University of New England 2022 Academic Freedom Supporting Science and the Public Good Scholarship for PhD

The School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at the University of New England, Armidale NSW, is offering a unique and exciting opportunity for a motivated Domestic PhD candidate.

The PhD scholar will initiate and conduct research into academic freedom and evaluation of university academic freedom policies for their capacity to support and promote academic freedom. The project will investigate whether academic freedom policies deliver their desired outcomes for researchers, research and - ultimately - for Australian society.

In particular, the successful candidate will focus their research on evaluating the ability of academic freedom and related policies to ensure that science is free from suppression, especially in relation to high profile and often also contentious environmental topics including climate change, biodiversity loss and natural resource management.  The evaluation will be based on evidence-based criteria, empirical survey and comparative analysis, as well as review of documented instances of suppression internationally, and also take into account the operating and funding environment for research.

The position is an exciting opportunity to contribute to scholarship in a topical area of enduring concern. Academic freedom in science is essential for knowledge generation and communication, development of sound public policy, and achievement of public good outcomes.

The project is supported by the University of New England, in collaboration with the Ecological Society of Australia and Deakin University. The project is based at UNE in Armidale and includes a three-year targeted domestic stipend scholarship funded by the University of New England, with top-up funding from the Ecological Society of Australia.  The project will be supervised by 'legal geographer' Professor Robyn Bartel at UNE, with co-supervision from ecologist Professor Don Driscoll at Deakin University.

• Table of Content
• About University Of New England
• University of New England PhD Scholarship
• Aim and Benefits of University of New England PhD Scholarship
• Requirements for University of New England PhD Scholarship Qualification
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About University Of New England

The University of New England (UNE) is a public university in Australia with approximately 21,000 higher education students. Its original and main campus is located in the city of Armidale in northern central New South Wales.

University of New England PhD Scholarship

Aim and Benefits of University of New England PhD Scholarship

The University of New England will provide the selected candidates with a scholarship worth AU$30,000 per annum tax-free paid in fortnightly instalments with an additional $5,000 top-up per annum for up to 3.5 years of study.

Requirements for University of New England PhD Scholarship Qualification

• Students can apply to undertake a PhD degree programme at the School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at the University of New England.
•  To be eligible, the applicants must meet all the following/given criteria:
• The applicants must have experience in conducting data collection and analysis.
• The applicants must have the capacity to work professionally, and collaboratively and meet deadlines.
• The applicants must be interested in natural history and conservation.
• The applicants must have strong written and oral communication skills.

Application Deadline

How to Apply

To apply for this scholarship, applicants must complete and submit a candidature and scholarship application. All required supporting documentation as mentioned in the application form including the following:

• Include in your application a brief cover letter and a CV;
• Address the selection criteria above in no more than three pages;
• Write up to half an additional page (up to 300 words) describing your ideas for exploring the problem of suppression of academic freedom in ecological, environmental, biodiversity and/or climate-change-related research (any citations may be included in addition to the half page).

For more information on submitting a candidature application please see our web page on how to apply/enrol for candidature.