• Amount: $28,092 Per annum, for three and a half years. Fee relief additional.
• Who is it for: Future PhD candidates
• Where is it available: Bundoora, Melbourne and Offshore
• How is it paid: Fortnightly stipend

Background

La Trobe University is offering up to three graduate research scholarships for students to undertake a joint PhD with Sheffield Hallam University, UK.

Students undertaking the joint PhD program will be enrolled in a PhD at both institutions. Your supervisory team will comprise of academic staff from both institutions who will provide support and guidance throughout your research.

You will begin your studies at La Trobe University where you will spend the majority of your time, but with an expectation that you will spend typically 12 months at Sheffield Hallam University. Travel to and study at the host institution will be subject to the usual immigration requirements.

On successful completion of the program requirements, you will be awarded a PhD jointly by both institutions.

There are five joint PhD projects available to applicants, one of which is a comparative study of community influence on alcohol licensing in Australia and the UK. This project is offered by La Trobe University’s Centre for Alcohol Policy Research and the Department of Psychology, Sociology and Politics at Sheffield Hallam University. For this project we are seeking an outstanding applicant with a strong track record of academic excellence in public health, social policy or other social science disciplines.

This Scholarship is available to Australian or New Zealand citizens or Australian Permanent Residents only.

About the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research (CAPR), La Trobe University

CAPR is an innovative, multi-disciplinary world-class research facility at the forefront of alcohol research. Our research is used to promote and inform the development of evidence-based, effective alcohol policy in Australia and internationally. Our team of established and emerging experts, both in alcohol and related fields and research methods, offers doctoral students the opportunity to develop and maximise their skills, networks and careers.

About the Department of Psychology, Sociology and Politics, Sheffield Hallam University (SHU)

Sheffield Hallam’s Department of Psychology, Sociology and Politics offers a multi-disciplinary and varied research environment, with research degree students and academics working across health, wellbeing, and policy fields, among others. Strong cross-centre collaborations within SHU provide doctoral students access to other research centres/groups, which have relevance for the focus of this PhD, including the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research, the Sheffield Institute for Policy Studies and the Culture, Health, Environment, Food and Society research cluster.

About the Project

The availability and accessibility of alcohol have substantial impacts on the health and wellbeing of populations. Alcohol availability is regulated by licensing laws in Australia and the UK, intended to support local economic and cultural interests but also to protect populations from alcohol-related crime and other health and social harms. The Project aims to generate important new knowledge on how the unique licensing legislation, policy, social and historical contexts in the UK and Australia shape opportunities for community involvement in, and potential influence over, alcohol licensing decisions. For example, the Project will investigate how ‘top-down’ or ‘bottom-up’ mechanisms might shape who in the community becomes involved in each context, and therefore whose voices are (and are not) heard when alcohol licensing decisions are made. This has implications for the health and social inequalities faced by some disadvantaged groups in relation to alcohol harms.

This PhD research is an opportunity for a comparative case study of examples of community involvement in alcohol licensing processes, to understand more about how communities can be supported to help limit the health and social harms from alcohol in their local areas.

The Project reflects the supervisory team’s shared research interests in local and regional alcohol policy, and its relationship with health. More specifically, there is shared interest in the role of alcohol licensing in reducing health and social harms, and in mechanisms and impacts of community engagement in decision-making. The supervisors for this Project are Prof Emmanuel Kuntsche, Dr Claire Wilkinson (La Trobe); Dr Joanna Reynolds, Prof. Paul Hickman (Sheffield Hallam).

Benefits of the Scholarship include:

• a stipend for up to three and a half (3.5) years, with a value of $28,092 per annum (2020 rate)
• a Research Training Program (RTP) - Fees Offset scholarship covering tuition fees for up to four (4) years
• a travel allowance to assist with travel between Melbourne and Sheffield and personal expenses while resident in the UK
• relocation allowance and publication/thesis allowance or RTP allowance
• opportunities to work with outstanding researchers at La Trobe and Sheffield Hallam universities, and have access to our suite of professional development programs

Are you eligible to apply?

To be eligible to apply for this scholarship, applicants must have:

• an Australian Masters by research degree in a relevant discipline completed within the last ten years assessed at a La Trobe Masters by research standard of 70 or above; OR
• an Australian Bachelors (Honours) degree, Masters by coursework or ungraded Masters by research degree completed within the last ten years where you achieved a weighted average mark of 70 or above across any coursework subjects;

AND any of the following assessed at a La Trobe Masters by research standard of 70 or above:

• • a research thesis of approximately 15,000-20,000 words; or
  • the degree includes a written research component comprising at least 3/8 of one year; or
  • you are the lead author of a peer-reviewed publication or other research published within the last ten years.
• not be receiving another scholarship greater than 75 per cent of the stipend rate for the same purpose
• be an Australian or New Zealand citizen or Australian permanent resident.

Contact name and email

For further information, please contact: Dr Claire Wilkinson at [email protected] using the subject line: PhD Research Scholarship – Community involvement liquor licensing enquiry via Ethical Jobs.