College of Science & Engineering

Sophia Love

Doctor of Philosophy (Natural and Physical Sciences)
sophie.love@jcu.edu.au

Elle Robertson

Doctor of Philosophy (Agriculture, Environmental and Related Studies)
elle.robertson@jcu.edu.au

Romain Vaucher

Senior Lecturer, Sedimentology
romain.vaucher@jcu.edu.au

Jenny Fisher

Associate Dean, Learning and Teaching
jenny.fisher@jcu.edu.au

Ambili Narayanan

Doctor of Philosophy (Natural and Physical Sciences)
ambili.narayanan@my.jcu.edu.au

Sarfaraz Ali

Postdoctoral Research Fellow
sarfaraz.ali@jcu.edu.au

Mikaeylah Davidson

Postdoctoral Research Fellow
mikaeylah.davidson@jcu.edu.au

Rafael Cabral Carvalho

Lecturer, Marine Geoscience
rafael.cabralcarvalho@jcu.edu.au

Tom Lloyd

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Global Ecosystems
tom.lloyd@jcu.edu.au

Weed impacts on ten of the most threatened plant species of the Australian wet tropics

Daniel Montesinos Torres - Zoology & Ecology

01 Jan 2025 - 31 Dec 2027

One commonly stated threat to plant species conservation is displacement by invasive plants. However, very little quantitative information is available about the actual presence, abundance, and impact of invasives on individual threatened plant species. We have selected ten of the most threatened plant species of the wet tropics for which there are anecdotal reports of threats by invasives, as reported by the Species Profile and Threats Database. This project will remove or minimise immediate weed threats for ten of the most threatened species in the wet tropics, it will also establish a baseline for measuring impacts of invasive plants on plant conservation, for which there is currently a dearth of quantitative information, and it will develop a weed risk assessment tool to prioritize management interventions for weed threats.

Decoding the genomic basis underpinning Southern Ocean ecosystem resilience to change

Sally Lau - Marine Biology & Aquaculture

01 Jan 2025 - 31 Dec 2025

This project applies traditional and latest genome sequencing technologies to advance the knowledge of nature's natural evolutionary solutions against climate changes. Expected outcomes of this project include uncovering novel genome structures and gene functions that underpin Southern Ocean species’ adaptation capabilities to climate changes.

Restoration Grassroots ACRN

Nathan Waltham - Marine Biology & Aquaculture

20 Dec 2024 - 30 Jul 2025

Working with community groups to examine restoration outcomes and approaches by grass root groups

Restoration Grassroots ACRN

Nathan Waltham - Marine Biology & Aquaculture

20 Dec 2024 - 30 Jul 2025

Working with community groups to examine restoration outcomes and approaches by grass root groups

New Colombo Plan Mobility Grant - China Chemistry Practicum and Research

Yang Liu - Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

01 Jan 2025 - 31 Dec 2026

Sustainable REE extraction from Australian ores using environmentally friendly reagents, advanced characterisation techniques and geological knowledge

Alex McCoy-West - College of Science & Engineering

03 Feb 2025 - 01 Jun 2029

This project aims to improve the sustainable extraction of rare earths from Australian ores using environmentally friendly reagents.

Sustainable REE extraction from Australian ores using environmentally friendly reagents, advanced characterisation techniques and geological knowledge

Helen McCoy-West - Earth & Environmental Sciences

03 Feb 2025 - 01 Jun 2029

This project aims to improve the sustainable extraction of rare earths from Australian ores using environmentally friendly reagents.

Sustainable REE extraction from Australian ores using environmentally friendly reagents, advanced characterisation techniques and geological knowledge

George Vamvounis - Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

03 Feb 2025 - 01 Jun 2029

This project aims to improve the sustainable extraction of rare earths from Australian ores using environmentally friendly reagents.

Sustainable REE extraction from Australian ores using environmentally friendly reagents, advanced characterisation techniques and geological knowledge

Ioan Sanislav - Earth & Environmental Sciences

03 Feb 2025 - 01 Jun 2029

This project aims to improve the sustainable extraction of rare earths from Australian ores using environmentally friendly reagents.

Optimising the geophysical ore body model to aid in the discovery of new critical mineral deposits

Lauren Waszek - Physics

01 Jan 2025 - 31 Dec 2027

This project aims to develop advanced geophysical tools that can help exploration companies identify critical mineral resources. Current geophysical exploration methods—such as magnetic, electric, gravimetric, magnetotelluric, radiometric, and seismic surveys—are commonly used in the industry to detect geophysical anomalies. However, many detected anomalies do not contain mineralization due to a lack of tools to identify the specific geophysical signatures of ore bodies. Our goal is to create tools that enable explorers to distinguish between barren and mineralized anomalies, enhancing the accuracy of mineral discovery. Currently, there is limited knowledge on the specific geophysical responses of mineralized ore bodies. Some preliminary research by CSIRO on IOCG deposits in Cloncurry suggests that combining geological and petrophysical data can model an ore body's geophysical response.