This is an exciting opportunity to work with experts in combinatorial optimisation and decision science, and directly with conservation agencies to deliver impactful outcomes for nature and biodiversity. The PhD candidate will develop cutting-edge skills in data science and AI that may include mixed-integer linear and non-linear programming, constraint programming, stochastic optimisation and reinforcement learning. The candidate will join a cohort of researchers at Monash’s Environmental Informatics Hub, whose mission is to develop AI to help reverse biodiversity loss.

The scholarship is open to domestic and international applicants. Applicants can be from a quantitative discipline (mathematics, computer science, data science, economics, AI) or from ecology and biology with a willingness to learn mathematical optimisation.

Expressions of interest close 20 November 2026, for an early 2027 start. However, we encourage candidates to apply as early as possible. To apply, complete the EOI form and provide a one-page CV and academic transcripts.

The project sits at the intersection of: decision-making under uncertainty; sequential and adaptive decision processes; multi-objective optimisation; Markov Decision Processes; reinforcement learning; value of information; and biodiversity conservation. The successful candidate will join the Environmental Informatics Hub.