STUDENT
Emily Hepburn
Emily Hepburn’s combined experience from her research masters and her work with an environmental consultancy gave her the skills and confidence required to tackle a PhD in hydrogeology.
Emily Hepburn
PhD (Environmental Engineering)
I love the field of hydrogeology because it allows me to work towards protection of Victoria’s important groundwater resources.
I love the field of hydrogeology because it allows me to work towards protection of Victoria’s important groundwater resources.
My background as a Masters (Science) graduate and my recent work at an environmental consultancy gave me the skills to apply for a PhD position with RMIT and the Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CRC CARE).
I completed my masters with the help of an Australian Government Endeavour Award, which allowed me to live in China. I collected soil and groundwater samples on the North China Plain in Hebei Province and collaborated with the China Agricultural University.
After completing my Masters, I worked with an environmental consultancy but had limited opportunities to investigate interesting technical aspects of my projects.
When the PhD opportunity came up I jumped at the chance to conduct research again!
I’m working closely with EPA Victoria to investigate soil and groundwater contamination in a major redevelopment zone near Melbourne, known as Fishermans Bend.
My initial sampling of the soil and groundwater identified major contaminants of concern and I have subsequently based my research topics on these.
Equipment from the Environmental Engineering lab at RMIT has been enormously helpful in successfully carrying out my field work campaigns.
I’ve already presented preliminary results from my first year of research to the EPA Victoria, and to a group of technical specialists at the International Conference on Heavy Metals in the Environment in Ghent, Belgium.
EPA Victoria will be the ultimate end-user of my research. The information will be used to help contaminated land practitioners and environmental auditors to accurately assess individual sites across Fishermans Bend in the future.
After I complete my PhD, I would like to continue to work for the EPA and be involved with academic research projects.