The AGS Victoria PhD Research Award

The AGS Victoria PhD Research Award is presented by the Victoria Chapter of the Australian Geomechanics Society as part of its ongoing support of academic institutions and researchers and to foster increased collaboration between academia and industry. The award aims to provide a forum for PhD researchers to showcase their research to geotechnical profession. The award is presented biannually starting from 2022.

Basis of the award

This award is open to those currently undertaking PhD research at a Victorian university in the field of geotechnical engineering, geo-environmental engineering or engineering geology. Nominees must be a member of the Australian Geomechanics Society and a resident of Victoria at the time of application. Nominees must also have their supervisor’s consent to apply for this award.

Selection

Applications will be required to submit an abstract for review. Shortlisted candidates will be selected (usually three) and required to prepare a technical paper for publication in Australian Geomechanics Journal and make a 15 minutes presentation at a meeting of the Victorian Chapter of the Australian Geomechanics Society. Mentorship, by a representative of AGS Victoria committee, will be available to short-listed applicants. A judging panel will evaluate abstracts and review technical papers and presentations. The winner will be announced at the conclusion of the meeting and in Australian Geomechanics at the time of publication. Candidates will be assessed based on the following criteria with equal weighting given to paper and presentation:

• Scientific quality;
• Originality;
• Innovation;
• Standard of presentation; and
• Practical significance.
• Prize

The winner will receive a token of appreciation and cash prize of $1,500 from the Australian Geomechanics Society.

Procedure

The entry should comprise:

• A completed and signed application form.
• An abstract for the proposed technical paper in the requested format and limited to 500 words.
• A support letter from the primary supervisor, briefly outlining why the work is considered prize-worthy, in pdf format.

Timeline

In the year that the prize is awarded the timeline is described below. The technical papers by shortlisted candidates will be published in the Q3 edition of the Australian Geomechanics in the year of the award.

• February – abstract is due. Shortlisted candidates will be notified within two weeks of submission.
• June – submission of technical paper. Review of technical paper is expected to be completed by July for publication in the Q3 edition of the journal and in advance of the August meeting of the Victorian Chapter of the AGS (described below).
• August – presentations by short listed candidates at a technical meeting of the Victorian Chapter of the AGS. The winner to be announced on the night.
• September – publication of the Q3 edition of Australian Geomechanics with short listed candidate papers and announcement of the prize winner.

It is expected that candidates submitting for the prize in the year of the award will be suitably advanced in their research at the time of abstract submission to ensure that their paper submission is not delayed and the above timeline is met. Where candidates are unlikely to meet the above timeline they should consider submitting for the prize at a later time.

Past winners

• 2022 — Sanchari Mondal