A fully funded 3-year PhD project on geochemistry and isotope geochemistry has opened up as part of an Australian Research Council Discovery Future Fellowship project “Linking the deep carbon cycles with critical mineral deposits”.

The current consensus is that carbonatites are produced by low-degree partial melting of the Earth’s mantle, but not the usual mantle. Experimental, geochemical, and isotopic studies suggest that the lithospheric mantle is the source of carbonatite, but it must be fertilised in a particular way by CO2-rich fluids or magmas, the so-called carbonate metasomatism. Carbonate metasomatism has been reported in many mantle rocks of various tectonic environments, making it a ubiquitous process that plays a critical role in modifying the mineralogy and geochemistry (enrichment in CO2 and REE) of the lithospheric mantle, but carbonatites remain paradoxically rare. In other words, we have a conundrum: carbonatites are all sourced from the carbon-rich mantle, but not all carbon-rich mantle can produce carbonatites.

Your work will involve applying state-of-the-art geochemistry and isotopic analyses techniques (whole-rock and in-situ radiogenic and non-traditional stable isotopes) on carbonatite and mantle xenoliths to decipher the link between the deep carbon cycle, carbonate metasomatism and mantle enrichments in the concentrations necessary to produce the critical ore carrier.

• Current Students
• Future Students

• Faculty of Science & Engineering
  • Science courses

• Higher Degree by Research

• Australian Citizen
• Australian Permanent Resident
• New Zealand Citizen
• Permanent Humanitarian Visa
• International Student

• Merit Based

This scholarship provides a living stipend of $35,000 p.a. pro rata indexed, based on full-time studies, for up to a maximum of 3 years. International students will receive a 100% fee offset for up to 4 years. Support for fieldwork, analytical time, travel, conference attendances and publications will be fully covered by the scholarship.

1

Any applicable Science HDR courses.

• Must have a BSc Hons (first class) or Masters (by research) in geoscience (ideally related to geochemistry / isotope geology, igneous petrology or geochronology) by the time of appointment.
• We expect a solid background in geological processes and igneous petrology and/or geochemistry and isotope geochemistry (in-situ analyses expertise is especially valuable).
• The candidate requires the ability to work both independently and with a broad range of people from diverse backgrounds, as well as evidence of strong oral and written scientific English language competencies.
• The candidate requires a demonstrated commitment to publish results in scientific journals. Evidence of research experience, academic awards/publications/presentations at conferences is desirable.

Future and current student, please contact us via the EOI form. 

Applicants, please ensure CV, academic transcripts, research experience, publication outputs are provided to the EOI form.

Shortlisted applicants will have an online interview invitation.

Recommended applicants will be provided with further information on the PhD enrolment process at Curtin University.

Recipients must complete their milestone 1 within 6 month of enrolment and remain enrolled on a full time basis for the duration of the scholarship

Please contact Luc Doucet (luc-serge.doucet@curtin.edu.au) for any informal enquiries