Opportunities

Postdoctoral fellowships

Fellowship openings depend on the ability of prospective candidates to attract funding. Talented individuals with an outstanding record of publishing high-impact journal articles and with potential funding should contact Prof. Connolly.

Potential PhD students

High-achieving graduates with outstanding Masters or Honours results and publications in top journals may be considered for PhD projects, dependent on being awarded a scholarship (see application information for Griffith University scholarships). Potential topics include:

1. Automated monitoring of restored marine environments
There is currently a surge in interest in marine and coastal restoration, with a significant number of projects underway, and many more planned. Current methods for monitoring restoration progress and success vary enormously, with low uptake of technological advances that promote efficiency and comprehensiveness. This project will work towards a coordinated, open-science approach to monitoring, that standardises data formats, allows trade-offs or synergies between ecological, socio-economic and cultural benefits to be explored, and facilitates cross-project comparisons and benchmarking. The project takes advantage of the Connolly Lab's leadership in automated monitoring of marine environments, including through computer vision on underwater camera streams.


2. Ecological connectivity through fish movement measured using artificial intelligence
Connectivity is a guiding principle for conservation planning, but due to challenges in quantifying connectivity, empirical data remain scarce. This project provides solutions to the challenge by using computer vision to automatically extract fish movement data from underwater camera streams. The student will develop expertise in fisheries ecology, statistical modelling and programming. The project takes advantage of the Connolly Lab’s leadership in automated monitoring of marine environments, including through computer vision on underwater camera streams. It will lead to better planning and management of marine restoration and protected area projects through incorporation of connectivity principles.