Research Areas
To address issues in the environment and society, GSE research is interdisciplinary and, not surprisingly, very diverse. Our PhD students constantly enrich staff and other students with new perspectives and approaches. The following are the main categories of research that the GSE pursues.
Behavioural Ecology
The focus of this research area is foraging, reproductive and behavioural ecology of seabirds and marine mammals such as dolphins and fur seals; population dynamics and social evolution. We are particularly focused on improving our understanding of how warm-blooded animals cope with environmental extremes as they forage and breed in the marine environment.
Research Leaders
Research Group
Energy and the Environment
This research area includes examining environmental issues associated with coal utilisation; renewable energy; biomass technology; waste to energy conversion; trace elements from energy utilisation; sustainable energy conversion such as biomass to bio-oil and bio-gas; energy efficiency; thermochemical analysis and the kinetics of reacting and decomposing processes.
Research Leaders
Research Group
CRC for Coal in Sustainable Development (CCSD)
(The GSE is home to a node of the CCSD)
Environmental Education for Sustainability
This research area covers how to bring about change towards sustainability in individuals, organisations and institutionally; principles of good practice in environmental education and ESD; education and capacity building for community development; participatory program evaluation; education for public participation in decision-making and policy development; social learning; national strategies and policies in education for sustainability, strategic communication.
Research Leader
Environmental Health
This research area focuses on the impacts of naturally occurring substances on the environment and humans. Examples include research into the biokinetics of lead in human pregnancy, toxic metals in mining and urban environments, radiogenic isotope methods in environmental monitoring, lead paint management, dietary intake of metals and pharmacokinetic modelling. Links with CSIRO, ANSTO and ANU as well as within Macquarie University provide a wide spectrum of analytical facilities available to undertake these investigations.
Research Leader
Research Group
Isotopes in Health and the Environment
Environmental Policy and Management
This area of research covers international and domestic environmental policy on issues such as climate change; natural resources management; coastal zone management; environmental impact assessment; environmental management systems for industries and corporations; environmental conflict resolution; development studies; science and policy interaction; policy development; corporate environmental management.
Research Leader
Molecular Ecology
Molecular ecology of marine mammals, particularly cetaceans and sharks. Areas focussed upon include marine mammal mate choice, population genetics of whales and dolphins, cetacean molecular taxonomy, population genetic structure in sharks and shark mating systems.
Research Leaders
Research Group
Conservation and Management
This research area covers the ecological basis of conservation; species recovery plans; wildlife monitoring; interactions between fisheries and marine vertebrates and managing human impacts on marine vertebrates such as sharks, seals, and whales. A small sample of recent work includes developing conservation strategies for grey nurse and wobbegong sharks and studies on whale and dolphin stock structure.
Research Leaders
Rob Harcourt
Luciana Möller
Vic Peddemors
Research Group
Environmental Economics
This area of research covers macroeconomics and the environment; economics of environmental degradation; valuation of unpriced goods and services; environmental quality and poverty; application of operations research models in environmental economics; development studies.
Environmental Ethics
This research area covers the application of classical moral theory to environmental considerations; applied ethics; environmental ethics; philosophy of science.
Research Leader
Ken CussenEnvironmental Planning
Environmental planning is a process for assisting the community (public, private and voluntary) in making decisions about land-uses and related social and economic activities for the conservation, sustainable development and management of land and its resources through preparing policies and strategies. Research in the area includes integrating sustainable development into planning policy and practice; implications of climate change on urban environments, planning and urban governance systems, and practice; urban growth and environmental management; evaluation of sustainability outcomes in planning practice and urban transport planning.
Research Leader
Geomorphology
This research area covers landscape evolution and environmental change on both geological and human time scales; geo-archaeology; soil and water management and land management in Western NSW.
Research Leader
Research Group
Westen New South Wales Archaeology Program (WNSWAP)
Pollution Control
This research area covers trace emissions from coal combustion, with a particular emphasis on mercury; motor vehicle emissions, particularly associated with alternate fuels and improved fuel quality; sources and atmospheric chemistry of volatile organic compounds; and interactions between air pollutants and global climate processes.