Scholarship details
Study levels
Research and PhD
Student type
Future students and Current students
Study area
Science
Eligibility criteria
Academic performance
Citizenship
Australian, Australian or New Zealand and International
Application dates
- Applications close
- 15 July 2026
What you'll receive
- You'll receive a stipend of $37,010 per annum for a maximum duration of 3.5 years while undertaking a QUT PhD. The duration includes an extension of up to six months if approved for your candidature. This is the full-time, tax exempt rate which will index annually.
- You will receive a tuition fee offset/sponsorship, covering the cost of your tuition fees for the first four full-time equivalent years of your doctoral studies.
- As the scholarship recipient, you will have the opportunity to work with a team of leading researchers, to undertake your own innovative research in and across the field.
- During this project, you need to work in domestic and international institutions such as Australia's Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO). While we would encourage you to apply for their institutional grants, the fund can only be used for non-stipend purpose (e.g. experimental consumables, travel grant, and open-access publication charge).
Eligibility
You need to meet the entry requirements for QUT's Doctor of Philosophy, including any English language requirements.
You must:
- enrol as a full-time, internal student (unless approval for part-time and/or external study is obtained)
- commence your degree by 1 Oct 2026
- have an honours or master degree in one of these areas:
- physics
- inorganic chemistry
- materials science and engineering.
First-authored publications on refereed journals is a bonus.
How to apply
- Apply for this scholarship at the same time you apply for admission to QUT's Doctor of Philosophy.
- The first step is to email Dr Meng Li, detailing your academic and research background, your motivation to research in this field and interest in this scholarship, and include your CV.
- If supported to apply, you will then submit an expression of interest (EOI) following the advice at how to apply for a research degree.
- In your EOI, nominate Dr Meng Li, as your proposed principal supervisor, and copy the link to this scholarship web page into question two of the financial details section.
About the scholarship
This PhD project will investigate the thermal properties of crystalline materials, with a particular focus on the study of phonon eigenvalues and transport properties using computational methods (density-functional theory, molecular dynamics, and finite-element simulation). It predicts the intrinsic phononic features of functional materials for energy conversion and inspires how to manipulate thermal properties toward better performance. The computation-driven results will be verified experimentally in QUT’s laboratories and the Australia's Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO).
The successful candidate will work within the Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) project 'Advancing meta-thermoelectrics through dual-channel phonon engineering'. The PhD will be supervised by Dr Meng Li and based at the School of Chemistry and Physics at QUT. The candidate will join a vibrant interdisciplinary research environment and have opportunities to engage with national and international collaborators, develop advanced mixed-methods skills (including fundamental, computational, and AI-assisted analysis), and embark on industry engagement.