Biofilm-based pre-treatment for drinking water treatment

The treatment of drinking water is facing increasing challenges as the impacts of climate change are felt across different stages of the treatment process. Water supply limitations push for the use of alternative sources, while source water quality deterioration poses recurrent challenges, such as organic matter peaks, and the presence of manganese and iron, resulting from increased heavy run-off events. These issues impact the treatment requirements and costs to guarantee the production of high quality, safe water, free of colour and disinfection by-products.
This project aims at investigating the integration of a biofilm-based process in drinking water systems for the removal of organics and manganese in a cost-effective way, while minimising the disinfection by-products formation potential.
This PhD project is part of an ARC Linkage project, and the candidate will have the opportunity to work closely to national and international industry partners in the development of the technology. The project includes a technology scale up step, giving the candidate the opportunity to see their thesis results applied in real conditions. This is an exciting opportunity for candidates seeking a carrier path in either academia or industry.

This PhD project is within UQ’s defined strength of environmental science (the top 20 in the world). The Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB) at UQ is one of the top research centres worldwide in the field of environmental biotechnology and engineering. The Centre has excellent experimental and analytical  facilities, including lab- and pilot-scale reactors and advanced analytical and monitoring tools. ACWEB fosters a thriving research environment and provides exciting opportunities for professional development, both academically and with industry.

This is an Earmarked scholarship project that aligns with a recently awarded Australian Government grant.

The scholarship includes:

• living stipend of $36,400 per annum tax free (2025 rate), indexed annually
• your tuition fees covered
• single overseas student health cover (OSHC).

Learn more about the Earmarked scholarship.

You must contact the principal supervisor for this project to discuss your interest. You should only complete the online application after you have reached agreement on supervision.

Always make sure you are approaching your potential supervisor in a professional way. We have provided some guidelines for you on how to contact a supervisor.

Your application will be assessed on a competitive basis.

We take into account your:

• previous academic record
• publication record
• honours and awards
• employment history.

A working knowledge of chemical engineering, biotechnology, water chemistry would be of benefit to someone working on this project.

This project requires candidates to commence no later than Research Quarter 2, 2025. To allow time for your application to be processed, we recommend applying no later than 31 December, 2024 30 September, 2024.

You can start in an earlier research quarter. See application dates.

Before you apply

1. Check your eligibility for the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
2. Prepare your documentation.
3. Contact Associate Professor Gilda Carvalho (g.carvalho@uq.edu.au) to discuss your interest and suitability.

When you apply

You apply for this scholarship when you submit an application for a PhD. You don’t need to submit a separate scholarship application.

In your application ensure that under the ‘Scholarships and collaborative study’ section you select:

• My higher degree is not collaborative
• I am applying for, or have been awarded a scholarship or sponsorship
• UQ Earmarked Scholarship type.

Apply now