Climate-Resilient cities - designing and delivering sustainable, affordable developments, infrastructure and systems with collaborative governance, reliable water and future-oriented precincts.

This PhD top-up scholarship focuses on designing resilient cities that address climate change impacts, aging infrastructure, rapid urbanization, and social inequality. The research investigates best practices in implementing urban sustainability to enhance healthy waterways, decarbonisation, and liveability through systems analysis, circular economy, precinct and infrastructure design, and stakeholder engagement. Cities are vital for economic growth and sustainable development, driving productivity and offering opportunities to implement green technologies and circular economies. However, designing resilient infrastructure for water, energy, and housing presents significant challenges. The program addresses the connections between water, energy, climate and cost systems, with water underpinning economic growth, population growth, housing growth and energy security in Australia. The scholarship is supported by an interdisciplinary research environment at The University of Queensland, involving multiple schools within Engineering, Architecture, and Information Technology, as well as UQ's Centre for Policy Futures, Social Sciences and Business Schools. Candidates will be co-supervised by a multi-disciplinary team with strong industry linkages including the Asian Development Bank, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Queensland Government, Victorian Government, and the Sustainable Built Environment national research centre. PhD topics span four main areas: Collaborative Governance (adaptive planning, multi-objective planning, scenarios and climate-predictive tools, social licence, water literacy, First Nations engagement, policy and regulation); Reliable Water (drought-flood risks, water quality monitoring, treatment systems, stormwater supply); Planning and Design of Circular Resilient Precincts (resilient water precincts, value engineering design, renewable energy integration); and Maximising Efficiency and Savings (water efficiency, Net Zero emissions, circular economy indicators, urban resilience design).