Launch of new collaborative PhD program

Thirteen international PhD students have started an exciting journey as part of a new Graduate Research Interdisciplinary Program (GRIP) ‘Water and Sustainability in Asia’ launched last week at Monash University.

The PhD program will be coordinated through the Water for Liveability Centre and provided additional support by a number of other organisational units at Monash University including the CRC for Water Sensitive Cities (CRCWSC), Monash Sustainability Institute, Australian Centre for Indonesia Studies, Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Arts.

The 13 new PhD candidates join a cohort of more than 60 PhD and postgraduate students contributing to an ever growing body of CRCWSC research.

Leaders of the new program are Professor Ana Deletic, CRCWSC Leader for the Fit-for-purpose water production project (Project C1.3), and Monash Sustainability Institute Director and former CRCWSC Program A Leader Professor Rebekah Brown.

Monash Sustainability Institute Chair Professor John Thwaites said the program was dedicated to “bringing together the best minds from different fields to solve the world’s big sustainability challenges”.

Monash University Provost Prof Edwina Cornish praised the developers of the program and implored the students to gain the most from their experience.

“As students in this GRIP you are going to do wonderful research – what I hope you will develop in this time is the capacity to make things happen, to be a leader that will be transformative in your future careers. You need to be an expert in your discipline but you also need to have the conversations across the disciplinary boundaries,” Professor Cornish said.