STAFF PROFILE
Professor Matthew Currell
Position:
Professor
College / Portfolio:
STEM College
School / Department:
STEM|School of Engineering
Phone:
+61399250402
Email:
matthew.currell@rmit.edu.au
Campus:
City Campus
Matthew Currell is an Associate Professor in the School of Engineering, within the Chemical & Environmental Engineering discipline.
Matthew is Program Manager for the undergraduate Bachelor of Engineering (Environmental Engineering)(Hons) degree and an active researcher in the field of hydrogeology and geochemistry. He has published more than 40 peer-reviewed journal articles and has served on the editorial board of the Hydrogeology Journal. He supervises PhD and Masters projects in hydrogeology, working with partners in the water industry and environmental regulators. He has conducted extensive work as an independent expert witness in the field of hydrogeology (paid and pro-bono), including for government inquiries into unconventional gas mining and in legal proceedings regarding impacts of resource extraction on groundwater.
Primary areas of expertise
- Hydrogeology & Groundwater geochemistry
- Groundwater sustainability and other environmental management issues particularly in China, Australia and other arid and semi-arid regions.
- Environmental tracers in hydrogeology, including stable and radiogenic isotope geochemistry & source, fate and transport of groundwater contaminants;
- Determining links between climate, land-use (including mining) and groundwater quality & quantity.
2017-Current: Program Manager, Bachelor of Engineering (Environmental Engineering)(Hons)
Co-ordinator for CIVE1184 Hydrogeology, CIVE1122 Advanced Hydrogeology and OENG1113 China's Environmental Challenges Units
By appointment (contact by e-mail)
- PhD (Geosciences) Monash University
- BSc (Hons I, Environmental Earth Sciences) University of Melbourne
- BA (Chinese Language) University of Melbourne
Languages other than english
- Mandarin Chinese (HSK level 7)
Collaborations
- Melbourne Water Corporation
- EPA Victoria
- City of Casey
- City West Water
- Federation University (Honorary Research Fellow)
- La Trobe University
- Monash University
- China Academy of Sciences
- Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
- Australian Contaminated Land Consultants Associations
- CRC CARE.
Affiliations, professional memberships and editorial positions
- Associate Editor, Hydrogeology Journal 2014-17
- Committee member, International Association of Hydrogeologists Victoria
- Steering Committee, IAH Early Career Hydrogeologists' Network (International) 2013-2016
Community advisory and advocacy work (voluntary)
- Port Philip & Westernport Groundwater Atlas Project steering committee (Southern Rural Water)
- Lower Barwon Wetlands Community Consultative committee
- Expert witness for Environment Defender's Office NSW
- Author of educational materials incorporated into national secondary school curriculum
- Samandra, S.,Johnston, J.,Jaeger, J.,Symons, B.,Xie, S.,Currell, M.,Ellis, A.,Clarke, B. (2022). Microplastic contamination of an unconfined groundwater aquifer in Victoria, Australia In: Science of the Total Environment, 802, 1 - 9
- Han, D.,Currell, M. (2022). Review of drivers and threats to coastal groundwater quality in China In: Science of the Total Environment, 806, 1 - 21
- Morrissy, J.,Currell, M.,Reichman, S.,Surapaneni, A.,Megharaj, M.,Crosbie, N.,Hirth, D.,Aquilina, S.,Rajendram, W.,Ball, A. (2022). The variation in groundwater microbial communities in an unconfined aquifer contaminated by multiple nitrogen contamination sources In: Water, 14, 1 - 20
- Currell, M.,McCance, W.,Jones, O. (2022). Novel molecular tracers for the assessment of groundwater pollution In: Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health, 26, 1 - 7
- Rhodes-Dicker, L.,Brown, N.,Currell, M. (2022). Unpacking intersecting complexities for WASH in challenging contexts: A review In: Water Research, 209, 1 - 11
- McCance, W.,Surapaneni, A.,Hampton, J.,Wang, S.,Currell, M. (2022). Decoupling anthropogenic vs. natural impacts at a wastewater treatment plant situated on acid sulfate soils In: Science of the Total Environment, 821, 1 - 7
- Lutri, V.,Blarasin, M.,Matteoda, E.,Currell, M.,Giacobone, D.,Quinodoz, F.,Cabrera, A. (2022). Screening of Atrazine Distribution in Groundwater and Modeling of Leaching Potential to the Unconfined Aquifer in the Pampean Plain of Cordoba, Argentina In: Environmental Processes, 9, 1 - 27
- Perks, C.,Mudd, G.,Currell, M. (2022). Using corporate sustainability reporting to assess the environmental footprint of titanium and zirconium mining In: Extractive Industries and Society, 9, 1 - 16
- Han, D.,Currell, M.,Guo, H. (2021). Controls on distributions of sulphate, fluoride, and salinity in aquitard porewater from the North China Plain: Long-term implications for groundwater quality In: Journal of Hydrology, 603, 1 - 17
- Morrissy, J.,Currell, M.,Surapaneni, A.,Ball, A. S., et al, . (2021). Nitrogen contamination and bioremediation in groundwater and the environment: A review In: Earth-Science Reviews, 222, 1 - 20
- Great Artesian Basin Lynn Brake Scholarship - The CSG Industry, Iman Peoples, and Water: Protection of custodial lands and waters. PhD student: Clint Hansen. Funded by: Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environnment - Competitive from (2022 to 2023)
- Using geochemical indicators to assess the vulnerability of springs to mining impacts: Doongmabulla Springs and the Carmichael Coalmine (Queensland) (PhD student Angus Campbell). Funded by: AINSE Postgraduate Research Awards from (2022 to 2023)
- Hydrogeological drivers and fate of spring flow in a semi-arid setting (administered by Flinders University). Funded by: ARC Linkage via Other University from (2021 to 2024)
- Novel bioremediation tools for nitrogen contaminated groundwater. Funded by: CRC for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment from (2017 to 2020)
- Novel tracers to delineate groundwater contamination from wastewater treatment plants. Project No. 2.3.02-16/17. Funded by: CRC for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment from (2017 to 2021)
Note: Supervision projects since 2004
5 PhD Current Supervisions6 PhD Completions and 2 Masters by Research Completions
Hydrogeology, Groundwater, Geochemistry, Isotope hydrology, Environmental engineering, Land contamination.