Robust multiobjective optimisation for environmental system management

Project Leader: Wenyan Wu
Staff: Wenyan Wu
Collaborators: Prof Holger Maier (The University of Adelaide), Dr Matt Gibbs (The Department for Environment and Water, South Australia)
Sponsors: ARC DECRA Project
Primary Contact: Wenyan Wu (wenyan.wu@unimelb.edu.au)
Keywords: environmental water; numerical modelling; optimisation; water quality
Disciplines: Infrastructure Engineering
Domains:

The planning and management of environmental (or water) systems is often complex, often involving many (and sometimes conflicting) objectives and subject to uncertainty in both the short term and the distance future. The focus of this PhD project is to develop theories and methods in robust multiobjective optimisation for managing environmental systems.

The Coorong system in South Australia will be used as the case study. The Coorong is one of Australia’s most environmentally significant areas under the Ramsar Convention (effective since 1975). Under the Murray–Darling Basin Plan, environmental water is delivered to improve the bird habitat of the Coorong. The system needs to be actively managed to improve water quality in the Coorong while maintaining sufficient tidal connectivity considering uncertain conditions, eg, inflows, evaporation and tidal conditions.

This PhD project is part of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) and is based at the University of Melbourne. The standard University of Melbourne PhD research scholarship applies. Potential candidates will need to go through the University of Melbourne research scholarship application process in order to secure the scholarship. The successful PhD candidate will be supervised by Dr Wenyan Wu from the University of Melbourne, Prof Holger Maier from the University of Adelaide and Dr Matt Gibbs from the Department for Environment and Water (DEW) in South Australia.

Further information: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ay5UStz9xCrtzRz1c96qwjSnSJRZKN5G/view?usp=sharing