PhD OPPORTUNITY: Environmental factors affecting recruitment of exploited crab species in NSW estuaries
This PhD project will employ a range of techniques to sample populations of blue swimmer crab and giant mud crab juveniles across a number of NSW estuaries over multiple years. Patterns in population abundance will be linked to environmental variability, habitat, and oceanography.
The project will include fieldwork in estuaries along the mid-north coast of New South Wales, and students will be trained in a range of field, laboratory, and aquarium techniques, as well as statistical analysis, modelling and scientific writing.
Students will need to obtain an Australian Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship or University Postgraduate Award (UPA) (valued at $27,082 per annum), and a top-up stipend of $5,000 per annum for up to 3.5 years will be provided.
Students should contact Matt Taylor (matt.taylor@dpi.nsw.gov.au; 0407 375 309) or Iain Suthers (i.suthers@unsw.edu.au; 0414 385 351) for a discussion about the project, and for further details on how to apply.
Image: Blue swimmer crab, Portunus pelagicus. Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) https://goo.gl/gLA3CG
