Rate My Professor Gregory Hancock

Associate Professor Gregory Hancock serves at the University of Newcastle in the School of Environmental and Life Sciences and as Honorary Associate Professor in the School of Science (Earth Sciences). He earned his PhD and Bachelor of Science with Honours from the University of Newcastle, completing his doctorate in 1997. Hancock's academic interests center on mine and disturbed landscape rehabilitation, soil erosion processes, landscape evolution modelling, and soil production and profile development. With more than two decades of experience, he specializes in computer-based landscape evolution models like SIBERIA and Natural Regrade with GeoFluv for evaluating current and proposed landforms. His expertise has been applied to diverse projects across Australia and internationally, supporting government agencies, mining companies, and consultancies in achieving best practice rehabilitation outcomes.

Hancock has produced over 107 research papers, conference contributions, and industry reports, significantly influencing geomorphic design and erosion stability assessments in post-mining landscapes. Notable publications include 'A Review of Process-Based Landform Evolution Models for Evaluating the Erosional Stability of Constructed Post-Mining Landscapes' (with Thomas J. Coulthard), 'Using environmental tracers to understand soil organic carbon and soil erosion on a steep slope hillslope in south-east Australia' (2025), 'Modeling weathering pathways and processes of the fragmentation of salt weathered quartz-chlorite schist' (2025), 'Introducing Iterative Model Calibration (IMC) v1.0' (2025, with Chayan Banerjee and others), and 'Sediment transport in forested head water catchments - calibration and validation of a soil erosion and landscape evolution model' (2025). As Chief Investigator, he has obtained major funding from the Australian Research Council, such as Discovery Project DP0556941 ($370,000 with Jetse Kalma and Jeffrey McDonnell), DP110101216 (with Budiman Minasny), and Industrial Transformation Research Hub IN150100037 ($589,736 with Brett Turner). In 2022, he was recognized for service by the University of Newcastle. His models and methods inform mine closure strategies, workshops, and policy through collaborations with researchers like Garry Willgoose.