PhD Programs

PhD research program

Are you looking at developing world-leading skills in helping communities tackle climate change, capitalise on the digital transformation and accelerate rural innovation? Are you interested in receiving training from internationally renowned experts, whilst working with industry partners in the iconic Murray-Darling Basin on real-world problems?

The One Basin CRC offers attractive PhD packages in a broad range of disciplinary fields and across multiple universities in Australia (Australian National University, Charles Sturt University, Flinders University, The University of Adelaide, The University of Melbourne, The University of Sydney).

Our PhD graduates will be the future leaders in basin research and application. Our One Basin PhD program provides unprecedented leadership development opportunities, extensive industry networking, and the chance to establish a deep understanding of your chosen field.

Key features of the One Basin CRC PhD program are:

  • A 3.5 year scholarship with the option of a 6 month-funded internship with an industry partner or equivalent part-time employment.

  • A flexible funding package including a stipend of as much as $51,300 pa* and generous travel and operational support. Additional income from working part-time with industry partners and further scholarships may be available.

  • The PhD program seeks to achieve gender balance and attract candidates from all walks of life, with Australians of Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander heritage particularly encouraged to apply.

  • Opportunities for travel (including the possibility of international conferences), development and engagement with a strong research network that is being developed through the 10-year CRC.

  • Each candidate will be based for the majority of their time in one of the following research hubs: Loxton (South Australia), Mildura (Victoria), Griffith (NSW) and Goondiwindi (Queensland) with associated node in Narrabri (NSW) in order to facilitate place-based research and interactions with industry partners.

Our PhD program will give you the professional skills and networks to accelerate your career in research or practice across the water, agriculture or environmental sectors.

* This is dependent on the host university policies, other available co-funding, and candidature experience and background. Candidates will receive a minimum stipend of $35,000 pa and a further minimum $20,500 (total) in operational funding. The exact allocation of the funding package between the stipend and support activities (such as conferences, travel to and from regional hubs) will be agreed to by the host university, PhD student and the 1BCRC. Applicants must be intending to apply for, and be highly competitive for, a Research Training Program (RTP) Stipend (or an equivalent scholarship). The student will enter the PhD program in 2024 and enrol on a full-time basis.

8. Indigenous data sovereignty, Indigenous rights, and Indigenous governance in Murray-Darling Basin water management

10. Multilevel network approaches to incentivise sustainable adaptation in the Murray-Darling Basin


Current PhD opportunities

Evaluation and selection of candidates is currently underway.

  1. Harvest foresighting: Unifying on- and off-farm insights to improve harvest decisions under a changing climate

3. How can water assessment tools be inclusive of First Nations’ values and knowledge?

7. Financing and incentivising ecosystem services to future-proof Basin producers against climate change

11. Water futures: Community change in the context of conflict

4. Understanding the potential for achieving multiple benefits through water system operations

9. Characterisation of the inorganic and microbial water quality envelope for successful water banking in the Murray-Darling Basin for agriculture, town water supply and environmental benefit

2. Optimal cross-scale irrigation operation in the era of sensor networks, data science, and automation

6. Examining the potential of social marketing within community wealth-building programs as a pathway towards transformative change in rural communities in the Murray-Darling Basin

12. In-season crop type mapping over irrigated fields to assist in water demand and crop yield forecast

5. Economic analysis of water banking and managed aquifer recharge as innovations for enhancing and regulating water supply

To apply

Please submit an expression of interest via the button below. Evaluation and selection of candidates is currently underway. Academic qualifications in the disciplines shown in this linked document, or equivalent research or work experience, will be favourably considered for the advertised PhD topics.

If you need further assistance or have any questions, please email us at educationandtraining@onebasin.com.au