[Aqualist] New PhD projects

Tue Aug 2 12:11:03 EST 2005

Dear All,

If you are thinking of doing a PhD in environmental change or know someone 
who is then please read the following. We are seeking applicants for 2 new 
PhD projects at the Department of Archaeology and Natural History, 
Australian National University. If you have a first class honours (or 
equivalent) in geography, environmental science, archaeology or similar and 
you will be applying for an Australian Postgraduate Awards (APA, due 31st 
October 2005) or International Postgraduate Research Scholarships (IPRS, 
due 31st August 2005) in the next round then please read the project 
descriptions below. Alternatively, visit our website PalaeoWorks 
(http://palaeoworks.anu.edu.au/students.html) student page for details of 
these two new and exciting projects for prospective PhD students.

Project 1. Biodiversity Change through Time in the Tropical Rainforest of 
Papua New Guinea

Project 2. Microscopic Indicators of Herbivore Extinctions and Invasions in 
Australasian-Pacific Prehistory.

For more details see below or contact.................Dr Simon Haberle @ ANU

Project 1. Biodiversity Change through Time in the Tropical Rainforest of 
Papua New Guinea
The potential for sudden collapse of ecosystems in response to multiple 
interacting pressures has been of increasing concern in ecological and 
conservation research (Scheffer et al. 2001, Nature 413:591). In the 
rainforests of Papua New Guinea, human populations numbers are growing 
rapidly and there is increasing pressure from a range of human resource 
exploitation from ancient forest clearance for agriculture to recent 
deforestation for commercial logging and mining. As part of the third 
largest expanse of rainforest on the globe these rainforests support a 
staggering array of plant and animal diversity. An equally staggering 
concentration of cultural and linguistic diversity can be found amongst 
human populations interacting and subsisting within these environments. One 
of the lessons learnt from the incorporation of ecological histories into 
models to understand and manage forest environments is that, with an 
adequate historical perspective, ecological catastrophes such as 
biodiversity loss can be predicted and averted (Swetnam et al. 1999, 
Ecological Applications 9:1189).

This research project aims to chart long-term changes in biodiversity in 
the Crater Mountain Wildlife Management Area (CMWMA) of southern Papua New 
Guinea, a region typifying the cultural and natural variability across the 
island. The CMWMA was established in 1994 with support from the Wildlife 
Conservation Society (WCS) as a cooperative venture between The Research 
and Conservation Foundation of PNG, local landowners and government. Human 
resource exploitation and natural environmental change (including climate 
change and volcanic activity) have all played a part in shaping the 
rainforests of today, however, we still know little of the rate or scale of 
change that has occurred in the past. The successful candidate will use 
palaeoecological techniques in lake sites that span the period from the 
last glacial maximum to the present to explore:
1. the role of multiple interacting pressures, including climate change, 
volcanic eruptions and human activity on rainforest ecosystem 
change/stability through time.
2. the development of measures of biodiversity from palaeoecological data,
3. approaches to incorporating palaeoecological data into environmental 
management models and the implications for conservation and management in 
the Crater Mountain Wildlife Management Area (CMWMA), Papua New Guinea.

Project 2. Microscopic Indicators of Herbivore Extinctions and Invasions in 
Australasian-Pacific Prehistory.
The aim of this project is to use the presence/abundance of microscopic 
dung fungi spores preserved in swamp sediments and archaeological sites as 
indicators of extinctions and invasions of herbivores in past landscapes. 
This will be approached through the development of a taxonomic 
understanding of dung fungi remains preserved in modern and ancient 
sediments. The technique has proved successful in North America and 
Madagascar to explore megafuanal extinctions and the introduction of 
domestic ungulates into these regions. The successful PhD candidate will 
develop this technique for application to archaeological and 
palaeoecological problems in the Australasian and Pacific region and be 
expected to participate in fieldwork in Papua New Guinea and neighbouring 
Pacific islands. The outcomes of this project will contribute to one of the 
most significant questions remaining in Pacific prehistory, that of when 
the pig, the major animal domesticate of the region, was first introduced 
to the region (Bellwood and White, 2005, Science 309: 381).

Resources and associations:
You will join a vibrant palaeoecological and archaeological group at ANU 
where you will be based in the Department of Archaeology and Natural 
History, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies. This is a 
well-resourced project conducted in conjunction with current departmental 
research activity in Papua New Guinea. The successful candidate will be 
expected to conduct fieldwork in the Papua New Guinea in 2006 and 2007. You 
will be enrolled in theArchaeology and Palaeoanthropology Graduate Program 
and be based in the Department of Archaeology and Natural History, RSPAS.

Background of candidates:
We are seeking highly motivated and enthusiastic students with a background 
in Quaternary science, geography, botany, or similar. Some field experience 
would be an advantage. A first class honours or research masters in a 
relevant field is required.

Applications and closing dates for international (IPRS) and local (APA) 
scholarships:
Interested applicants should submit an application for a graduate 
scholarship to ANU. The deadline for receipt of IPRS applications from 
international students is 31st August 2005; for APA/ANU/GSS scholarships 
for Australian and New Zealand students the deadline is 31st October 2005. 
The RSPAS also has funding available for tuition and full scholarships for 
outstanding students. The successful candidate will be expected to commence 
between 2nd Jan and 31st Mar 2006. Application forms for both international 
(IPRS) and local (APA) scholarships are available at 
http://www.anu.edu.au/sas/forms/

For further information about this project contact:

Dr Simon Haberle
Department of Archaeology and Natural History
Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies
ANU, Canberra 0200
Email: simon.haberle at anu.edu.au, tel: +61 2 6125 3373
Homepage: http://rspas.anu.edu.au/people/personal/habes_rmap.html

Relevant web links:
· PalaeoWorks http://palaeoworks.anu.edu.au/
· Department of Archaeology and Natural History http://rspas.anu.edu.au/anh/
· Australian National University Graduate School 
http://www.anu.edu.au/graduate/scholarships/
· Research and Conservation Foundation of PNG http://www.rcf.org.pg/home.html
· Wildlife Conservation Society, Papua New Guinea 
http://www.wcs.org/international/Asia/175994

_________________________________________________________________
Dr Simon Haberle

Fellow and Assoc. Director of the Centre for Archaeological Research

Department of Archaeology & Natural History
Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies
Australian National University
Canberra, ACT 0200
Australia

tel:    +61 2 6125 3373
fax:    +61 2 6125 1635
web page:       http://palaeoworks.anu.edu.au/
                 http://car.anu.edu.au/