PhD Scholarship: Integrated Framework for Monitoring and Predicting Coastal Rock Cliff Erosion
This PhD scholarship at the University of Newcastle offers an exciting opportunity to develop an integrated framework for monitoring, modelling, and predicting the erosion and retreat of coastal rock cliffs. The project addresses the urgent challenge posed by extreme storms, wave attack, and rising sea levels along Australia’s eastern seaboard, which threaten infrastructure, private assets, and community safety. A central focus is the rock debris apron—a natural accumulation of boulders and fragments at the cliff base that acts as a protective barrier against wave impact and cliff undercutting. Despite advances in coastal and geotechnical research, there is currently no comprehensive framework for quantifying and predicting the evolution of debris aprons and their role in cliff erosion.
The aim of this PhD project is to develop a multidisciplinary approach combining high-resolution field monitoring, hydrodynamic measurements, reduced-scale physical modelling, and advanced numerical simulation. The candidate will contribute to the overarching ARC project through research components tailored to their background, including UAV photogrammetry, LiDAR surveys, fixed-camera monitoring, change-detection tools, deep-learning image segmentation, deployment of wave buoys and pressure sensors, and controlled flume experiments. These activities will help quantify debris dynamics, cliff-base erosion, wave loading, overtopping events, and debris mobility under varied geological and storm conditions.
Expected outcomes include new insights and modelling tools to quantify debris apron formation and protection, identify thresholds for debris mobility during extreme storms, assess the impact of climate-driven sea-level rise on cliff stability, and improve predictions of coastal cliff retreat. The research will directly support coastal councils, geotechnical practitioners, and government agencies in developing effective adaptation strategies for at-risk coastal cliffs.
The candidate will join the Research Centre for Geotechnical Science and Engineering (CGSE) at the University of Newcastle, supervised by Prof Anna Giacomini, Dr Davide Guccione, and Dr Michael Kinsela. The project offers exceptional training in field monitoring, advanced laboratory testing, and interdisciplinary hazard analysis. Applicants should have qualifications in civil/geotechnical engineering, coastal engineering, geology, geomatics, or related fields. Experience in UAV surveying, remote sensing, or laboratory experimentation is advantageous but not essential.
The scholarship provides a living allowance of $38,938 per annum (2026 rate), indexed annually, and covers tuition fees for 3.5 years. A relocation allowance of up to $1,500 is also available. Applications are open to domestic students who meet the minimum eligibility criteria for PhD admission. Interested applicants should send an email expressing their interest, including academic transcripts, CV, a brief statement of research interests, and a proposal linking their background to the project, to [email protected] by 5pm on 07 June 2026. For further information and to apply, visit the provided application link.
