Biofuel Production Options for Co-benefits in Rural Australia

UNE Law and UNE Business School are please to be able to offer two PhD Domestic Scholarships.

The University of New England (UNE), Armidale is a regionally based, globally networked university that is renowned for the quality of its student experience and the excellence of its research specialisations. UNE pioneered teaching to external students making it the most experienced provider of distance and innovative online education. Currently there are over 26,000 students (84% of whom are distance/online students) and approximately 1,200 academic and general staff.
The UNE decadal strategic plan, Future Fit 2021-2030, has been developed to guide the University to deliver on its enduring vision to support the aspirations of individuals in communities, and communities within regions, in a digital age.

The Faculty

The Faculty of Science, Agriculture, Business and Law (SABL) is an innovative collaboration of scientists, researchers, and academics designed to deliver outstanding education and practical learning. The Faculty consists of over 700 staff and postgraduate students with international reach and active industry collaborations with partners across Asia, the Indo-Pacific and Africa. Teaching and learning in Agriculture, Environmental Science, Biomedical Science, Science and Technology, Economics, Business and Law enable unique opportunities to build both deep domain-specific and broad trans-disciplinary knowledge, consolidate real-world experience with higher-education skills, and extend undergraduate expertise with globally recognised discipline mastery that accelerates careers and demonstrates value in an ever-changing world. The Faculty’s vision, mission and aspirations are outlined in the Faculty of Science, Agriculture, Business and Law Strategic Plan 2019-2025.

The Project:

The two PhD projects will focus on research supervised by the UNE Law School and UNE Business School respectively. The PhD candidates will be part of a UNE-led, multi-organisation, inter-disciplinary team delivering cutting edge research and development in a project supported by funding from the Land & Primary Industries Network of the New South Wales Decarbonisation Innovation Hub: https://www.decarbhub.au/ The project will investigate the efficacy of innovative and regionally relevant options for producing biomass for biofuel production in rural Australia, with a view to creating multiple benefits including enhancing biodiversity conservation, improving agricultural land management, and developing a circular rural economy.
The candidates will work with other members of the project team, including UNE researchers in soil science, ecology, economics and law. There are likely to be opportunities to engage with relevant industry and government stakeholders.

The Law Opportunity
The Law PhD candidate would be attached to the Australian Centre for Agriculture & Law – an internationally regarded research centre at UNE’s Law School. The precise details of the PhD project would be negotiated with the right candidate but would involve mapping and analysing the legal, institutional, and governance pathways, opportunities, and impediments for novel biofuel production in rural Australia. The analysis could cover:

• Regulatory concessions and market-based incentives for biofuel production systems that promote a circular rural economy and generate public interest co-benefits such biodiversity conservation, reversing land degradation, carbon sequestration, opportunities for First Nations communities, and emissions reductions.
• Australian State/Territory and Commonwealth biofuel and decarbonisation frameworks, international private sector certification and assurance schemes for sustainable biofuels, the European Union’s RED II program for biofuels, and the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB).
• The potential for harmonising opportunities for developing novel biomass sources in rural Australia for biofuel production, with the regulatory frameworks of overseas trading partners, including but not limited to the EU.

The Economics Opportunity
The Economics PhD candidate would be attached to UNE’s Business School, which has a solid record and strong focus on applied economics. The precise details of the PhD project would be negotiated with the right candidate but would involve exploring and analysing the economic and policy barriers to entry for novel biofuel production in rural Australia and innovative strategies to overcome these barriers. The analysis could cover:

• Conducting a comprehensive risk and efficiency analysis of novel biofuel production systems, including cost-benefit analyses and risk assessments to determine the viability and economic impact of the proposed biofuel initiatives.
• Identifying and evaluating the economic and policy barriers to entry for both landholders and businesses to biofuel production systems, including the impact of regulatory frameworks, economic incentives and market-based solutions.
• Investigating optimal locations for biofuel production in rural Australia using spatial and bioeconomic analysis techniques to maximise efficiency and sustainability.
• Assessing the broader co-benefits of biofuel production systems in rural Australia, such as biodiversity conservation, reversing land degradation, carbon sequestration and emissions reductions and production benefits to understand their full economic and environmental impact.

Scholarship Information

About you

To be successful in this role, you will have, or be near completion of Honours or Masters in a relevant degree. Applicants should also demonstrate evidence of strong research, communication and interpersonal skills, an ability to independently manage research projects and an ability to perform effectively within a multi-disciplinary team. Applicants should be a Domestic applicant (i.e. have Australian or New Zealand citizenship, or Australian Permanent Residency), with rights to live and study in Australia for the duration of their candidature. It is desirable for candidates to live in the Armidale district and work from UNE’s Armidale campus.
About Armidale
Living in Armidale, you will experience the best of both city and rural living.  Enjoy a healthy and active lifestyle with access to shopping, gourmet food, top sporting facilities and cultural delights, all for a fraction of the price you’d expect to pay in a major city.  You can live in the heart of Armidale or experience the tranquillity of the New England countryside on a rural property.  To find out more visit https://www.visitarmidale.com.au/experience.

To Apply

1. Please go to UNE’s HDR Programs and How to Apply/Enrol webpage ‘Step 3: Submit an Expression of Interest’.
2. Using the relevant link – either ‘Law’ for the Law opportunity or ‘Business’ for the Economics opportunity – download and complete the Expression of Interest (EOI) form.
3. At the question on the EOI form asking you to ‘specify name of scholarship or other source of funding’, please type ‘NSW Decarbonisation Innovation Hub Project – Biofuel production options for co-benefits in rural Australia’.
4. Submit your EOI using the relevant email address – hdr-law@une.edu.au for the Law opportunity, or hdr-business@une.edu.au for the Economics opportunity.

Enquiries and additional information

Law opportunity: Dr Andrew Lawson, phone (02) 6773 3551, email: andrew.lawson@une.edu.au

Economics opportunity: Dr Jonathan Moss, phone: (02) 6773 3677, email: jonathan.moss@une.edu.au.

Closing Date: Midnight AEST, Wednesday 31 July 2024.

Equity principles underpin all UNE policies and procedures. As a University committed to engaging a diverse workforce, UNE encourages Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to apply.