Regional Mental Health PhD Scholarships
About the Scholarships
The University of New England is offering one Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander PhD scholarship in 2024 to explore the mental health needs of Regional Australians. In collaboration with the Manna Institute, a regional mental health virtual institute. A 3 year and six month PhD Scholarship will be awarded to a successful candidate to join the Manna Institute in engaging in research projects under the following thematic areas of importance to regional mental health. Candidates must develop a project that aligns with one of four Manna Institute Research Collaboratives, described below.
Research collaborative 1 – Existing and Emerging Mental Health Workforce. Projects in this collaborative will focus on ways to support current workforce needs in regional Australia to strengthen future awareness of how to attract and retain workers. At the core of this research collaborative is inclusivity, through collaboration with both the professional and peer workforces across community health, allied health and policy and service delivery staff.
Research collaborative 2 - Individuals’ Health and Wellbeing. Projects in this collaborative will focus on the psycho-social-behavioural factors that impact individual health and well-being in regional and rural Australia across their lifespan.
Research collaborative 3 – Priority Populations. Projects in this collaborative will focus on population groups across the lifespan and encompass the expertise and interest areas of current and future Manna Institute researchers, industry and community partners, and high-risk priority groups in regional, rural, and remote Australia. This may include projects which focus on early childhood, school-aged children, parental/perinatal mental health, mid-aged men and women, older adult mental health, and diverse populations including indigenous groups, CALD, LGBTQI+ and those at high risk of mental ill-health.
Research collaborative 4 - The Impact of Changing Environmental Conditions on Mental Health. The natural world has an enormous impact on mental health and well-being. Opportunities to interact with nature can reduce mental illness and facilitate optimum mental well-being. Projects in this collaborative will focus those that consider direct and indirect impacts of the changing climate on rural, regional and remote communities.
Scholarship Information
The scholarship value AU$41,849 (2024 rate) per annum tax-free, with course fee waivers for domestic students. Scholarships are tax exempt and paid in fortnightly installments. First Nations students will further receive a $4,000 research fund over the life of their project.
Domestic students, as well as those with experience of working or living in regional communities are also encouraged to apply, as are applicants with lived experience of mental health.
Selection will also depend on the applicant’s ability to meet the following desired criteria:
- Enroll full-time however candidates can be on campus or remote from the campus.
- Able and willing to work in a research team environment.
- Integrate and contribute to the research team.
- Work or research experience in regional, remote, and rural locations in Australia
Please see the scholarship terms and conditions for more information.
Applications
Applicants must meet UNE’s admission requirements for a PhD program. Further information regarding entry requirements can be found on our web page.
To apply for this scholarship, applicants must complete and submit a candidature application, and all required supporting documentation. For more information on submitting a candidature application please see our web page on how to apply/enrol for candidature.
Applicants are not required to provide a full research proposal but must provide a letter of intent, including an outline of the proposed project and the research collaborative (as above) their proposed project is aligned with, and a current CV/Resume with their application.
Enquiries
For further information (including supervision advice) please contact Manna Institute Director Professor Myfanwy Maple mmaple2@une.edu.au or Dr Sarah Wayland swaylan2@une.edu.au
Scholarship ID: S22-10
