The WH Gladstones Population and Environment Fund
Award highlights
- The fund supports empirical research into how the size, distribution, material aspirations and other characteristics of Australia’s population are likely to affect our environment—not only our land and landscape, but also social cohesion, health, the economy and defence.
- The W H Gladstones Population and Environment Fund was established in 2010 through generous donations from the late Dr William H Gladstones.
The W H Gladstones Population and Environment Fund offers support for empirical research into how the size, distribution, material aspirations and other characteristics of Australia’s population are likely to affect our environment—not only our land and landscape, but also social cohesion, health, the economy and defence. Population pressures in other countries which may have an impact on Australia could also be part of the research.
One grant of up to $24,000 is available for award every two years.
Funded activities are normally expected to have been undertaken within two years from the date of award. Awardees may apply for extensions due to extenuating circumstances or to apply for variations to remove or adapt to barriers encountered to their planned research or travel.
This grant does not provide funds for bench fees, managerial, visa, insurance or infrastructure costs.
Supporting institutes and awardees are required to ensure that any research they undertake that is funded by the Australian Academy of Science adheres to the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of research, severe breach of these codes may result in the withdrawal of current and refusal of future funding support. Research involving Indigenous Australians must comply with the guidelines for Ethical Research in Australian Indigenous Studies.
Key dates
Below are the key dates for the application process. While we aim to keep to this schedule, some dates may change depending on circumstances.
GUIDELINES
The following guidelines provide important information about eligibility, submission requirements, and assessment processes. Please review them carefully before submitting an application.
Applicants should be employed in an Australian university or research institution and should have completed a PhD not more than 10 years ago.* Persons engaged in research for a PhD may also be considered if their thesis topics are judged to be highly significant.
The Australian Academy of Science encourages applications from female candidates and from candidates from a broad geographical distribution.
Focus of research
Research to be supported should aim to quantify various aspects of the human footprint, and to model likely ecological and other consequences.
* The Australian Academy of Science is committed to ensuring that all eligible researchers can be considered for awards and collects career interruption information to assess their opportunity to demonstrate scientific excellence. Accordingly, extensions to the post PhD (or equivalent) eligibility requirements for Early and Mid-Career awards will be provided for qualifying career disruptions.
A career disruption involves prolonged interruption to a nominee’s capacity to conduct Full Time Equivalent (FTE) high-level research, either due to part-time employment or absence (for periods of one month or greater) and/or long-term partial return to work, to accommodate carer’s responsibilities, illness or other interruption.
The career disruptions here must have occurred post the date of the letter advising that the PhD thesis was passed and resulted in significantly reduced research productivity or nil research output. Career disruption periods will be taken into account for those who would otherwise be beyond the Post PhD Career Eligibility requirements.
The purpose of the grant is to supplement the researcher’s existing resources and can be used for the purchase of such things as equipment, data, or the development of new measurement and analysis techniques.
Funding of up to $24,000 (GST exclusive) is available, in equal payments over two years. For example, an award of $24,000 would be paid in two payments of $12,000, at the start of each year. A satisfactory progress report is required before the second payment will be released (see 'Reporting requirements').
This award does not provide funds for bench fees, managerial, visa, insurance or infrastructure costs.
Applications must include the following:
- Brief CV including qualifications, summary of professional/research experience and publications/presentations. A full publications list is not required. Maximum of three pages using size 12 font.
- Project proposal summarising the objectives and methods of research to be undertaken (maximum 1,000 words).
- Itemised budget with brief justification for each item, outlining the proposed use of the Grant over the two years. Where relevant, a declaration of external financial support should be included.
- Two referees’ reports. Referee reports should be addressed to the ‘Awards Committee’ and be no more than two pages in length and indicate the referees’ knowledge of the research and the researcher’s ability to carry out the project successfully. For PhD students, one of these reports must be from the applicants PhD supervisor, indicating that such a research proposal can be conducted from within the department and their opinion of the proposed research, the need for award funding and potential career impact of award if funded.
Grants are offered to successful applicants in early November each year for projects to be carried out in the next year.
Funded activities are normally expected to have been undertaken within two years from the date of award. Awardees can apply for project variations if their award proposals are impacted by extenuating circumstances.
Applications are assessed by a committee of scientists with diverse expertise based on the assessed competitiveness of the proposal. The Academy is not able to enter into discussion or correspondence regarding the reasons why an application is successful or not.
- Applicants must commence their research within 12 months of being offered the Award, after which the offer will automatically lapse.
- The Award may be held concurrently with awards or grants from other institutions.
- Applicants can only receive funding from the same research or travelling research award once in a three calendar year period.
- Applicants may apply for more than one award but can only receive one Academy travelling or research award per calendar year.
- Supporting institutes and awardees are required to ensure that any research they undertake that is funded by the Australian Academy of Science adheres to the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of research, severe breach of these codes may result in the withdrawal of current and refusal of future funding support. Research involving Indigenous Australians must comply with the Guidelines for Ethical Research in Australian Indigenous Studies.
An annual report is required on the progress of the research project. The report should detail progress on the research goals outlined in the grant-holder’s proposal, and expected vs. actual expenditure to date.
If the award is held for two years, a report is also required at the end of the second year.
Applications are to be completed through an online form found by clicking on the Apply button on the top right of this web page when the round is open.
Previous awardees
- 2025—Dr Omid Ghasemi: Exploring the Impact of Extreme Weather Events on Attitudes, Emotions, and Behavioural Responses to Climate Change
- 2023—Dr Xuan Li: Transforming Australians’ health impact prediction due to COVID-19 using artificial intelligence
- 2021—Dr Fiona Tang: Australian grape-wine-tourism in a changing climate.
- 2019—Dr Grace Muriuki: Food security in rural and remote indigenous communities of The Pilbara; potential for resource corridors in local food systems.
- 2017—Dr Dale Graeme Nimmo: Compact cities or sprawling suburbs? Optimal design of growing cities to conserve biodiversity.
- 2015—Dr M Hadjikakou: Our ‘foodprint’ matter – Australian diets and their environmental, economical and health impacts.
- 2013—Dr Isaac Santos: Do residential canal estate developments increase greenhouse gas emissions from Australian estuaries?
- 2011—Dr Daniel Ramp: Engagement of a growing Australian population.
