Study With Us

Honours (Hons) & Masters (Msc) Projects

Developing techniques for measuring soil microbial carbon

Supervisor/s: Dr Andrea Bravo-Escobar, Prof Raphael Viscarra Rossel
Email: andrea.bravo-escobar@curtin.edu

This soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC) serves as a crucial ecological indicator, playing a vital role in the decomposition and mineralization of plant and animal residues. However, the methods for measuring and interpreting MBC are not universally applicable. This highlights the need to develop a standardised methodology for some of the Western Australian soils. Click here if you want to know more about this project.


Characterising soil clay mineralogy with near-infrared spectroscopy

Supervisor/s: Prof Raphael Viscarra Rossel
Email: raphael.viscarra-rossel@curtin.edu.au

Soil visible–near infrared spectra hold information on the fundamental composition and can be used to characterise soil properties, including clay mineralogy. This project aims to measure the iron oxide and clay mineralogy of the soil samples from the Muresk Institute farm using visible–near infrared spectra. Click here if you want to know more about this project.


Carbon allocation in the roots of WA native plants

Supervisor/s: Dr Andrea Bravo-Escobar, Prof Raphael Viscarra Rossel
Email: andrea.bravo-escobar@curtin.edu

Plant roots play a crucial role in nutrient and carbon cycling of terrestrial ecosystems, yet many aspects of their processes and interactions within the soil remain poorly understood. This project offers the opportunity to investigate how roots from WA native species contribute to soil carbon allocation, sequestration and stabilisation. Click here if you want to know more about this project.


Impact of wildfire on soil carbon in the Northern Jarrah Forest

Supervisor/s: Dr Lewis Walden, Dr Andrea Bravo Escobar
Email: lewis.walden@curtin.edu.au

Fire is an integral component of Australian ecosystems. Climate change is increasing the frequency of wildfires, which significantly impact on forest ecosystems, yet the effects on soil carbon remain unclear, particularly in forests that resprout. This project will investigate how a severe wildfire alters soil carbon stocks and organic matter in the Northern Jarrah Forest. Click here if you want to know more about this project.


Spectroscopic characterisation of blue carbon soils

Supervisor/s:  lewis.walden@curtin.edu.au
Email: lewis.walden@curtin.edu.au

Blue carbon ecosystems (BCE), including tidal marshes, mangroves, and seagrasses, are threatened ecosystems that provide critical socio-ecological services and economic resources. This project aims to characterise the physical and chemical soil properties of BCEs using modern analytical tools, including visible and infrared spectrometers in order to characterise their soils and understand their formation. Click here if you want to know more about this project.


Measuring soil colour as a proxy for soil carbon

Supervisor/s: Prof Raphael Viscarra Rossel
Email: raphael.viscarra-rossel@curtin.edu.au

Colour is used to identify soils and acts as an indicator of soil properties and processes. Soil colour depends primarily on iron oxide minerals and organic matter. Darker soil has a finer texture and more organic matter, while lighter soil has a coarser texture and less organic matter. This project aims to measure the colour of diverse topsoil samples and develop relationships between different soil colour models and carbon content. Click here if you want to know more about this project.


Estimating plant biomass with hyperspectral imagery and multispectral imagery

Supervisor/s: Dr Mingxi Zhang, Prof Raphael Viscarra Rossel
Email: mingxi.zhang@curtin.edu.au

Accurate estimation of plant biomass is crucial for agriculture management, crop yield prediction and carbon accounting; however, the conventional methods too time-consuming and inefficient for large-scale mapping. Remote sensing approaches utilising hyperspectral and multispectral images captured from satellites or aircraft offer a promising alternative. Click here if you want to know more about this project.


Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Projects


Postdoctoral Projects


Interested in what we do but unable find the project you were looking for? Is there a scientific question we haven’t thought of that you want to investigate? Contact Raphael Viscarra Rossel on +618 9266 1154, or via email at r.viscarra-rossel@curtin.edu.au to discuss your research ideas.