The Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment (HIE) 2025 Graduate Research Scholarship

The Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment (HIE) is offering a research scholarship to a highly motivated PhD Candidate to work within a research team investigating biological control options against Australia’s most significant horticultural pest, Queensland fruit fly, and other Australian pest fruit fly species. The project is co-funded by industry partners and Western Sydney University.

Strepsiptera or twisted-wing parasitoids are unusual insects with peculiar morphology and life cycles. Australian tephritid fruit fly species are host of a strepsipteran species. Our team has recently developed molecular diagnostic tools for this species and highlighted that strepsipteran parasitisation of fruit fly is higher than previously anticipated. This project will investigate the biology of this strepsipteran, its interaction with fruit flies, its environmental requirements as well as its impact on fruit fly populations.

• Table of Content
• About Western Sydney University
• Graduate Research Scholarship
• Aim and Benefits of Graduate Research Scholarship
• Requirements for Graduate Research Scholarship Qualification
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

Graduate Research Scholarship

Aim and Benefits of Graduate Research Scholarship

• Domestic candidates will receive a tax-free stipend of $33,512 (AUD) per annum for up to 3 years to support living costs, supported by the Research Training Program (RTP) Fee Offset.
• Support for conference attendance, fieldwork and additional costs as approved by the Institute.

Requirements for Graduate Research Scholarship Qualification

We welcome applicants from a range of backgrounds, who are keen to apply their skills to the development of biological control in fruit fly management. In particular, the project is suitable for candidates with strong interests in entomology, host-parasite interactions, insect molecular biology and biological control.

The successful applicant should:

• hold qualifications and experience equal to one of the following (i) an Australian First Class Bachelor (Honours) degree, (ii) coursework Masters with at least 25% research component, (iii) Research Master’s degree, or (iv) equivalent overseas qualifications.
• demonstrate strong academic performance in subjects relevant to entomology, hostparasite interactions, insect molecular biology and/or biological control.
• have experience with insect rearing, insect life-history experiments in lab/field environments and/or molecular techniques.
• be willing to learn experimental and analytical techniques applicable to parasitoid biology, host parasite interactions and biological control.
• be enthusiastic and highly motivated to undertake further study at an advanced level.

Application Deadline

How to Apply

1. Review the project’s eligibility criteria. You will need to provide in your application a document which explains how you satisfy the projects eligibility criteria.
2. Contact the lead researcher listed to discuss your eligibility, the project’s requirements and your intention to apply. You should email them to introduce yourself, describe your qualifications and experience, and express your interest in their research project. If they are interested, you may want to arrange a phone call, video call or meeting to discuss your application. You will need to request a letter of support from the lead researcher to support your application for the scholarship.
3. Submit an online application for the project by logging into the Online Portal and selecting 'Project Scholarship'. Note: You do not need to submit an application for Doctor of Philosophy or Research Scholarship.

Incomplete applications or applications that do not conform to the above requirements will not be considered.

For more details, visit Western Sydney University Scholarship webpage