At UNSW, honours projects involving biogeography, geography and spatial awareness seek to understand human activity, species and their sense of spatial configuration, how technology can help us analyse the environment and much more.


View our current projects and connect with an honours project supervisor to learn how you can get involved.

Getting more out of charcoal: Has fire severity changed in the recent past?

Use the physical and chemical characteristics of charcoal to consider the simple question: have fires in the Blue Mountains become more severe over the last few decades? Supervisor: A/Prof. Scott Mooney

Beach safety awareness of international students to Australia

The primary aim of this project is to establish an evidence-based profile of beach safety knowledge of international students in Australia. Supervisor: Prof. Rob Brander

Combining drone & satellite imagery to monitor arid zone vegetation cover

This project aims to develop a model of shrub cover at Fowlers Gap using a time series of satellite imagery and drone imagery. Supervisor: Dr Adrian Fisher

How is big data affecting scientists?

The project aims to build an understanding of people's opinions and reactions to Big Data in their respective fields. Supervisor: Dr Malte Ebach

Mapping tree cover using multi-temporal Sentinel-2 satellite imagery

This project aims to compare models of tree cover using single-date and multi-temporal Sentinel-2 satellite data for an area of NSW. Supervisor: Dr Adrian Fisher

Palaeontological discovery from space

The primary goal is to identify the position and depth of the next subsurface inside bend of the Wipajiri Formation channel deposit to the east of the eastern edge of Lake Ngapakaldi, using Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite imagery. Supervisor: Prof. Graciela Metternicht

Remote sensing of spatial configuration of resources used by lizard species

This project aims to use high-resolution aerial photography and ground measurements to characterise these resources in Mallee country. Supervisor: Prof. Graciela Metternicht

Separating the effects of drought & grazing on arid zone vegetation

This project aims to compare the time-series of satellite measured vegetation cover between grazed and non-grazed areas in shrublands and grasslands at Fowlers Gap. Supervisor: Dr Adrian Fisher

Tracking condition of Rufous Scrub-bird habitat in the Gondwana Rainforest

This project will evaluate the effectiveness of different remote sensing tools to detect significant changes in the condition of Rufous Scrub-Bird habitats in the cool temperate forests of the New England National Park. Supervisor: Prof. Graciela Metternicht

Will climate change increase desertification?

This project will use a combination of satellite vegetation data and climate observations and projections to determine if and where climate change will lead to desertification. Supervisors: Jason Evans and Arden Burrell

Plant and soil responses to animal disturbance

In this study, we will simulate natural disturbances by animals and examine how plants and soils respond to herbivory and disturbance in a dry woodland. Supervisor: Professor David Eldridge