The Environment theme seeks to understand and reduce the environmental impacts of energy resource projects and technologies that will be critical to the energy transition.
The theme’s researchers achieve this by modelling, monitoring and predicting projects’ impacts on the environment and mitigating them by sharing their knowledge through a range of outputs and engaging with stakeholders. The theme also addresses broader environmental challenges, including the risks to biodiversity posed by developments and the environmental footprints associated with alternative technologies.
The team’s academic knowledge and industry experience spans hydrology, geochemistry, sub-surface modelling, and environmental life cycle assessment, and where necessary is complemented through collaboration with experts in other fields.
The theme ultimately aims to provide governments, industries and the public with independent advice on environmental risks that is supported by academic rigour and extensive experience with the energy sector and the regions where it operates.
Theme capabilities
- Geological and hydrogeolgical modelling and analysis
- Environmental risk assessment and management
- Water resource management and treatment technologies
- Innovative geoscientific solutions and technologies
- Environmental lifecycle assessment
Researchers
Associate Professor Phil Hayes
View profile
Dr Julie Pearce
View profile
Iain Rodger
View profile
Dr Sebastian Hoerning
View profile
Dr Joe Lane
View profile
Misaki Matsui
View profile
Projects
- Reservoir-Aquifer Connectivity with Strontium Isotopes
- Potential Methane Emissions from Aquifer and Coal Seam Gas Groundwater Extraction
- Impure CO₂ Reactivity in Aquifers Overlying CO₂ Storage Sites
- Refining Aquifer Attribution for GAB Springs Using Integrated Hydrogeochemical and Isotopic Tracers
- Modelling and monitoring of spatiotemporal variation of CSG-induced subsidence
- Annual reviews of brine treatment technologies and market analysis
- Great Artesian Basins: new body of knowledge
- Silica characterisation in the coal seam water train
- Shallow gas environmental risk scoping & management
- Faults & fractures in the Surat Basin
- Well abandonment: advanced plugging technology
- Re-setting water and salt estimations
- Recharge estimation in the Surat Basin
- Well integrity: simple modelling
- Australia-USA lessons and comparisons
- Potential uses for salt left over from CSG water treatment
- Groundwater 3D online atlas
- Groundwater uses in the Surat and Bowen Basins
You can view the complete list of Centre projects here.
2025 Publications
Efficient computation on large regular grids of higher-order spatial statistics via fast Fourier transform
Read article
Previous publications
Since launching in 2013, the Centre has published over 300 journal article, book chapters, posters, conference abstracts, and presentations. You can view the complete list here.
UQ Copula Plug-in for Petrel
This tool is a novel plug-in for Schlumberger’s Petrel software. The geostatistical modelling plug-in is designed to better differentiate and represent areas of high and low permeability, and identify the preferred flow pathways between areas, which is critical to understanding the rate and volume of subsurface gas and water flows.
Latest research updates
Are strontium isotopes the key to understanding reservoir-aquifer leakage?
Read more >
New energy insights shared at 2026 Annual Research Review
Read more >
Australia may be significantly overestimating methane emissions from CSG water extraction
Read more >
Stay up to date
Stay up to date with the latest research from the Environment theme by subscribing to our regular newsletter.
Socials
Keep in touch and follow us on social media.