Scholarships

Natural Hazards Postgraduate Research Scholarship

At a glance

Funding for PhD scholarships is limited to three and a half years from the date of commencement. For applicants that have already commenced their studies at the time of their application, the available funding will be calculated pro-rata, based on the period of study that has yet to be completed.

Preference will be given to students enrolling in full-time PhD studies, but applications from students studying Masters by Research degrees or intending to study part time will also be considered.

We particularly encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, women, culturally and linguistically diverse people, people with disability, LGBTIQ+ people, and people with family and caring responsibilities.

The following scholarships are available:

• Full scholarships: up to $30,000 per year for up to three and a half years for PhD students and up to two years for Masters students (excluding periods of approved leave).
• Top-up PhD scholarships: up to $15,000 per year for three and a half years to either:
  • holders of Research Training Program (RTP) or similar university research scholarships
  • holders of partial scholarships funded by an industry organisation.

Scholarship funds are intended to fund the student stipend. Use of the funds for any other study-related purpose (for example, to support fieldwork) is at the sole discretion of the Centre.

Eligibility guidelines

Applicants must meet the following criteria to be eligible to apply for a Natural Hazards Postgraduate Research Scholarship:

1. Applicants must be an Australian citizens, permanent resident of Australia or an international student (with legally certified evidence provided on request) that either:
   1. are enrolled in a research higher degree at an Australian university
   2. have been offered a research higher degree position at an Australian university, with a commencement date no later than 12 months after the date on which the application is submitted.
2. Applicants who are international students must be enrolled in their course of study before applying for a scholarship. These applicants must also provide evidence of their ability to use their own separate funding to cover any university tuition fees, as our scholarships are not provided to cover these expenses.
3. Applicants must have (or expect to receive) an Honours degree of at least class 2A or equivalent.
4. Applicants must be studying full time, however where there is a compelling reason, part-time student applications will be considered on a pro-rata scholarship basis.
5. Applicants must have developed a project proposal (no longer than two pages) that focuses on a research area aligned with the Centre’s published capability and key research focus areas, found in the Biennial Research Plan 2023-25.
6. Applicants are expected to undertake their research with the support of a research team and provide evidence that the proposed project is aligned with that of the supervisor and research team.
7. All successful students will be required to have an industry sponsor, with whom they can discuss their project and how the outcomes of the research can be used. This can be arranged independently by applicants during the application process, or with the Centre if your application is successful.

The Centre particularly encourages applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, women, culturally and linguistically diverse people, people with disability, LGBTIQ+ people, and people with family and caring responsibilities

Selection criteria

All eligible applications for scholarships will be considered by the Selection Panel.

The Selection Panel will, with absolute discretion, select the proposed scholarship holders based on the applicant’s demonstration of:

• their academic record
• the quality of the proposed research project, and the feasibility of achieving the outcomes
• commitment of support from the proposed Supervisor for the student
• alignment of the research to the Centre’s research themes
• the likely contribution of the research project to the Centre’s objectives of reducing disaster risk and strengthening disaster resilience in Australia.

The panel’s recommendations will be provided to the CEO of Natural Hazards Research Australia for approval. The recommendations of the Selection Panel are final and appeals will not be considered. Feedback will not be provided on unsuccessful applications.

Natural Hazards Research Australia will, at its sole discretion, determine whether to award scholarships in any year, and how many scholarships will be awarded.

For more information and to apply

For full Scholarship details and how to apply for this, visit Postgraduate Research Scholarships | Natural Hazards Research Australia