indexed annually. For a PhD candidate, the living allowance scholarship is for 3.5 years and the tuition fee scholarship is for four years. For an MPhil candidate, the living allowance and tuition fee scholarships are two years. The scholarship will be offered to the successful candidate subject to the grant/funding being fully established.

Supervisor: Dr Andrea Griffin