Three PhD scholarships funded by the Western Australian Government, through the Minerals Research Institute of Western Australia (MRIWA), have been awarded to talented professionals working to deliver innovative research relevant to the state’s mining industry.
Elizabeth 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 promising PhD researchers 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.
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.
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. More information on the MRIWA Scholarships program can be found here.