Danish-Australian shark study is the first in a series of PhD programmes to stimulate research collaboration between DTU and the University of Queensland, Australia.
DTU and the Australian University of Queensland have just concluded a PhD agreement to stimulate research collaboration between the two strategic partners, facilitating the mobility of the PhD students, and strengthening collaboration between the involved research environments.
By assigning two supervisors to the PhD students’ projects, the students can benefit from the perspectives, skills, and knowledge from the two countries.
On 28 February, Phillip Binning, Senior Vice President, Dean of Graduate Studies and International Affairs, visited the University of Queensland, where he signed a PhD co-supervision agreement:
“The University of Queensland is an important partner for DTU and a regional superpower within several scientific fields such as aquatic environments and aqua. DTU and the University of Queensland also share common values in relation to finding technical solutions to societal challenges,” asserts Philip Binning.
The best possible education
Professor Einar Eg Nielsen from DTU Aqua has already assigned three PhD students to the ground-breaking project Geno Jaws, which is examining what has happened to the big shark species—the white shark, the tiger shark, the sand tiger shark, and the mako shark over the past 100 years. While DTU Aqua draws on a wide range of experience in extracting historical DNA from fish, the Australian researchers possess substantial knowledge of shark biology, ecology, and genetics.
“For us, the cooperation means a commitment to exploiting the competences in Denmark and Australia. At the same time, the collaboration helps to internationalize our research project. The agreement provides the PhD students with a long-term research stay under the tutelage of an Australian PhD supervisor. This helps to ensure the best possible education,” says Einar Eg Nielsen.
He is principal supervisor for two of the PhD-students from DTU and co-supervisor for the Australian PhD student.
The University of Queensland has more than 100 research centres and is engaged in major research initiatives that enable it to address significant global challenges. The work at the university’s centres and departments spans across a range of disciplines—from bioscience and nanotechnology to sustainable development and social science. Water purification and quantum physics are common fields of interest for both universities.