phd research opportunities in australia

Doctor of Philosophy

As a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) candidate, you’ll complete a substantial program of independent and original research in your chosen field of study. A PhD prepares you for a range of careers - from academic to industry and is the highest degree qualification available. 

• 3–4 years (full time) minimum commitment of 35 – 40 hours per week or
• 6–8 years (part time) minimum commitment of 15 hours per week.
• Offered in all Faculties
• A thesis of no more than 100,000 words.

Entry requirements

Future careers.

• Fees & costs

UNSW undertakes world-class research that tackles some of the greatest challenges facing society today. When you join the UNSW research community, you join a passionate collective of people who are using research to transform minds, transform lives, and transform the world.

UNSW will support you to develop the skills and expertise you need to make a difference in your field. We are committed to providing you with an unmatched PhD experience that includes outstanding research training and mentorship, world-class supervision, and access to research environments defined by excellence and collaboration.

You will receive advanced specialist research training and produce a thesis that provides evidence for independent thought, critical analysis, and expert knowledge of the discipline in an international context. In some disciplines, creative work may form part of the thesis.

Find information about individual PhD programs and codes on the UNSW Handbook .

Learn about the graduate attributes and learning outcomes for UNSW higher degree research programs here . 

The minimum requirement for admission to a PhD is:

• A UNSW Bachelor degree with first or upper second class Honours from UNSW; or
• a completed Master by Research from UNSW with a substantial research component and demonstrated capacity for timely completion of a high quality research thesis; or
• an equivalent qualification from a tertiary institution as determined by the Faculty Higher Degree Committee (HDC)

The minimum requirement for UNSW Scholarship with admission to a PhD is:

• a four year Bachelor degree with first or upper second class Honours from an Australian institution or equivalent research qualification as above.

You may think of yourself as a student, but we think of you as a professional researcher in the early stages of a long and vibrant career.

UNSW will provide you with the skills and expertise to pursue a range of career pathways after you graduate, from academia to industry.

As a PhD candidate, you’ll have access to a wealth of opportunities to work with and alongside industry through industry PhD programs to internships and mentorships .

You’ll also have access to the most comprehensive student entrepreneurship program in Australia, that can help you develop your ideas, raise capital and launch a startup.

Fees and costs

The costs associated with enrolment in a research higher degree program vary depending on whether you are a domestic or international candidate. Learn more about the fees and costs here .

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• intending to study on a student visa,
• not a citizen of Australia or New Zealand,
• not an Australian permanent resident, or
• a temporary resident (visa status) of Australia.

Find a PhD or MPhil project with a scholarship

Scholarship-funded research projects.

Explore our research projects with funded living stipend scholarships. You can filter by program type, research area and scholarship type, or use the keyword search field to find projects that suit your interests.

If you'd rather bring your own project,  explore our scholarships  (including top-up scholarships) and  find a supervisor  to support your project.

Developing a delivery mechanism for anti-methanogenic supplements in grazing livestock

Develop and evaluate a delivery mechanism for anti-methanogenic supplements in grazing beef cattle.

Development of a Novel Molecular Manipulation Technique for Multi-Bioanalyte Cancer Profiling

Currently, DNA/RNA and protein detection require different assays to be performed. This research project seeks to to rapidly transform a single immunological interaction into an amplified molecular signal.

Understanding soil-water-root interactions in high strength soils

Characterise genetic diversity in wheat genotypes development and yield responses to mitigate high soil strength using non-destructive 3D root imaging systems MRI and CT imaging.

How epithelial tissues detect and respond to cell death and injury

Two PhD projects are available as part of Professor Yap’s ARC Laureate Program to understand how cells communicate with one another by mechanical force to detect injury in epithelial tissues such as the gastrointestinal tract and embryonic skin.

Improving molecular and phenotypic predictions through network-based prior knowledge and AI

Biological interactions (e.g. between genes or metabolites) are often best represented as networks. This project explores ML/AI approaches for network-assisted prediction of plant phenotypes to improve crop development.

Scanning Probe Microscopy for Atomic-Scale Engineering

Harness the full potential of this technique by using it to induce and track bond-selective chemical reactions in organic molecules.

The evolution of genetic networks during rapid adaptation

This project explores genetic networks' role in translating genotype to phenotype during rapid adaptation.

Downstream Mineral Processing after a new Comminution Process

This project aims to study the influence of changing the comminution mode on particle properties and how these properties impact the downstream mineral processing flowsheet required to achieve maximum separability, minimum water usage and stable tailing storage.

High-Resolution Mass Spectrometric Characterisation of Ubiquitous Environmental Contaminants of Emerging Concern

This project will develop workflows (algorithm and platform selection) that will allow for the effective identification of new chemical hazards within the context of understanding risk associated with exposure.

Development of new cost-effective cast irons for metallurgy processing

Develop new cost-effective cast irons to achieve the same or better grinding results.