UNSW Mining Engineering & Australian Centre for Sustainable Mining Practices (ACSMP)

UNSW Australia is one of Australia's leading research and teaching universities. At UNSW, we take pride in the broad range and high quality of our teaching programs. Our teaching gains strength and currency from our research activities, strong industry links and our international nature; UNSW has a strong regional and global engagement. 

UNSW Mining Engineering is one of the largest mining schools in the world, with close links to industry and governments, leading to excellent research and producing high-calibre graduates.

We are the largest educator of mining engineers through our undergraduate and postgraduate programs, producing “globally-aware” mining engineers with a balanced combination of technical and management skills, together with appropriate social, cultural and community awareness.

A major strength of our School is the Australian Centre for Sustainable Mining Practices (ACSMP) which is recognised by both government and industry in Australia and internationally as an authority on sustainable mining practices.

The Australian Centre for Sustainable Mining Practices (ACSMP) at UNSW Australia invites potential candidates to apply for the PhD projects in the following areas:

Minesite Remediation

1. Innovative applications of UAV based sensors for open cut mining. For example:
   1. Hyperspectral sensor (Rikola) for vegetation related studies (rehabilitation/swamp/wetlands)
   2. LiDAR (Velodyne) for surface deformation related studies (subsidence/pit slope stability) as well as frequent reconciliation for short term mine planning
   3. Thermal imaging for spontaneous combustions  
2. Applications of UAV in underground mining (imaging, autonomous navigation and sampling)
3. Remote sensing for mine environmental change detection and prediction 
4. Mine closure and rehabilitation (completion criteria, quantification of rehabilitation success, biodiversity) 
5. Impact of extreme weather events on mining operations and adaptation strategies

Elite students with Bachelor of Engineering or Science in a related discipline (must be 1st class Honours or 85% grade average in undergraduate degree) and demonstrated aptitude for research may be competitive for PhD scholarships (subject to English requirements of UNSW). Complete the self-assessment here: https://research.unsw.edu.au/hdr-self-assessment-tool.  If you are likely to be eligible for entry and scholarship, you can email the self-assessment results, a CV, academic transcripts and primary research proposal to Dr Simit Raval (simit@unsw.edu.au).

Mine Waste

CO2 Sequestration and Mineral Carbonation from Mine Waste

Carbon dioxide capture and sequestration (CCS) utilising a mineral carbonation pathway promises to be the most thermodynamically secure approach to Carbon Capture and Storage.  Because certain ground mine waste rock products have experienced extensive mechano-chemical preparation, these products are best suited as substrates for carbonate mineralisation due to the lower energy inputs and CO2 penalties generally associate with whole mine rock materials. The current challenge is developing a method and protocol whereby the amount of CO2 captured and converted into carbonate (i.e. effectively sequestered) can be quantified and verified to the satisfaction of agencies granting carbon offset credits remains unanswered.  The PhD will investigate and develop an engineering optimized approach to quantify and verify the amount of CO2 sequestered using mineral carbonation of mine rock tailings.

Achieving this objective requires the application of theory, computer simulation and numeric modelling, and an understanding of analytic chemistry.

Essential Background and Selection Criteria: Equivalent of an Honours Degree (with First Class Honours) in Mining Engineering, Chemical engineering, Materials Engineering or any other allied engineering or science area.

How to Apply:
You must apply directly to Assoc. Prof. Michael Hitch by email (m.hitch@unsw.edu.au). 

Please include in the Subject Line: CO2 Mineral Carbonation PhD Application and include the following:

• A CV detailing your education history and academic achievement (e.g. publication list, project funding obtained etc.)
• Contact details of at least two academic referees

Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed in person or via Skype video conference.

Mine Water

1. Water tracer technologies to evaluate hazards of water loss to underground excavations (geochemistry, isotopes)
2. Accounting for mining project risks in water stressed environments - technical and governance liabilities (mining engineering, environmental engineering, resource/risk analysis)
3. Coupled hydrogeological-geomechanical processes in underground mining (geomechanics, hydrogeology)
4. Quantifying flow and reactive solute transport in aquitards using advanced techniques (hydrogeology, geotechnical centrifuge technology)
5. Smart moisture sensing of soils and wetlands near longwall mines  (soil physics, hydrogeology, mining engineering)

Elite students with Bachelor of Engineering or Science in a related discipline (must be 1st class Honours or 85% grade average in undergraduate degree) and demonstrated aptitude for research may be competitive for PhD scholarships (subject to English requirements of UNSW). Complete the self-assessment here: https://research.unsw.edu.au/hdr-self-assessment-tool.  If you are likely to be eligible for entry and scholarship, you can email the self-assessment results, a CV and academic transcripts to w.timms@unsw.edu.au

Mineral Processing

We have three general PhD research areas in minerals processing, available in the School of Mining Engineering at UNSW Australia.

•  Stabilisation of air bubbles in Froth Flotation

•  Influence of flotation process water chemistry on thermoplastic behaviour of coal

•   Virtual reality applications in minerals processing

Candidates must possess the equivalent of an Australian 1st class Honours degree or 85% grade average in undergraduate degree in engineering, fluid dynamics, physical chemistry, computer science or related areas. Contact Dr Seher Ata (s.ata@unsw.edu.au)