ISF Scholarships

• 100% renewable energy scenarios for regions and communities; stakeholder engagement with remote communities.
• Net-Zero pathways – Implementing theoretical pathways in real economy sectors; data management of energy and financial data for the finance industry.
• How can we build resilient energy systems (e.g., develop new metrics, create new tools and develop stress test scenarios for Australian energy systems to understand resilience, etc.)?
• The potential contribution of offshore wind to Australia’s renewable energy future.
• The economics of smart grids, batteries and demand management.
• Inter-optimisation of electricity, gas, and water infrastructure to accelerate the transition to a net-zero carbon economy.
• Explore the energy infrastructure implications if Australia were to become a major renewable energy exporter.
• How can we better understand stakeholder impacts of energy futures using advanced modelling techniques?
• How do we harness the power of spatial energy datasets to better understand energy demand and forecasts?

• How will Electric Vehicles (EV) and other large scale transport electrification impact the electricity system?
• Flexible capacity and energy technologies in homes, including hardware, software, policy, regulation, standards and customer value proposition.
• Opportunities for energy upgrades in Australian homes
• Exploring pathways and obstacles to net zero precincts
• Business solutions for minimum demand flexibility.

• Modelling demand for employment in the renewable energy transition.
• Investigating energy jobs and skills policy.
• Exploring the linkage between energy supply-chains, local provision and industry policy.
• First Nations and clean energy.
• What role does energy equity and fuel poverty play in an Australian context?
• How can developing countries with low electricity access leapfrog fossil fuels for 100% renewable energy access?
• What business models are needed to ensure positive community outcomes when looking at 100% renewable energy at the fringe of the grid?
• How can we incorporate carbon emissions from agriculture/food production into a carbon budget?
• How can we support regional innovation ecosystems to retain value locally and improve resilience co-benefits?
• How can grassroots community participation be embedded in clean energy business models to improve equity outcomes and social licence?
• What new institutional models are needed to optimise societal value creation in energy supply chains?

This project springs from the observations of many in the industry that investment in managing water demand in Australia is dramatically under-represented compared to our investment in managing supply. To address this issue, the research project will explore the economics of urban water efficiency in depth. It will explore the full range of benefits that could arise due to urban water efficiency initiatives and how these might be valued, in comparison to alternatives that increase water supply. In particular it will consider how the value of saved water varies over space and time: with location across a precinct and a city; during periods of drought; on hot days; whether recycled or rain water is being saved; and when externality and intrinsic values are considered. It will also consider what forms of economic and financial analyses are appropriate for parties considering water efficiency initiatives and how the economics of water efficiency might improve in practice to account for the heterogeneity that exists.   

Heatwaves have killed more Australians than any other extreme weather event. In NSW heat related deaths are rising and heat is included on the state risk register. Water sensitive urban design enables water is retained in the landscape for greening, cooling and beautification. However, decision makers responsible for allocating scarce water resources are often required to demonstrate customer willingness to pay for these so called ‘discretionary’ greening and cooling outcomes. Studies examining tree cover and cooling in the US have identified that tree coverage and associated cooling benefits are skewed towards areas of socio-economic privilege. This study would examine how policy and regulatory settings in Australia are influencing the implementation of blue- green infrastructure and the implications for social equity. 

The introduction of smart bathroom fixtures (toilets, taps, etc.), in conjunction with web-connected plumbing fixtures (digital metering) provides new opportunities for a detailed insight into water consumption in buildings. This project will explore how these new innovations, in addition to the rise of digital control, user feedback, and in the near future – artificial intelligence (AI) – can lead to new water saving opportunities for smart precincts, including residential, office and commercial buildings. This project will build upon groundwork studies by ISF that trialled smart fixtures at a commercial site in Sydney. Data from smart fixtures used, as well as digital metering from the corresponding bathrooms, will be made available in this study. This research project will be at the forefront of the coming ‘digital revolution’ in understanding in-building water use and how these insights can drive sustainable water practices and water efficiency for our cities in decades to come. 

Non-residential water demand accounts for around 30% of total demand in urban centres. While much work has been done to disaggregate and understand residential demand relatively little work has been done for the non-residential sector. This PhD would build on work ISF is conducting with Australian water utilities to develop disaggregate non-residential demand forecasting. This PhD will provide better long-term demand planning with implications for infrastructure sizing, peak demand management and water conservation targeting. It may also provide a basis to better manage the water energy nexus, particularly with heating and cooling in the non-residential sector. 

Soft plastics pose a significant challenge in achieving a circular economy for packaging, due to limitations of existing collection and recovery systems. This research project aims to explore strategies for improving the collection and recovery of soft plastics packaging in Australia. The project will critically assess current collection methods including kerbside collections and dedicated collection initiatives, and evaluate current and emerging technologies and systems to improve collection and recovery performance. Soft plastics account for around half of all plastic packaging used annually in Australia, and this project will contribute towards advancing progress towards sustainable packaging management.

Hazardous and non-hazardous chemicals are used in the production of food-contact packaging, and these chemicals can migrate to foods and beverages contained within. Recycling and the use of recycled content can further lead to accumulation of these chemicals in new packaging, creating an increased risk for chemical migration. This research project will characterise the use of hazardous and non-hazardous chemicals in the Australian food-contact packaging supply, and evaluate the potential impact of recycled content in packaging on increased chemical migration rates. This project will contribute towards gaining a clearer understanding of chemicals in the Australian packaging supply, and will help in critically evaluating recycled content targets for packaging in Australia.

Efforts to address sustainability challenges are increasingly reliant on diverse sets of indicators for measuring environmental impacts, the use of natural resources and socio-economic wellbeing. This is necessary to enable evaluation of the trade-offs that may occur when attempting to develop sustainability-oriented solutions. However, value judgements, preferences and biases are embedded in the selection, design and use of these indicators. This project will work to advance our understanding of how value judgements are being embedded within indicator design, aggregation and weighting schemes used in circular economy and life cycle assessment studies. Applicants will engage widely with both users and developers of these indicators schemes to uncover how value judgements are being made and the implications for evaluating trade-offs and progress towards the sustainable development.

The UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures' Resource Stewardship team promotes a systemic approach to sustainable production and consumption promoting circular resource flows and product stewardship. Our Textiles and Garments cluster focuses on enhancing sustainability in textile and garment sector considering the whole product lifecycle. This includes: sustainable practices in textile production; barriers, and enablers for integrating circular business models that extend product lifetimes; and, strategies to increase textile collection and recovery at end-of-first-life. We invite PhD students interested in researching the fashion industry's transition to a circular economy to get in touch.

The circular economy (CE) is growing in prominence and there is a significant push from governments and industry to transition to more circular economies across multiple sectors. CE promotes a systemic approach to design out waste and pollution, keep materials and products in productive use for as long as possible, and regenerate natural systems. As well as designing new products and packaging to eliminate hazardous chemicals and additives, repurposing, reusing and recycling of products at end of life are key strategies. However, there are hazardous chemicals and additives in many products including textiles, packaging, electrical and electronic products. Some previously used chemicals and additives have since been categorised as substances of very high concern (SVHC) or persistent organic pollutants (POPs) - these are known as ‘legacy additives’. The improper management of products containing hazardous chemicals including legacy additives in a CE can lead to dilution, dispersion, and accumulation of hazardous chemicals in new products. Therefore, new policy and management approaches are needed to avoid unpredictable and potentially adverse impacts on environmental and human health associated with the recirculation of hazardous materials in a circular economy.

It is increasingly recognised that the challenge of achieving just and regenerative futures requires both transformations in technological, economic and political systems and shifts in the values, narratives, discourses and imaginaries that make up human cultures. Dominant narratives that prioritise narrow economic growth and position humans as separate from nature are a barrier to imagining and achieving better futures for all. We invite PhD students that are interested in exploring the transformation of cultures to support just and regenerative futures. This could include examination of alternative economic narratives such as wellbeing economics and degrowth, exploration of practices that create space to imagine alternative futures, and articulation of narratives, discourses and imaginaries that tell a story of a better future and the pathways for getting there.