Adelaide University

Adelaide University is a new top-100 'superuniversity' built from a merger between two foundation universities, The University of Adelaide, and The University of South Australia.

Adelaide University is seeking three Ph.D. students with relevant expertise to work within the Australian Research Council Linkage project “Lanthanides and actinides in copper ores, a pas de deux in geological time”. This is a newly awarded research project at the interface of mineralogy, geochemistry and modelling, co-supported by our industry partner BHP Copper S.A.. Successful applicants will interact closely with academic and industry supervisors, other PhD candidates, postdoctoral research fellows within the project, and other specialist support personnel. Applicants will become familiar with analytical and computational platforms at Adelaide University and external facilities, and will contribute to technique development. They will also be involved in drafting and publication of manuscripts destined for peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Applicants should be in a position to start their research in early 2026. The School of Graduate Studies (https://adelaideuni.edu.au/research/research-degrees/) can advise prospective candidates about postgraduate study at Adelaide University and the grade and language proficiency requirements for entry into the university graduate programme. Although full scholarships are available, all prospective candidates will be expected to apply for competitive Australian and University postgraduate research scholarships. International students are encouraged to apply.

Project background and requirements (applicable to all three PhD projects)

Rare earth elements (REE) occur in the world-class Olympic Dam copper deposit, South Australia, and adjacent mines and prospects. Although by-product recovery of REE is uneconomic today, the contained REE represent a potentially valuable by-product in the future. These deposits are also relatively enriched in actinides, uranium (U) and thorium (Th). In some cases, like at Olympic Dam, U occurs at sufficiently high grades to facilitate recovery – making it the world’s largest single uranium deposit. The presence of U, Th, and daughter radionuclides introduces additional challenges for downstream processing but also opportunities to explore the "pas de deux" played out between lanthanides and actinides over geological time.

Using cutting-edge microanalysis and modelling techniques, we will constrain relationships between REE and associated U mineralisation and understand why there is such a marked enrichment of REE in these ores. Ore mineralogy, textures, and genetic relationships, if understood at the micron-, nano- and atomic scales, provide information that can underpin strategies for potential REE exploitation from one of Australia's most important mineral provinces. This interdisciplinary research is aligned to Australia's critical mineral strategy and will provide a generic model for REE- and U-enrichment with application to analogous copper ores worldwide. At the heart of the projects is a combination of cutting-edge microanalytical and computational modelling techniques, intended to shed light on the distribution and evolution of REE and U within copper ores.

Outputs from these research projects will provide a knowledge platform for the industry partner. Results will be of broad relevance globally though the provision of fundamental information on the enrichment of lanthanides and actinides in IOCG systems, the behaviour of these elements in magmatic-hydrothermal ore systems, and orebody knowledge that can contribute to optimised management of U and REE across the mining-comminution-processing value chain.

Successful candidates will be expected to work independently and as part of a larger, interdisciplinary team. You will be expected to publish results in leading academic journals and to present their findings at internal project meetings and at national and international conferences. We also expect the candidate to share our commitment to an interdisciplinary project in which the goals carry both fundamental scientific and practical value. The strong transdisciplinary nature of this research is almost unique among Australian universities. Adelaide University boasts multiple successful major projects in partnership with the minerals industry, with an emphasis on innovative industry-relevant research.

PhD 1. Exploring the deeps: towards a new understanding of Olympic Dam from new deep drilling.

Olympic Dam is one of the earth’s largest ore systems. Exposure of the deeper parts of Olympic Dam down to 2.5 km (OD deeps) in recently drilled cores provides a unique opportunity to define the interplay between REE and actinides in the deposit, and identify if the coupled dissolution-reprecipitation reactions recognised in the upper parts of the system govern fluid-rock interaction.

The project will focus on exploring the interplay between REE-minerals and actinides over geological time in the OD deeps in order to develop holistic (geological, geochemical and mineralogical) models for REE-U-enrichment in the Olympic Cu-Au Province, and with application to IOCG systems in analogous terranes elsewhere. The project will use cutting-edge analytical approaches to characterise REE- and U-mineralogy down to the atomic scale to identify the controls on and timing of REE-U zonation patterns in these ores, in the context of fluid-rock interaction. This project is suitable for a candidate with an earth science background, but we welcome applications from applicants with expertise in materials science or molecular physics, who are interested in ground-breaking interdisciplinary research.

PhD 2. Oak Dam West: comparing a new IOCG discovery with other ore systems in the Olympic Cu-Au Province

Oak Dam West is a major new discovery of iron-oxide–copper–gold mineralization hosted by hematite breccias. The project will address aspects of mineralogy, geochemistry, geochronology, ore formation, and fluid-assisted mineral replacement reactions. Although in many ways similar to the well-documented Olympic Dam deposit, Oak Dam West exhibits some differences, which the project will aim to explain. Particular emphasis will be given to the mineralogy of REE and U, to the conspicuous zoning patterns in the ore, and disequilibrium reactions and the implications they carry for REE and U distributions (and implicitly, for ore processing). This work will enable us to: (i) understand phase transitions among REE- and U-bearing species; (ii) determine whether these are present in host minerals or as nanoparticles/fine particles; and (iii) constrain partitioning of light- to middle/heavy REE. Nanoscale work on thinned foils extracted in-situ will include species characterisation using bright field and high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) imaging and STEM energy-dispersive element mapping and spot analysis. Where relevant, oxidation states will be determined using STEM electron energy loss spectroscopy and electron energy loss near edge spectroscopy. This project is suitable for a candidate with an earth science background, but we welcome applications from applicants with expertise in materials science or molecular physics, who are interested in ground-breaking interdisciplinary research.

PhD 3. Machine learning-assisted ab initio modelling of lanthanide solubility in Fe-bearing silicate melts

Ab initio molecular dynamics simulation and machine learning potential will be used to model solubility of lanthanides in Fe-bearing silicate melts as a function of pressure-temperature-composition (P-T-X). We aim to constrain the apparent correlation between Fe metasomatism and REE enrichment in IOCG mineral systems. This modelling component will combine crystal structure and STEM simulations with density functional theory (DFT) calculations, alongside molecular dynamic (AIMD) modelling to address crystal structures, phase transitions and solubility of REE in Si-Fe-melts. The stabilities of main ore assemblages will be determined and finite element modelling of fluid-rock interaction using computational routines will be undertaken. Adelaide University hosts state-of-the-art electron microscopes, including the FEI Titan Themis S-TEM instrument for nanoscale characterisation of U- and REE-minerals. Computational platforms for ab initio calculations include the UoA ‘Phoenix’ supercomputer and the group’s own recently acquired 4xGPUA100 system dedicated to mineralogical/geochemical applications and student training. The successful candidate should have good computing skills and familiarity with thermodynamics. You will perform ab initio molecular dynamic simulations (AIMD) to constrain the phase transitions. Machine learning potential is anticipated to accelerate the molecular dynamic simulation process.

Please contact Prof. Nigel Cook for further information about individual PhD projects, applicant suitability, terms and conditions (nigel.cook @adelaide.edu.au; +61 405 826 057).

All persons wishing to apply for these postgraduate research projects should direct enquiries to the above, and should include curriculum vitae, academic transcripts, contact details for at least two referees, a statement of research interests (with publication list where applicable) and motivation to undertake postgraduate study in Adelaide. The positions are open to both Australian and overseas nationals, and will remain open until filled. We would hope that successful applicants could commence before 31^st March 2026.