Scholarship details

Study levels

PhD

Student type

Future students and Current students

Study area

Health, Health and community, Law and Law and justice

Eligibility criteria

Academic performance

Citizenship

Australian, Australian or New Zealand and International

Application dates

Applications close
31 August 2025

What you'll receive

You'll receive a scholarship, tax exempt and indexed annually, of $37,010 (2026 rate) per annum for a period of three years.

You will also receive either:

  • an Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) fees offset
  • a QUT research degree (HDR) tuition fee scholarship.

As the scholarship recipient, you will have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact in the area of end-of-life law while collaborating with leading researchers and key stakeholders.

Eligibility

To apply for this scholarship, you must meet the entry requirements for a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) at QUT, including any English language requirements for international students.

You must also enrol as a full-time, internal student.

Applicants will be assessed against the Faculty of Business and Law’s scholarship criteria, namely:

Criteria 1:
Academic excellence exceeding the minimum required for entry.
Criteria 2:
Research or professional experience reflecting outstanding research skills and/or high-quality publications.
Criteria 3:
Quality of research proposal (in this instance because the PhDs are aligned with an existing project, the focus will be on ability and experience to undertake a PhD in the broad project field).
Criteria 4:
Strategic alignment with centre research strengths and priorities (in this instance, alignment will be assessed with the broad project field).

Additionally, experience in quantitative and/or qualitative research is preferred.

The project is interdisciplinary and therefore, applications are welcome from a range of disciplines, including:

  • law
  • regulation
  • social sciences
  • bioethics
  • health services
  • health/public policy
  • other relevant disciplines.

Some grounding in law and/or regulation is desirable.

How to apply

You must submit an expression of interest (EOI) for consideration to apply or this scholarship.

How to apply for a research degree

To be considered for this scholarship, you must:

  • nominate Prof Ben White as your principal supervisor
  • in the financial details section, enter the details of this scholarship at question two.

If your expression of interest is accepted you will be invited to submit a full application including a research proposal aligned to the scholarship project to finalise your application. You must be accepted into QUT’s Doctor of Philosophy program to receive this scholarship.

What happens next?

Successful applicants will be contacted directly.

Contact Prof Ben White with any questions about the project, or hdr@qut.edu.au with any questions about the application process.

About the scholarship

QUT is offering two PhD scholarships as part of an Australian Research Council Linkage Project. The project will undertake the first comprehensive analysis of how Australian VAD systems are being implemented and are operating in practice. The project will provide impactful and tangible solutions for practice, policy, and law reform to solve real-world challenges in the operation of VAD and be of wide-ranging national benefit. These scholarships present a fantastic opportunity for individuals aiming to make a meaningful impact in the area of end-of-life law while collaborating with leading researchers and key stakeholders.

The PhD candidates will be part of the Australian Centre for Health Law Research. The centre is Australia’s largest group of health law researchers. We conduct interdisciplinary and innovative research at the intersection of law, health, ethics, and policy. We aim to generate new knowledge to inform reforms to law, policy and practice. The centre offers a vibrant research culture and a strong focus on collaborative interdisciplinary projects in cutting-edge areas of health law research.

The two PhD positions are linked to an Australian Research Council Linkage Project, and you would work with the project’s chief investigators (Professors Ben White and Lindy Willmott, and Dr Rachel Feeney) and collaborate with the project's seven partner organisations (state health departments and VAD Boards). Our supervisory approach emphasises good communication, supervisory teams with a combination of relevant experience, expertise and skills, and a supportive and inclusive research culture where our students are encouraged to participate in Centre activities and events.

The project is interdisciplinary. Although based at the QUT School of Law, applications are welcome from other disciplines including regulation, social science, bioethics, health services, health/public policy and other relevant disciplines.

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