Associate Professor
Lucy Reading
Faculty of Science,
School of Biology & Environmental Science
Biography
Lucy Reading is an associate professor, who has been teaching environmental science (water quality and hydrology) and groundwater science at the Queensland University of Technology since 2015. She has over 20 years’ teaching, training, research and community engagement experience. Her current work is particularly focussed on: groundwater monitoring, groundwater resource assessments, groundwater-surface water interactions, groundwater quality assessments and water resource management.Lucy’s vision is to improve water management through improved understanding of groundwater resources. She collaborates with all levels of government in Australia to develop groundwater monitoring networks and directly inform groundwater policy. She also collaborates with communities in the areas where she leads monitoring projects with an aim to learn more about water related issues and help to address community concerns.
Areas of expertise
- Water management
- Groundwater monitoring
- Groundwater recharge estimation
- Groundwater modelling
- Reactive solute transport modelling
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Personal details
Positions
- Associate Professor
Faculty of Science,
School of Biology & Environmental Science
Keywords
groundwater, recharge, soil chemistry, soil hydraulic properties, modelling
Research field
Environmental management, Soil sciences, Geology
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2020
Qualifications
- PhD (University of Queensland)
- Bachelor of Applied Science (Queensland University of Technology)
Professional memberships and associations
- Treasurer and Past President - Queensland Branch - International Association of Hydrogeologists
- President - Queensland Branch - Professional Environmental Women's Association
- Researchgate
Teaching
My teaching philosophy is to promote curiosity and excitement in environmental science and water studies; to provide opportunities for students to engage with industry and to connect students with a broad range of experts. I strive to embed sustainability and WIL opportunities into my teaching.
Teaching areas:
- Hydrogeology
- Hydrology
- Environmental chemistry
- Groundwater management
Experience
Dr Lucy Reading is a groundwater scientist who has a background in chemistry. She has completed a Bachelor of Applied Science (Honours) at QUT and a PhD in the School of Environmental Engineering at The University of Queensland. A key theme of her PhD research was the interactions between chemical and hydraulic properties of sediments. Her employment history includes laboratory, government and research roles. In 2013 and 2014, Lucy was applying her expertise in geochemical interpretation and numerical modelling to a number of research projects funded by the Centre for Coal Seam Gas at the University of Queensland. She moved to QUT in 2015 and is currently working on research projects related to groundwater management in urban areas and transport of solutes from groundwater to surface water.
Lucy has been involved in training and capacity building activities, in both online and offline modes, in the areas of groundwater chemistry, groundwater modelling and sustainable groundwater use for participants from Australia, Malaysia, China and South America. She has experience in developing short course learning resources for scientists, policy advisors and school groups in all aspects of groundwater investigations. Specific training courses that Lucy has contributed to include: Queensland Government Groundwater Training, The Australian Groundwater School and “EduChange” training on “Global Water Issues”.
Publications
- Hunter, J., Brooking, C., Reading, L. & Vink, S. (2016). A Web-based system enabling the integration, analysis, and 3D sub-surface visualization of groundwater monitoring data and geological models. International Journal of Digital Earth, 9(2), 197–214. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/86041
- Reading, L., Lockington, D., Bristow, K. & Baumgartl, T. (2015). Are we getting accurate measurements of Ksat for sodic clay soils? Agricultural Water Management, 158, 120–125. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/86039
- Strand, R., Keir, G., Reading, L., Usher, B. & Dickenson, C. (2014). A rapid and flexible method for simulation of CSG water production: application in the Surat and Bowen basins. The APPEA Journal, 54(1), 135–146. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/86042
- Reading, L., Baumgartl, T., Bristow, K. & Lockington, D. (2012). Applying HYDRUS to flow in a sodic clay soil with solution composition-dependent hydraulic conductivity. Vadose Zone Journal, 11(2), 1–10. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/86043
- Reading, L., Baumgartl, T., Bristow, K. & Lockington, D. (2012). Hydraulic conductivity increases in a sodic clay soil in response to gypsum applications impacts of bulk density and cation exchange. Soil Science, 177(3), 165–171. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/86044
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Lucy, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Filter publications:
A complete list of publications is available at: https://www.qut.edu.au/about/our-people/academic-profiles/lucy.reading
Selected research projects
- Title
- Sustaining Intensive Agriculture Through Droughts and Floods
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- LP210100430
- Start year
- 2022
- Keywords
Projects listed above are funded by Australian Competitive Grants. Projects funded from other sources are not listed due to confidentiality agreements.
Supervision
Looking for a postgraduate research supervisor?
I am currently accepting research students for Honours, Masters and PhD study.
You can browse existing student topics offered by QUT or propose your own topic.
Current supervisions
- Application of Specialised Field Scale Monitoring for Groundwater Recharge and Salinisation Processes in the Burdekin River Delta, North Queensland, Australia
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Associate Professor Prasanna Egodawatta - Conservation genetics of the vulnerable sand yabby, Cherax robustus
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Adjunct Associate Professor David Hurwood, Associate Professor Andrew Baker - Ecohydrological Monitoring at Springbrook
MPhil, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Associate Professor Prasanna Egodawatta - First Nations Inequity in Water Security: Understanding the historic and present failings of non Indigenous Australia and seeking equitable solutions for the future
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Angela Guerrero Gonzalez - IoT-Enabled Smart Sensing for Climate Change Monitoring
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Associate Professor Prasanna Egodawatta - Pimpama Geochemistry: analysis of heavy metal pollution in surface- and groundwater systems
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Adjunct Professor Godwin Ayoko - Quaternary Environments of the Mt Gambier region, Limestone Coast, South Australia
MPhil, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Patrick Moss - Sustainable Groundwater Management of the Irrigation Area in Lower Burdekin Delta, North Queensland, Australia: A Model-based Approach
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Associate Professor Prasanna Egodawatta - The Ecohydrological Response to Cultural Burning Events: A Longitudinal Study of Soil Moisture and Vegetation Dynamics in Turraburra, Queensland
MPhil, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr David Tucker - Understanding the influence of hydrological conditions on birds and frogs in the Gondwana rainforests of Springbrook, Australia
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Susan Fuller
Completed supervisions (Doctorate)
- Estimating Rainfall Losses Using Physical Catchment Characteristics (2025)
- Exploring Ecohydrology in a Subtropical Montaine Forest Using Multiple Techniques (2024)
- An integrated approach to characterising the groundwater balance and water stress at Tamborine Mountain, Queensland, Australia (2023)
- Groundwater Nitrate Pathways in a Wet Tropical Catchment (2022)
- Nitrate Removal and Nitrous Oxide Production of Denitrifying Woodchip Bioreactors under Subtropical and Tropical Climates (2021)
- Nutrient and Pesticide Dynamics Through the Vadose Zone in the Wet Tropics, Australia (2021)
Completed supervisions (Masters by Research)
- Conceptual groundwater model and recharge assessment for water management in Springbrook, QLD, Australia (2024)
- Hydrogeochemical evolution and quality assessment of groundwater within a basalt aquifer system, Tamborine Mountain, Queensland (2022)
- Groundwater Chemistry and Microbiology in a Wet-Tropics Agricultural Catchment (2019)
- An Integrated Hydrological and Hydrochemical Study of Surface and Groundwaters in the Bungawalbin Creek Catchment, Northeast NSW, Australia (2017)
- Sodium Impacts of Three Queensland Soils under CSG Water Irrigation (2016)
The supervisions listed above are only a selection.