MRIWA PhD scholarships attract top talent to meet the research needs of the WA mining industry

As announced by the Hon Bill Johnston, MLA, Minister for Mines and Petroleum, MRIWA has recently awarded new PhD scholarships to three talented young professionals working to deliver innovative research relevant to the state’s mining industry.

Liz Wall has been awarded the Odwyn Jones PhD Scholarship, for her project Is a “New Deal” Needed Between Mining Companies and Communities to Deliver Sustained Positive Development Outcomes for Indigenous or Land-Connected Communities?

The Odwyn Jones PhD Scholarship is named in honour of pioneering Western Australian mining educator Professor Odwyn Jones AO.

Devika Bhatia has been awarded the MRIWA PhD Scholarship for Women. Devika’s project will look at Taxation of Australian Mining Firms.

Due to the exceptional quality of the candidates, a third MRIWA PhD Scholarship was awarded to Alexandra Halliday for her project Integrating field monitoring and numerical modelling to better quantify the stability of tailings storage facilities.

The three recipients will join a cohort of PhD researchers supported by MRIWA to ensure Western Australia remains at the forefront of minerals research and technology development.

All three of this year’s awardees will be undertaking their PhD studies at the University of Western Australia. We look forward to working with this group of talented research leaders over the next few years and supporting their ground-breaking work.

This is the first time in the seven-year history of the program women have won all the competitive scholarships on offer, reversing the traditional male dominance of the industry.

Since its initiation in 2014, the MRIWA PhD scholarship program has invested $1.9 million to attract and support the development of elite research talent.

A range of MRIWA postgraduate research scholarships are offered each year. Open to both Australian and international applicants, these awards can be held at any university in Western Australia and provide generous support to exceptional candidates for PhD studies in any area of research relevant to the minerals industry.

A new MRIWA scholarships round will be opening in July 2021. Further details of the MRIWA PhD scholarship program are available at scholarships