PhD Position
The University of Queensland | Brisbane, Australia
Classification:
Mathematics of extremes in random dynamics for catastrophic event risk Project description: Extreme weather events have become a concern in Australia over the last decade due to their lasting impact on our nation’s resilience, economic stability, and wellbeing. Catastrophic weather events are characterised by runs of extreme weather: for example, consecutive days of extremes in temperature or rainfall drive cold-spells, heatwaves, or flooding. By establishing statistical principles, such as probability distributions called extreme value laws, this project will provide mathematical tools to more accurately model magnitudes and returns of future catastrophic weather events across Australia. Crucially, the framework we build in this project will investigate and account for nonstationarity in the underlying probability distributions, recognising that their parameters (and hence, return probabilities) may evolve over space or time due to external drivers such as the El Nino Southern Oscillation, climate change, and natural climate cycles. These mathematical tools will have vast implications for policy decisions concerning community health, energy demand, and resilience infrastructure. Research environment This project is part of a joint effort with researchers at the University of New South Wales. Consequently, you will be given opportunities to collaborate across institutions and visit the UNSW campus during your candidature. The University of Queensland also provides PhD students with travel funding sufficient to support local or international travel to conferences or workshops relevant to their research. This scholarship includes: -- living stipend of $37,500 per annum tax free (2026 rate), indexed annually -- tuition fees covered. Principal supervisor Dr Meagan Carney School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of Queensland Associate supervisor Dr Jason Atnip School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of New South Wales If you have any questions about whether the project is suitable for your research interests, contact Dr Meagan Carney (m.carney@uq.edu.au). For more information and how to apply see https://study.uq.edu.au/study-options/phd-mphil-professional-doctorate/projects/mathematics-extremes-random-dynamics-catastrophic-event-risk
Last updated: 6 May 2026