Peter Cullen Postgraduate Scholarships in Australian Universities

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The NSW Government has developed a postgraduate scholarship in honour of the late Professor Peter Cullen AO FTSE. Professor Cullen contributed significantly to new ways of managing water resources in Australia, and NSW.

The Peter Cullen Postgraduate Scholarship is an appropriate way to remember Professor Cullen and will support some of the brightest up and coming scientists to undertake water research in New South Wales.

The program is jointly funded by various New South Wales Government water agencies, including the NSW Office of Water, Sydney Catchment Authority, State Water, Hunter Water Corporation and Sydney Water Corporation. The aim of the scholarship is to:
•   improve our understanding of how rivers, groundwater, wetlands and estuaries function and respond to enhanced management
•   improve the linkages between aquatic science and water management in NSW
•   provide research opportunities in NSW for water specialists.

Funds Available:
A three year scholarship of up to $20,000 per annum will be awarded each year. Funds totalling $60,000 will be available to the successful student over a three year period, but with prior written request the allocated funds could be extended to a fourth year. The scholarship may form part of a stipend and/or support student research. The scholarship can be used to pay for such things as equipment, field expenses and sample processing. These conditions will be further defined in the scholarship agreement between the NSW Government and the University/Research Organisation.

Selection criteria for Students:
There are a number of criteria upon which students will be assessed. They must show they:
•   are a first year PhD research student enrolled at an Australian university in the first semester of 2011
•   are an Australian citizen or have permanent residency
•   can demonstrate expertise in one of the following disciplines: bio-physical sciences, mathematics, statistics, information sciences, spatial analysis and modelling. Students with expertise in law, resource management, social sciences, and resource economics are also eligible
•   can demonstrate academic excellence in their chosen field (a copy of their full academic transcript must be supplied)
•   can provide written proof of their supervisor's support, indicating how a scholar may benefit from participation in the Peter Cullen Scholarship.

The student's proposed project will be assessed on how well they:
•   demonstrate how the project will lead to an improvement in our understanding of how rivers, groundwater, wetlands or estuaries function
•   demonstrate the relevance of the research to water management in New South Wales
•   demonstrate how the project improves the linkages between water science and water management in New South Wales
•   demonstrate how the project is innovative, and
•   demonstrate the project methods.

Note: The scholarship seeks projects on a wide range of water topics, not just those that relate to water sharing and environmental flows.

The following additional conditions apply:
•   supervisor endorsement will be necessary
•   employer endorsement will be required
•   preference will be given to full-time students
•   the top up of existing scholarships may be considered.

Read more:
   Scholarships - NSW Office of Water