Geosciences Honours and Masters projects

Research opportunities in the School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

See the supervisors involved in Geosciences in the School, and the projects they'll be working on in the coming year.

Gold distribution in the Youanmi gold deposit, Yilgarn Craton

This project is supported by Rox Resources who are offering a scholarship of $10,000/year and will cover all research costs. This project will determine where gold occurs within the Youanmi gold deposit both in terms of the where gold occurs within minerals (e.g., as inclusions, in fractures, on boundaries) as well as understanding the micro/structural sites that host high gold grade. To determine this the student will use a range of methods including microprobe, scanning electron microscopy, 3D Xray computed tomography and microscopy. Field work at the mine site is optional, but a short visit would be advantageous; the mine is in a beautiful outback location with excellent facilities. Training will be provided in all necessary techniques.

Earth’s history through sedimentary geology

Sedimentary rocks record four billion years of Earth’s environmental evolution and the evolution of life. Projects may considers aspects of  timing of environmental change, tectonism, past climates, vegetation history, and the evolution of the oceans and atmosphere. Sediment hosted ore deposits and the diagenesis of sediments are also aspects of this research which can be related to industry projects. There are a variety of projects related to sedimentary geology in any of these areas depending on what prospective Masters and Honours students are interested in. Any project would likely be a combination of some fieldwork, petrography and sedimentary geochemistry (laser/isotopes).

  • Project type: Honours or Masters
  • Supervisors: Ashleigh Hood, Malcolm Wallace
  • Make an enquiry

Earthquake studies in New South Wales

Using lidar, drones, field mapping, structural geology, geophysics you will study earthquakes in NSW as part of a DRF-funded research team.

  • Project type: Masters
  • Supervisors: Mark Quigley, Dan Sandiford, Grace Sethanant, Gideon Tang
  • Make an enquiry

Earthquake studies in South Australia

Using lidar, drones, field mapping, structural geology, geophysics you will study earthquakes in South Australia as part of a DRF-funded research team

  • Project type: Masters
  • Supervisors: Mark Quigley, Dan Sandiford, Grace Sethanant, Gideon Tang
  • Make an enquiry

Exploring the mantle through kimberlite-borne mantle xenoliths

Kimberlites are volcanic rocks sourced from the deepest derived magmas on Earth. Kimerblites are the primary host rocks to diamonds and are thought to be emplaced in violent eruptions. In addition to diamonds, kimberlites also transport a vast cargo of lithospheric mantle material, in the form of xenoliths. These xenoliths provide a window into the mantle that would otherwise be inaccessible. This project will involved petrographic and geochemical analyses to understand the evolution  of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath cratonic regions (there is a choice of possible localities).

Kimberlites of the Karelian Craton

Kimberlites are volcanic rocks sourced from the deepest derived magmas on Earth and are the primary host rocks to diamonds. A cluster of these enigmatic volcanic rocks has recently been discovered in Finland. This project will involve characterising these samples using petrography, geochronology and geochemistry to understand their evolution, source and emplacement. It is yet to be determined if these rocks are related to kimberlites found elsewhere in Finland or in neighbouring Russia

Floral change during globally warm climates

Using material collected from Antarctica, Australia or New Mexico, USA, you will document how Eocene climate influenced palynofloral communities (i.e., microscopic fossil spores and pollen). Using the generated palynological data, you will interpret the paleoclimate and paleoenvironment. This project will be conducted in collaboration with the British Antarctic Survey and New Mexico State University.

Geochemical constraints on the formation of the Fiddlers Creek gold deposit

This project will be conducted in collaboration with an industry partner and will involve a geochemical and mineralogical study of the Fiddlers Creek gold deposit near Avoca.  It will also involve logging of diamond drill core and examination of underground geology.  The aim of the study is to establish the nature of the ore-forming fluids and the origin of the gold mineralization.

Geochemical controls on the Sunday Creek gold deposit

This project, to be done in collaboration with an industry partner,  will involve a geochemical and mineralogical study of the Sunday Creek gold-antimony deposit near Kilmore.  It will also involve logging of diamond drill core. A major aim of the project is to establish the distribution of gold in the deposit and provide insights into origin of the deposit.

Geomaterials for environmental remediation

The geomaterials, such as nano-clays, iron oxides, carbonates have the potential to immobilize toxins and limit their leaching to the environment. With modification of surface properties, their pollutants sequestration ability can be enhanced to restore earth’s environment.  The modified materials will be tested in batch sorption experiments for their improved efficiency to remediate pollutants (e.g. arsenic, chromium, lithium) from water samples. The students will also be trained to use geochemical modelling to predict the sorption potential of natural and modified geo-materials.

  • Project type: Honours or Masters
  • Supervisors: Irshad Bibi and Ralf Haese
  • Make an enquiry

Investigating "meteorite impact sites" in Tasmania

The Darwin Crater in Western Tasmania, of diameter 1.2 km,  is thought to result from a meteorite impact 0.8 million years ago.  This project will investigate some topographic features that could represent additional impact sites from the same event. The origin of these features will be evaluated using a combined geomorphological (e.g. erosion modelling) and petrological approach. The project involves physically strenuous fieldwork in the Tasmanian Central Highlands, although, in exceptional circumstances, the requirement for the research student to do their own fieldwork could be waived.

  • Project type:  Honours
  • Supervisors:  Henne May and Eleanor Green
  • Make an enquiry

Microfossils climate and environment

Research on Cenozoic ocean sediment from  International Ocean Discovery Program expeditions or other similar projects.

  • Project type: Honours or Masters
  • Supervisor: Stephen Gallagher
  • Make an enquiry

Microfossils of the 12 Apostles

Analyses of microfossils to get the age and environments of the layers of the 12 Apostles.

  • Project type: Honours or Masters
  • Supervisor: Stephen Gallagher
  • Make an enquiry

Reconstructing environmental change, human-environment interactions, and seasonal foraging practices from Jomōn Period archaeological shell middens in Japan using geochemistry and sclerochronology

This project will use high-resolution geochemical records (stable isotopes and trace elements) combined with analysis of growth increments from mollusc shells (sclerochronology) to reconstruct records of past climate change, human-environment interaction, and seasonal shellfish foraging strategies from Jomōn Period archaeological shell middens on the Izu Islands and from the Kasori Shell Mounds on Honshu Island in Japan. There are two projects available, one focusing on a modern proxy calibration study using stable isotopes and trace elements from modern Japanese mollusc species, and another focusing geochemical analysis of shell remains from archaeological shell middens. If the students are available in late November 2025 (23rd-29th November), this project will support the students to participate in one week of fieldwork on the Izu Islands and in Chiba Prefecture in Japan to collect material for analysis for their projects. This research is funded by the Japanese Society for the promotion of Science (JSPS) and will be undertaken in collaboration with A/Prof Kotaro Shirai from the University of Tokyo.

  • Project type: Honours or Masters
  • Supervisor: Amy Prendergast
  • Make an enquiry

Fire intensity during past intervals of rapid climate change

Using fossil charcoal and charcoal generated in a gas burning apparatus, you will investigate the impact that increasing fire intensity, determined using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) chemical imaging microscopy, has on vegetation and the carbon isotopic composition of charcoal. This project will be conducted in collaboration with the University of Melbourne Palaeontology and FLARE Wildfire Research groups, as well as the Smithsonian Institution.

  • Project type: Honours or Masters
  • Supervisor:  Vera Korasidis and Alexander Filkov
  • Make an enquiry

Techniques for Enhanced rock weathering to mitigate climate change

Silicate containing rocks such as basalts have the natural potential to mitigate climate change through CO2 removal from the environment, which could be optimized through enhanced weathering of minerals in these rocks. This project will involve exploring novel methods to achieve enhanced rock weathering for CO2 removal and its re-mineralization. Novel methods involving physical, chemical and biological processes will be employed to enhance the weathering rates of minerals with a natural potential to sequester CO2 from the environment. The efficiency of modified minerals will be tested through cation leaching tests in laboratory throuh batch experiments.

  • Project type: Honours or Masters
  • Supervisors: Irshad Bibi and Ralf Haese
  • Make an enquiry

Tectonic evolution of the Middleton Basin, Tasman Sea

Building on existing models, this project involves interpretation of a 900km long seismic line off the southern Qld coast, development of a velocity model to depth convert the seismic and step-by-step restoration in Move to illustrate basin evolution and early Tasman extension.

  • Project type: Honours or Masters
  • Supervisors: Ashleigh Hood, Kevin Hill and Mark McLean
  • Make an enquiry

The age and nature of mafic intrusions in the Cape Paterson area

This project involves mapping, dating, petrography and geochemical analysis of up to five mafic intrusions with mantle xenoliths that intrude the Aptian-Albian Strzlecki Formation. The area is covered by new high-resolution drone imagery.

The genesis of orbicular kimberlites - when, where and how?

Orbicules are enigmatic igneous textures that are most commonly found in granites. However, there are a few documented cases of them occurring in kimberlites - volcanic rocks sourced from the deepest derived magmas on Earth. Kimerblites are the primary host rocks to diamonds and are thought to be emplaced in violent eruptions. These occurrences are poorly studied, and the origin of these textures is therefore poorly understood. This project will involved detailed petrography and geochemical analyses to understand the process(es) that led to the formation of orbicules in kimberlites.

The Megalithic Jars of Laos

Laos is home to one of SEAsia’s most mysterious archaeological cultures. The ‘Plain of Jars’ is a megalithic landscape, comprising more than 2,500 hollowed, stone jars spread over more than 120 documented sites, 11 of which were inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage in 2019 (www.plain-of-jars.org). The jars vary in height from 1 to 3m and are placed alone or in groups numbering several hundred. They appear to be part of a complex burial ritual and were transported from quarries several km away.

This Honours/Masters project focusses on petrographic/geochemical characterisation of the various jar materials and of samples from potential sources.

  • Thin sections of the samples, prepared either locally or commercially, will be examined using the petrographic microscope, electron microscopy (SEM-BSE imaging) and the electron microprobe. Microscopic observations will establish the mineralogy and texture of the rocks, while SEM imaging will provide mineralogical and intergrowth detail at the sub-microscopic scale, as well as mineral identification via SEM-EDS analysis.
  • Electron microprobe analyses will be used to obtain quantitative mineral chemical compositions which – together with the mineralogy and textures – can be used to support potential matches with source materials.

Additional instrumental techniques may also be utilised (e.g. XRF and ICP-MS to obtain major/trace element abundances in whole rocks; laser ablation ICP-MS to obtain trace element concentrations; isotopic analyses of strontium and neodymium).

  • Project type: Honours or Masters
  • Supervisors: Louise Shewan and John Webb
  • Make an enquiry

The timing and origin of intrusive bodies in the Cape Conran area - insights into Victoria's tectonic history

This project involves mapping, dating, petrography and geochemical analysis of up felsic and mafic intrusions that cross-cut turbidite sequences at Cape Conran. These intrusions are poorly studied, yet may relate to larger scale tectonic processes associated with the evolution of the southeastern margin on Australia. The area is covered by new high-resolution drone imagery.

Building a forensic geochemistry approach to source-authentication for food and agricultural products such as coffee, tea, wine and grains

Economic goods, especially those with significant considerations regarding their  specific geological/geographical regions (e.g. Fair Trade coffee/tea, high-end wine), require modernisation of methods for tracing them back to their source (provenance). This project will focus on a selection of economic goods for which literature already exists for geographical provenance, and work to further advance laboratory and analytical methodologies towards (1) refining the geochemical "fingerprint" of such goods and (2) refine/streamline workflows towards scalability of this technique in the industry and commercial research sectors.

  • Project type: Masters
  • Supervisors: Brandon Mahan, Louise Shewan
  • Make an enquiry

Geochemical characterisation of cultural mineral pigments

Mineral-based pigments are culturally significant around the world and in Australia for cultural and artistic expression for venues such as rock art and material culture. In collaboration with Indigenous research partners, this project will investigate the mineralogy, microscopy, characterisation and analysis of model and cultural pigments towards understanding their uses in the archaeological past.

Tracing the Provenance of Shipwrecked Ceramics from the Belitung

The Belitung shipwreck (Indonesia) is a significant underwater archaeological site and the oldest known shipwreck in Southeast Asia. In collaboration with Indonesian and university partners, this project focuses on the mineralogical and geochemical analysis of the ceramics in the Belitung cargo, towards understanding cross-cultural trade routes across land and sea. Data from this project will support international and interdisciplinary projects in earth and archaeological science and underwater cultural heritage.

Finding needles in the haystack: Using x-ray tomography (micro-CT) to find 2D sections in 3D images for geoscience applications

The process of thin section and epoxy mount preparation for charactering geological samples is destructive and can be a potluck in terms of what structures or minerals are revealed in 2D section. For precious samples, where little material is available or remote field work is needed to obtain specimens, it is important to maximise the benefit from subsequent sample preparation and analysis. This study has two primary aims: 1) use micro-CT to create 3D virtualisations of hand specimens to reveal and quantify the distribution of inclusions of interest in proxies for meteoritic and other specimens; †2) determine the optimal orientation of 2D cross-sectional planes for subsequent sample preparation for destructive imaging and analysis.
  • Project type: Honours or Masters
  • Supervisor: Jay Black, Brandon Mahan and Paul Gregory
  • Make an enquiry

Next steps

Once you've found a researcher you'd like to work with, we encourage you to get in touch with them and talk about potential projects.

Learn more about graduate study

Apply for the Bachelor of Science (Honours)
Apply for the Master of Geoscience
Apply for the Master of Science (Earth Sciences)

Last updated: 10 September 2025