Project description
Are you fascinated by ancient life and excited by the opportunity to apply advanced engineering tools to answer questions that have remained unresolved for hundreds of millions of years? Flinders University’s internationally recognised palaeontology discipline is collaborating with Engineering to give Honours and Masters students the chance to work at the intersection of engineering, biology and Earth science. Projects combine biomechanics, computational modelling, materials science and fluid dynamics with cutting-edge technologies such as CT scanning, photogrammetry and 3D reconstruction to investigate how extinct organisms lived, moved and interacted with their environment. Students may use finite element analysis to examine feeding mechanics and structural performance, computational fluid dynamics to reconstruct locomotion and hydrodynamics, or materials engineering approaches to explore the properties of fossilised biomineralised tissues. Opportunities span advanced imaging, digital reconstruction, numerical simulation, software development, data analysis and experimental validation. Whether your interests are in mechanical engineering, robotics, computational modelling, materials engineering or data science, projects can be tailored to your strengths and interests. You will work alongside leading researchers, contribute to genuine scientific discoveries and gain unique interdisciplinary research experience while applying engineering skills to unlock the secrets of Earth’s ancient past.
Co-supervisors
Russell Bicknell (Research Fellow - Biological Sciences)
Note: You need to register interest in projects from different supervisors (not a number of projects with the one supervisor).
You must also contact each supervisor directly to discuss both the project details and your suitability to undertake the project.