Victoria University often provides opportunities for scholarships related to specific projects.
Often these projects are funded in conjunction with an industry partner, offering the valuable opportunity to learn to do research which connects industry and universities. This can provide experience and perspective on research, which is valued by universities and industry employers.
Scholarships to study PhDs are available for the following projects, which provide living stipends and fee offsets.
International and domestic applicants.
PhD
Neurological abnormalities are major and increasingly important contributors to the fatal disease burden.
The aim of this proposal is to develop a reliable, robust and real-time analysis system for automatic and accurate detection of neurological abnormalities and prediction of impending neurological problems from brain signal data.
This project should design novel algorithms for brain signal processing, data compression, detection and prediction of neurological abnormalities from massive brain signal data.
The success of this project will lead to significant improvement of existing methods in health monitoring applications in Australia and worldwide and hence will save lives, money and resources
Biomedical signal analysis and machine learning.
IP assignment (see above)
Australian Research Council (and in collaboration with Nexus Online Pty Ltd and La Trobe University).
$28,200 per annum
Preference given to domestic applicants (Australian or New Zealand citizens and Australian permanent residents).
PhD
This PhD scholarship will be of interest to health professionals with an interest in understanding the impact of any type of Diabetes (any) in pregnancy and those wishing to develop resources for pregnant women with Diabetes.
Projects addressing clients and populations with low health literacy are particularly invited.
Full training and support will be provided to the successful applicant.
Before commencing, the successful applicant will have to provide a current:
$28,200
International and domestic students. Preference given to domestic applicants.
PhD
This project aims to identify epigenetic and genomic biomarkers that predict the ageing processes in humans, and in doing so aims to contribute to knowledge on personalised health. Using intensified exercise training as a model we plan to discover specific epigenetic markers in skeletal muscle predictive of the rate of ageing.
This approach is essential for individual risk stratification, and the development of targeted and personalised prevention programs for the general population.
None
International and domestic applicants.
$27,600 per annum.
PhD
Outsourcing of data storage is increasingly common, but poses major problems for data security and confidentiality. One solution is to formally specify and manage data fragmentation with associations.
This project aims to discover how tuples in fragments can be grouped for producing loose associations so to increase the utility of queries executed over fragments.
It creates a framework to perform grouping and produce loose associations that satisfy information protection goals while achieving utility for queries over different fragments.
The project is also proposed to develop a minimal fragmentation model to validate loose association rules while minimising data leakage risks
Data security, data mining and programming.
IP assignment (see above).
Australian Research Council
$28,200 to $30,000 per annum, depending on successful applicant’s experience.
Available to international and domestic applicants.
PhD
This project is part of a large National Health and Medical Research Council funded study exploring the mechanisms of insulin resistance in peripheral tissues in women with PCOS.
The student involved in this study will be working within a dynamic team working across two sites in Melbourne where they will be analysing muscle and fat tissue (ex-vivo and in-vitro) mitochondrial function (respiration, ROS production) and content from the participants recruited into the FIREx study.
This work is part of an ongoing research aiming to unravel the elusive molecular mechanisms of PCOS-specific insulin resistance, contributing to the discovery of novel therapeutic targets.
The successful applicant will need to sign an Intellectual Property Assignment, assigning any intellectual property created in the PhD (except copyright in the thesis) to Victoria University.
NHMRC
$30,000 per annum
International and Domestic applicants
PhD
Approximately 25-30% of cow’s milk protein is ß-casein, which appears as several types, the most common being the A1- and A2 variants. Approximately 15% of the dairy herd in Ireland possess the genotype to produce the A1 milk variant, consumption of which has been linked to cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and neurological conditions in humans; however, the science supporting these links to date is still limited.
This 4-year study takes a two-pronged approach to understanding the importance of the ß-casein genotype to Ireland's breeding programme and dairy products produced.
Firstly, the A1/A2 ß-casein national genotype frequency will be established using genotype data captured from the national herd.
The second aspect of this project is to determine the impact of the A2 genotype on quality of milk and derived dairy products. Such products will include Cheddar cheese and skimmed milk powder for infant milk formulation and yoghurt. Technological and physical functionality as well in vitro physiological potential, using the INFOGEST protocol, of these products will consequently be established
Food Science, Nutrition, Agriculture or a related discipline.
Scholarship holder will spend up to 9 months of the first year of the PhD in Melbourne and the remaining time in Ireland.
$28,200
Domestic only
PhD
This project will investigate the role of exercise in altering cerebral blood flow, with a particular focus on developing ‘best practice’ exercise prescription for promoting beneficial changes in cerebral blood flow. Full training and support will be provided to the successful application.
Exercise Physiology, Hemodynamics (desirable)
IP Assignment
Victoria University is offering 10 Industry Supported Scholarships.
These scholarships relate to specific PhD projects agreed with our industry partners, who contribute at least half the funds for the stipends.
Stipends and fee offset are also supported through the Australian Government Research Training Program.
Successful applicants for these scholarships will need to sign an Intellectual Property (IP) Assignment, assigning any intellectual property created in the PhD (except copyright in the thesis) to Victoria University, so that we can meet our contractual obligations to our industry partners.
Some individual projects may have other special conditions, which will be made clear in the project details. Click on the projects below for information about the project, industry partner, supervisor stipend amount and other details.
Western Water
$28,200 per annum. After the first year, the candidate will also be eligible for a performance based attractive increment in the scholarship of total $25k distributed over the remaining 2.5 years of PhD.
Challenges facing the Victorian water corporations in maintaining safe and resilient water supplies, include population growth, aging infrastructure, customer expectations and climate change.
For this reason, the successful PhD applicant will work alongside academic and industry in developing an Intelligent Water Network Strategy & Action Plan. It will consist of water, sewer and recycled water network devices that provide intelligence, communication systems and digital metering that can ultimately enable cost-effective asset management investment decisions.
More specifically, algorithms will be developed to:
Defence Science and Technology Group
$28,200 per annum
There is considerable potential for assistive devices to augment strength, reduce physical and physiological workloads, and improve performance. Well-designed assistive devices should enhance and extend the operational lifecycle of military personnel.
In collaboration with defence research partners, the project will employ biomechanics-based concepts, including:
Biomechanical modelling will be used to estimate internal muscle and joint forces to assess body reactions due to wearing exoskeletons.
Biomechanics
Peninsula Hot Springs
$28,200 per annum
Hot springs and spas are a central component of the growing ‘wellness’ industry and one of the fastest growing sectors within the visitor economy.
In Victoria, the industry is expanding rapidly with and several new attractions are in the planning and development stages.
This research will investigate the wider social and environmental impacts of industry growth and the extent to which the growth aligns with wider regional development goals of building stronger, resilient communities and sustainable employment.
The research will be undertaken through the conduct of in-depth case studies of three hot springs and spa resorts in Victoria.
Tourism and destination management.
Omicron Technologies
$28,200 per annum
The intent of this research is to derive a machine learning (cognitive) self-learning algorithm which would enable accurate stock market trends predictions.
This will assist investors in making timely investment decisions. On the other-hand companies will be benefited by increasing shares investments due increased investor confidence. The outcome of this research will be scalable and could be applied to develop efficient Robotic processes that will be benefit different industries.
IP assignment (see above)
Victorian State Government.
Professor Bruce Mountain
$30,000 per annum
The Victoria Energy Policy Centre (VEPC) research program is focused on three areas:
Applications are invited for two PhD positions at VEPC to undertake research related to one VEPC’s focus areas.
IP assignment (see above).
FrieslandCampina
$28,200 per annum
Milk proteins play a crucial role in human nutrition and as transporter for minerals exemplified by presence of casein micelles in milk. These complex structures have large industrial importance.
Protein-mineral interactions are a key factor affecting casein micelle stability.
Qualitative and quantitative insights have gained into the association of minerals with caseins and their importance in the formation of casein micelles. However, a holistic mechanistic understanding of this area, in relation to both the physiology of lactation and protein functionality and stability in dairy products remains elusive.
This project aims to advance this field, with a primary focus on establishing and understanding the link between protein-mineral interactions and the stability and properties of milk proteins.
Food science (dairy science/technology, food chemistry, physical chemistry of foods) or similar.
IP assignment (see above)
Victoria University (Facilities)
Dr Cagil Ozansoy and Dr Wei Yang
$28,200 per annum
This PhD scholarship is for an industry project funded by Facilities Department at Victoria University.
The research will develop an integrated approach to optimise the operation of different mechanical and electrical systems in a building to maximise its energy efficiency and thermal comfort while ensuring the robustness of the operation.
Various mechanical/electrical system operation parameters will be considered, including temperature setpoint, night time setback, fan/pump start/stop schedule, lighting ON/OFF control, air flow rate, etc.
The outcomes of the research will improve the building operation performance and achieve additional energy savings, therefore creating benefits to VU and reducing VU's carbon footprint.
IP assignment (see above)
City West Water
$28,200 per annum
Victoria University (VU) and City West Water (CWW) have jointly developed this industry-partnered PhD project.
It is based on the growing interest from CWW trade-waste customers (TWCs) and the community to recover energy and nutrients from waste streams, which are currently diverted to sewers or transported to off-site facilities for safe disposal.
This is considered as a significant waste of valuable resources and a very expensive operation for TWCs to operate their businesses sustainably.
The selected candidate has to conduct a comprehensive literature review and a survey to develop a complete database showing the current practices of TWCs.
The candidate will research an anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) system treating industry wastewater to evaluate the potential of adopting the AnMBR as an effective pre-treatment technology
Civil/Chemical and/or Environmental Engineering.
IP assignment (see above)
CoHealth
Associate Professor Melinda Craike
$28,200 per annum
This project forms a core component of a new partnership between CoHealth, a community health service, and the Mitchell Institute.
The PhD project will focus on services provided to clients with high risk factors for both preventable chronic disease and for deterioration of established chronic disease, to establish a pathway to engagement in physical activity.
The PhD project will focus on either:
(i) the development of a physical activity program designed to meet the needs of CoHealth clients,
or (ii) the development of an implementation strategy that will effectively facilitate engagement of CoHealth services and staff.
Before commencing, the successful applicant will have to provide current:
Wyndham City Council, Melton City Council, Hume City Council
$28,200 per annum
This research addresses the impacts of climate change and natural hazards on asset management driven by the significant investment into these infrastructures together with the current population growth in Victoria.
The following phases will reference the strategic drivers at national and state levels:
Civil/Chemical and/or Environmental Engineering.
IP assignment (see above)
Victoria Univeristy has strong relationships with leading partners in sport who are offering stipend scholarships and stipend top-ups.
These opportunities not only offer a total stipend more than the normal RTP Stipend Scholarship, they offer an unparalleled opportunity to be based with an industry partner solving industry problems.
Associate Professor Sam Robertson
Domestic applicants only.
$34,500 per annum
Victoria University’s Institute for Health and Sport (iHeS), partnering with Western Bulldogs, is seeking applications for PhD projects for 2020.
Applicants are encouraged to put forward a project of interest as part of their submission.
The student would be primarily located at the Victoria University Whitten Oval campus, where in addition to their PhD study, they would gain experience in a variety of AFL support and match day functions.
Sport science, Australian football (desirable)
Sport scholarship stipend top-ups offer $12,000 per annum on top of the RTP Stipend Scholarship (Domestic or International) so scholarship holders will receive $40,200 per annum in 2020.
To apply for top-up stipends:
Associate Professor Sam Robertson
International and Domestic applicants.
$12,000 per annum top-up on normal RTP stipend scholarship (International or Domestic)
PhD
This project seeks a student with interest in augmented vision technologies, such as Virtual Reality, and an understanding of contemporary skill learning approaches.
Victoria University’s Institute for Health and Sport (IHES) is partnering with the Australian Football League (AFL) to offer three industry-based PhD student scholarships. The students will be primarily located at AFL House working within the Football Operations division, and specifically the Umpiring Team, where in addition to their PhD study, they would gain experience in a variety of AFL support and match day functions.
Skill acquisition, sport science, Australian football (desirable)
Associate Professor Sam Robertson
International and Domestic applicants.
$12,000 per annum top-up on normal RTP stipend scholarship (International or Domestic)
PhD
This project will seek to understand the variety of factors that influence umpire performance and in turn how such information can be used to enhance umpire performance. This projects seeks a student with a strong interest in data analytics.
Victoria University’s Institute for Health and Sport (iHeS) is partnering with the Australian Football League (AFL) to offer three industry-based PhD student scholarships. The students will be primarily located at AFL House working within the Football Operations division, and specifically the Umpiring Team, where in addition to their PhD study, they would gain experience in a variety of AFL support and match day functions .
Statistics, data scieince, sport science, Australian football (desirable)
Associate Professor Sam Robertson
International and Domestic applicants.
$12,000 per annum top-up on normal RTP stipend scholarship (International or Domestic)
PhD
This project will develop new metrics for umpire performance that consider physical and cognitive factors. This project would suit a student with experience in using physical performance data capture tools such as GPS and a broader understanding of skill and psychological influences on performance.
Victoria University’s Institute for Health and Sport (iHeS) is partnering with the Australian Football League (AFL) to offer three industry-based PhD student scholarships. The students will be primarily located at AFL House working within the Football Operations division, and specifically the Umpiring Team, where in addition to their PhD study, they would gain experience in a variety of AFL support and match day functions.
Sport science, global positioning systems (GPS), Australian football (desirable)
Associate Professor Sam Robertson
International and Domestic applicants.
$12,000 per annum top-up on normal RTP stipend scholarship (International or Domestic)
PhD
This project aims to develop a working model to detect anomalies in player behaviour of players competing in high-level tennis. The project will utilise a range of different data types including player tracking and match event data. It is anticipated that the developed model will have applications in monitoring the integrity of on-court competition.
Statistics, sport science, machine learning (desirable), tennis (desirable)
Associate Professor Sam Robertson
International and Domestic applicants.
$12,000 per annum top-up on normal RTP stipend scholarship (International or Domestic)
PhD
This project aims to develop models to predict outcomes in competitive tennis match play. The project will utilise various data sources available to high-level tennis, such as player and ball tracking as well as match event data. It is anticipated that several separate models will be developed to predict shot, point and match outcomes.
Statistics, sport science, machine learning (desirable), tennis (desirable)
Before applying you should read the VU Industry Supported Scholarships Guide to Applicants 2020.
Applications will be open from Thursday 1 August until Thursday 31 October (AEDT).
The application form is available at https://vu.smartygrants.com.au/RTP2020
Carefully read the application guides and review the online application form for details of what is sought for each project. Discuss the project with the listed supervisor and ensure they complete and send the Proposed Supervisor Form to the Research Scholarships Team.
The online application form lists the documents you will need to submit. Normally this will be:
If you have any questions please email researchscholarships@vu.edu.au.
