Institute Research
For an overview of research projects currently being conducted by the staff of the IES, please see the staff projects page.
Post Graduate Student Research
PhD and Research Masters students perform multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research on problems of sustainable development in both developed and less developed countries.
Our concept of sustainable development has environmental, social justice and economic aspects. The IES encourages joint supervision of research students by an IES academic and an academic from one of the University's Schools, the choice of which should be disciplinary based. This combination of interdisciplinary and disciplinary expertise enhances and strengthens the capacity of the research to solve major real world problems.
For general information on the post graduate research program, please see the PhD Program page in the Student Information section.
For profiles of current PhD students and their projects, please see the Student Research section.
Research Topics
Potential research students who already have a research topic in mind can check the interests of IES academic staff for a potential match. If there is no match, they can check the database of UNSW staff who have environmental and sustainability interests.
For potential research students who do not as yet have a specific thesis topic in mind, here are some ideas based on the current research interests of our academic staff:
Associate Professor John Merson
Broad Interests:
- Sustainable Development and natural resource management.
- Adaptive Environmental Policy and Management
- Climate Change Adaptation Policy.
- International Regimes and Environmental Governance
Some specific research problems:
- The problem of reconciling the environmental interests with those of economic development with a focus on the Asia Pacific Region
- Adaptive strategies in addressing the impacts of climatic change.
- The development of adaptive policies for the management of scarce natural resources.
- Social and economic constraints on uptake and application of innovative environmental technologies.
Dr Mark Diesendorf
Broad interests:
- Sustainable energy and sustainable urban transportation: technology assessment, policies and strategies for implementation
- Theory of sustainability and the sustainable development process
Some specific research problems:
- Greenhouse gas emissions from the nuclear fuel chain: while there are no emissions from the operation of a nuclear power station, there are from other stages of the chain such as mining, milling, enrichment of uranium. When low-grade uranium ore is used these emissions become significant. Methods are life-cycle assessment based on material content and input-output analysis. A student who is comfortable working with lots of numerical data is preferred.
- Integration of wind power into electricity grids: how does one plan and operate an electricity generating system containing a variable source of power such as wind power? A student with experience in applied and/or computational mathematics or electrical engineering is preferred.
- Greenhouse response scenarios for a country (preferably, either Australia or China or India). Investigate resource potential, technology assessment and policy options for implementation.
Dr Daniel Robinson
Broad interests:
- Trade, environment and sustainable development
- Indigenous and local/traditional ecological knowledge
- Natural resource regulation in Southeast Asia
- Urban sustainability
Some specific research problems:
- Environmental and social inequities raised by bilateral and regional “free trade agreements” (e.g. cheap access to medicines; local protection of biological resources)
- Issues associated with bioprospecting, biopiracy and the intellectual property of indigenous groups, local farmers and communities, particularly in developing countries
- Questions surrounding the participative capacity of state and non-state regulation of natural resources
- How can we develop appropriate systems for the measurement and assessment of environmental (and social) impact of urban developments? Are streamlined semi-quantitative indexes/checklists thorough enough? What problems do they inevitably encounter?
Dr Crelis Rammelt
Broad interests:
- Inequity, poverty and development, environmental justice, appropriate technology
- Environmental resource management and implementation of infrastructure
- Action research, people's participation, adaptive management and complex systems
Some specific research problems:
- People's development and the implementation of infrastructure in rural Bangladesh. Studies include: arsenic contamination of groundwater, food security and flood protection infrastructures.
- Potential for agroforestry and bioenergy systems in the Central Tablelands, through participatory rural appraisals and a scenario approach.
- Conceptual frameworks for understanding poverty and inequalities beyond mere financial indicators, to include matters of unequal distribution of services, resources, knowledge, technology and decision-making power.
