Interactions of Plant Diversity and Climate on Ecosystem Phenology and Resilience

About the Project

Vegetation phenology—the timing of plant life cycle events—is a key bioindicator of climate change, a critical biodiversity variable, and a major driver of ecosystem processes and resilience. Shifts in phenology linked to climate change are increasingly leading to mismatches among plant communities, with cascading impacts on ecological integrity and biodiversity.

This PhD project will investigate how climate and plant diversity together influence vegetation phenology and ecosystem resilience across Australia. It will integrate multiple data sources, including long-term satellite observations, citizen science phenology records, and ground-based species plot datasets, to better understand climate-driven ecological changes. The research will enhance national capacity in biodiversity and climate modelling by linking fine-scale ecological data with continuous satellite imagery. This integration will help bridge spatial gaps in ground monitoring and unlock the full potential of satellite-based phenology and biodiversity assessments. The findings will have applications across agriculture (e.g. pollination timing), public health (e.g. allergenic pollen forecasting), conservation, and climate impact modelling.

Key research objectives include:

• Mapping phenology cycle changes across major Australian biomes.
• Linking species-level phenology (e.g. flowering) with community-level patterns detectable by satellites.
• Assessing how plant diversity modulates the timing and variability of phenological responses.
• Identifying where rapid phenological shifts are occurring and how these relate to ecosystem stability.

The student will be supervised by Dr. Alfredo Huete at the University of Technology Sydney (https://profiles.uts.edu.au/Alfredo.Huete).

Selection Criteria

A BSc (Honours) or MSc in environmental science, ecology, biology, geography, or a closely related field.

• A strong academic record, demonstrating research aptitude and analytical skills.
• Familiarity with geospatial concepts, spatial data analysis, and/or remote sensing.
• Programming experience in R, Python, or equivalent data analysis languages.
• An interest in linking ecological field data with large-scale environmental datasets (desirable but not essential).

Eligibility

Applicants can only be domestic student (either permanent Australian residents or New Zealand citizens). To be eligible for this application, applicants must have completed a UTS recognised degree in

• MSc Research or MSc Coursework with a research thesis of at least 6 months,
• or Bachelor Honours degree with 1st Class, or 2nd Class Division 1, or division 1 honours, or an equivalent or higher qualification,
• or submitted other evidence of general and professional qualifications that demonstrates potential to pursue graduate research studies.

Required

Applicants should send their CV and list of publications to contact person’s email address by the closing date. The application process is currently open and will continue to be open until all positions have been filled. We highly encourage interested candidates to apply as soon as possible. Shortlisted candidates will be advised with further details.

Funding Notes

$39000/Annum for 3.5 years