Environment

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

Theme Leader

Associate Professor Phil Hayes
View profile

Team

Dr Julie Pearce
View profile

Iain Rodger
View profile

Dr Sebastian Hoerning
View profile

Dr Joe Lane
View profile

UQ Collaborators

Associate Professor Chris Leonardi
School of Mechanical & Mining Engineering

Professor Damien Batstone
Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology

Associate Professor Shihu Hu
Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology

Professor Neil McIntyre
Sustainable Minerals Institute

Dr Louisa Rochford
Sustainable Minerals Institute

Dr Alwyn Williams
School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability

Professor Gregory Webb
School of the Environment

Professor Joan Esterle
School of the Environment

Professor Sue Golding
School of the Environment

Professor Hamish McGowan
School of the Environment

Honorary and industry appointments

Thomas Flottmann
Origin Energy

Sanjeev Panday
OGIA

Gerhard Schoning
OGIA

Tao Cui
OGIA

Professor Andras G Bardossy
Honorary Professor

Current projects

Aquifer and reservoir connectivity or disconnectivity with strontium isotopes
Modelling and monitoring of spatiotemporal variation of CSG-induced subsidence
Annual reviews of brine treatment technologies and market analysis

Past projects

2025 Publications

Lauzon, Dany & Hörning, Sebastian. (2025). Efficient computation on large regular grids of higher-order spatial statistics via fast Fourier transform. Computers & Geosciences. 198. 105878. 10.1016/j.cageo.2025.105878.

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.

Access Tool

Publications