Industry and project-specific scholarships

Federation University is pleased to partner with Silverchain, a large national aged care provider, with a strong focus on mental health and wellbeing, to offer an industry co-funded PhD scholarship in “Addressing Loneliness Among In-home Aged Care Clients”.

The PhD student will work with an expert team of researchers and the project will be co-supervised by researchers at Silverchain, and embedded into the organisation, to ensure solutions are feasible for implementation.

Scholarship details

Stipend: $ 35,000 per annum
Top-Up: $ 10,000 per annum
Project support: $3000 per annum for three years
Conference support: $ 2,000
RTP Fee-offset Scholarship / Tuition Fee Scholarship: $ 32,040 per annum
Funding length: 3.5 years
Location: Mt Helen and Berwick

Eligibility

Scholarship applicants must be eligible to undertake a PhD. Verify you can meet eligibility requirements outlined on the Graduate Research School website. If you are applying for ‘Honours equivalence,’ please ensure that you provide detailed information to support your case.

• Students are expected to commit to full-time study for the duration of their candidature.
• Scholarships are for a period of three- and one-half years and extension to scholarships will not be granted.
• Successful scholarship applicants must study on campus or on location with the industry partner.
• Successful scholarship applicants must participate in an internship period.
• Successful scholarship applicants must complete and agree to a Student Deed Poll.

View the general conditions for Federation University HDR scholarships on the Graduate Research School website. Where these conditions differ to those on this form, the conditions outlined for this specific scholarship take precedence.

Applications will be accepted from Australian residents, permanent residents, and international applicants.

Prior to submitting an application Applicants should contact Professor Colette Browning c.browning@federation.edu.au.

Application closing date: 4 August 2025

How to apply: Applicants must submit their application with all necessary documents by completing the HDR Candidature application

Commencement date: October 2025

Research project details

Older people in the community commonly experience loneliness, as well as mental health symptoms such as depression and anxiety. There has been a rapid growth in the number of Australians who receive aged care funding to enable them to remain living independently at home. Many of these older people are living with multiple medical conditions, as well as functional and cognitive decline. Their complex needs and social isolation mean this population is at a high risk of loneliness. While there is increasing awareness of the problem of loneliness in general, the specific needs of the in-home aged care population have received little attention from researchers and policy makers to date.

This project will address the significant gap in knowledge about loneliness among older people who receive aged care at home through a series of studies. The overall aim of the project will be to find innovative solutions to improve the quality of life of older Australians that can be implemented widely across the aged care system.

Industry Partner and Student Host: This industry PhD will be based jointly at Federation University and Silverchain – one of Australia’s largest in-home aged care providers. Silverchain is a not-for-profit organisation, which provides health and aged care services to more than 140,000 clients in their own homes each year. Silverchain invests directly in research and innovation, with findings from research rapidly translated to improved care outcomes. The PhD candidate will be embedded into an existing research program focusing on innovative approaches to improve the mental health and wellbeing of older people receiving care at home.

For more information about Silverchain, refer to the website: Silverchain - The best care, home delivered.

Supervisors:

Principal Supervisor: Distinguished Professor Colette Browning is a recognised leader in psychology and health, having held leadership positions within the academy and Australian and international health systems. Colette holds an Honorary Professorships at Peking University and is a Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society. She has international research and policy expertise in ageing, primary care, behaviour change and implementation research. Her research focuses on healthy ageing, chronic disease management, mental health and consumer involvement in health care decision-making. Colette has over 275 publications and has held research grants to the value of $30 million and is ranked in the top 0.1% globally of all psychology researchers.

Colette leads the FedUni Health Innovation and Transformation Centre’s Population Health research stream.

See Professor Colette Browning’s profile page for more information.

Associate and Co-Supervisors: Adjunct Professor Tanya Davison, Dr Marissa Dickins

Adjunct Professor Tanya Davison is Director, Research Discovery at Silverchain, and holds an honorary appointment at Federation University. Tanya is a clinical psychologist with a long track record in aged mental health research. She has a particular interest in designing interventions for the aged care sector to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of older adults. Tanya has over 125 publications and has received over $11 million to support her research.

Dr Marissa Dickins is Senior Research Fellow at Silverchain, and holds an honorary appointment at Federation University. Marissa has expertise in both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, and a strong interest in the mental health of older adults. Marissa has worked embedded within in-home aged care providers for the last 9 years, and has extensive experience designing and implementing interventions in this context. Marissa has over 35 publications and has received over $3 million to support her research.

Federation University is pleased to partner with St John of God Berwick Hospital to offer PhD scholarships for nurses, midwives and other allied healthcare professionals who have an interest in conducting research relevant to their field.

Scholarship details

Stipend: $40,000 per annum
Project support: between $6,000-$ 9,000 depending on project
RTP Fee-offset Scholarship / Tuition Fee Scholarship: up to $26,800 per annum
Funding length: 3 years (only, no extensions permitted)
Location: Berwick, Victoria
Program Code: NU0 - Doctor of Philosophy (Nursing)

Eligibility

Scholarship applicants must be eligible to undertake a PhD. Verify you can meet eligibility requirements outlined on the Graduate Research School website. If you are applying for ‘Honours equivalence,’ please ensure that you provide detailed information to support your case.

Applicants must be an Australian resident or permanent resident.

Preference will be given to applicants with a registered nursing or midwifery background.

Applicants should contact Associate Professor Mimmie Watts Phone: 03 5327 9750 or email: mc.watts@federation.edu.au prior to submitting an application.

Application closing date:  Open until scholarship is filled

Previous applicants do not need to apply again.

How to apply: Applicants must submit their application with all necessary documents by completing the HDR Candidature application form.

Commencement date: as soon as possible

Research Fields:

• Midwifery & Maternity Care
• Workforce Models of Care
• Digital and Mental Health Care
• Public Health and Allied Health Care

Federation University is pleased to partner with The Rural Foundation to offer a Masters by Research scholarship in Social Science & Education.

Scholarship details

Stipend: $38,000 tax free per annum for 1.5 years (paid fortnightly)
Project support: $2,000 (over 1.5 years)
RTP Fee-offset Scholarship: $38,000 per annum
Funding length: 1.5 years
Location: Wimmera or Ararat campus (determined by agreement)

Eligibility

Scholarship applicants must be eligible to undertake Masters study. Verify you can meet eligibility requirements outlined on the Graduate Research School website. If you are applying for ‘Honours equivalence,’ please ensure that you provide detailed information to support your case.

Selection Criteria:

Honours or honours equivalence in a related field. Working knowledge or experience in working with youth in school or industry setting. Ability to engage with and analyse survey data.

Applications will be accepted from Australian residents and permanent residents.

Applicants should contact Dr Cathy Tischler [c.tischler@federation.edu.au] prior to submitting an application.

Application closing date: Friday 25^th July.

How to apply: Applicants must submit their application with all necessary documents by completing the HDR Candidature application

Commencement date: 22^nd September 2025, (or by negotiation).

Research project details

Project title:

Peer-led mentoring for rural students in their transition from school to work or study: understanding the rural difference in opportunity and access.

This project is a co-funded, co-designed and co-supervised PhD supporting outcomes for rural students moving from school to work, study or University. The project will be hosted at the Horsham Research Hub (Wimmera Campus), or Ararat Jobs and Technology Precinct.

1. Co-Design: The research project is a tripartite cooperation with the YouThrive Victoria team (The Rural Foundation), the research candidate, and the Future Regions Research Centre at Federation University.  Research design will include defining the research question(s), project scope, methodologies and approaches central to research to practice outcomes for the PhD as well as the resources required for the project.
2. Co-supervision: YouThrive, CEO, Mr Andrew McGuckian will be an industry supervisor for the project. The project will have strong support from the organisation and will support collection of data from within existing programs.

YouThrive Victoria conducts a Branch Out Mentoring (BOM) Program for secondary schools in rural Victoria. This program is focused on providing peer-led mentoring support for year 12 students as they transition from secondary school to university, training/apprenticeships and/or work. The program acknowledges that the end of Year 12 is a time of significant transition for rural students, who may need to move away from home, or may be limited by personal and parental/caregiver resources in the options and opportunities they can engage with.

This research will support the development of an evidence base around the experiences of rural students, the unique challenges of being rural in facing these transitions from school to work or study, and consider the value of the program (BOM) in supporting confidence, aspiration and opportunity for students navigating this change. The research will explore issues of transition and build an evidence-based approach for peer-led engagement supporting knowledge transfer about transition experiences, opportunities and outcomes.

Objectives:

1. Provide comprehensive theoretical and evidence base for peer-led support and

intervention in knowledge building to support rural students transition from school to

university/work/training

2. Collecting and utilising qualitative data to assess program impact (BOM)

3. Provide comprehensive thesis outlining challenges and opportunities for rural students

in transition and appropriate supporting interventions.

Industry Partner and Student Host: Mr Andrew McGuckian - CEO, YouThrive Victoria

Supervisors:

Principal Supervisor: Professor Keir Reeves

Co Director, Future Regions Research Centre

Associate Supervisor: Dr Cathy Tischler

Research Fellow & Team Lead, Future Regions Research Centre Horsham Research Hub.