Dual-award between The University of Manchester and The University of Melbourne

This project will be based at The University of Manchester with 12 months spent at the University of Melbourne.

Project description:

We invite an enthusiastic researcher to join our dynamic and interdisciplinary team exploring the sustainability of plastics and additives in sustainable systems. The PhD studentship will be based in the Sustainable Materials Innovation Hub at The University of Manchester under the supervision of Prof Michael Shaver. In collaboration with the University of Melbourne, the project will explore the intersectoral transitions of plastic materials to enable more sustainable use of recyclate. The studentship seeks to understand and exploit these variations to optimise process controls and recycling outcomes to improve the quality of recycled product and to ensure this quality matches the requirements of target sectors. Using a suite of analytical tools to explore the degradation of recycled materials to quantify outcomes and new additives to improve the recycling of plastics, the project will provide fundamental insights into the variability of mechanical recycling and improve plastics circularity.

In collaboration with the Sustainable Manufacturing and Life Cycle Engineering research group, led by Associate Professor Wen Li at the University of Melbourne, we will additionally use life cycle engineering tools to assess the efficiency and impact of these proposed intersectoral transitions to define decisions that offer the greatest economic and environmental impact. The research emphasises a holistic view of material flows, revealing unintended consequences through advanced quantitative modelling techniques, such as dynamic material flow analysis. In addition, Melbourne’s TrACEEs platform, managed by Dr Alex Duan, will offer access to further experiments with Australian relevant case studies, such as food packaging.

From this knowledge, additive packages will be designed to enable preferred transitions, with specific pilot trials aiming to exemplify the potential to safely and sustainably develop product-level circular economies. The project will involve research in both countries, and so a willingness and ability to travel is essential to build a productive interdisciplinary collaboration. 

Supervisory team

We advise that you speak to the supervisory team before applying for this project: 

• Prof Michael Shaver, University of Manchester (email: michael.shaver@manchester.ac.uk)
• Associate Professor Wen Li, University of Melbourne (email: wen.li3@unimelb.edu.au)

Apply:

• Find out more and apply now

This project will be based at the University of Melbourne with 12 months spent at The University of Manchester.

Project description:

We invite an ambitious and motivated researcher to join our dynamic team, pushing the frontiers of the circular economy and sustainability. The Sustainable Manufacturing and Life Cycle Engineering research group, led by Associate Professor Wen Li at the University of Melbourne, is pioneering the use of life cycle engineering tools to assess the efficiency and impact of strategies aimed at advancing sustainability and the circular economy. Our research emphasises a holistic view of material flows, revealing unintended consequences through advanced quantitative modelling techniques, such as dynamic material flow analysis. 
 
With escalating concerns over plastic waste at both local and global levels, this PhD project will explore the potential of intersectoral transitions for plastic waste, in collaboration with Professor Michael Shaver from The University of Manchester. The project will investigate the environmental risks and benefits of different plastic recycling and transition pathways while examining the interrelationships of diverse sectors such as packaging, automotive, healthcare, and construction. By developing an integrated framework and applying it to case studies in both Australia and the UK, this project will inform design decisions and optimise the circular plastic value chain, providing valuable insights for policymakers in shaping a more sustainable future. The project will involve research in both countries; therefore, a willingness and ability to travel is essential to build a productive interdisciplinary collaboration. 

Supervisory team:

We advise that you speak to the supervisory team before applying for this project: 

• Associate Professor Wen Li, University of Melbourne (email: wen.li3@unimelb.edu.au)
• Prof Michael Shaver, University of Manchester (email: michael.shaver@manchester.ac.uk)

Apply:

• Find out more and apply now

This Project will be based at The University of Manchester with 12 months spent at The University of Melbourne.

Project description:

The future of computing and communication(s) will depend on light.

Photonic technologies – devices that use light instead of electricity to process and transmit information – promise faster speeds, lower power consumption, and new possibilities for encryption using quantum enabled communication. Silicon photonics (Si-Ph) is the established backbone of short-range data centre telecoms infrastructure, and will almost certainly feature in any future, scalable quantum computing architecture. However, new (hybrid) platforms, that combine novel materials with the Si-Ph platform are needed to deliver the next generation of photonics-enabled technologies.

This project will combine 2D materials – atomically thin crystals that can be engineered layer by layer, with the well-established silicon (Si) and/or silicon nitride (SiN) photonic integrated circuit (PIC) to deliver scalable hybrid platform(s) with unique optical and electronic properties not found in conventional bulk materials. Certain 2D materials, such as indium selenide (InSe), exhibit exceptionally strong nonlinear optical responses, meaning they can change the frequency, phase, or intensity of light in a controllable way. When integrated with Si-Ph, these materials could enable powerful new functionalities for both on-chip nonlinear optics and quantum photonics.

The project aims to design, fabricate, and test these hybrid photonic devices, harnessing the nonlinear properties of InSe (and related 2D materials) for applications such as frequency conversion, ultrafast optical switching, and generation of quantum light (e.g., single photons and entangled photon pairs). By bringing together expertise from The University of Manchester (UK) and the University of Melbourne (Australia), this project bridges the fields of materials science, physics and integrated photonic engineering. The project will suit a motivated candidate with a background in physics, electrical engineering, materials science, or nanotechnology, and who would like to work at the intersection of advanced materials and photonic devices.

The researcher will gain hands-on experience in optical simulation, nanofabrication, and nonlinear optical measurements, along with opportunities to publish in high-impact journals and engage with an international research community. By the end of the project, the candidate will contribute to developing a new class of chip-scale devices that could transform how light is generated, converted, and manipulated – laying the foundation for next-generation quantum communication, optical computing, and sensing technologies. 

Supervisory team:

We advise that you speak to the supervisory team before applying for this project:

• Dr Iain Crowe, University of Manchester (email: iain.crowe@manchester.ac.uk)
• Associate Professor James Bullock, University of Melbourne (email: james.bullock@unimelb.edu.au)

Apply:

• Find out more and apply now

This project will be based at the University of Melbourne with 12 months spent at The University of Manchester.

Project description:

Global demand for faster, more energy-efficient communication networks is increasing dramatically with the rise of cloud and streaming services, artificial intelligence, and 5/6G telecoms. The systems that transmit and process this vast amount of data rely heavily on optical communication – using light instead of electricity to carry information. Silicon photonics, which combines optical and electronic components on a single silicon chip, is a leading technology for enabling high-speed data transfer at low cost. However, even these devices are reaching the limit of what is possible in terms of efficient, high-speed data transfer, and they will soon be incompatible with future network capacity requirements.

This project aims to tackle this by developing graphene-based capacitors with novel dielectric materials, integrated into the silicon photonic platforms to give them the efficiency boost they need, without compromising on speed/bandwidth. Graphene, a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice, is uniquely suited for this task. It conducts electricity extremely well, responds rapidly to electrical signals, and has optical properties that can be tuned by applying relatively low voltages. Taking advantage of these unique properties, graphene can be used to 'modulate' optical signals – acting as an optical switch or signal controller – at speeds far beyond that of conventional bulk materials, including silicon.

This research project will focus on fabricating and testing so-called double layer graphene (DLG) capacitor structures that use both traditional “bulk” dielectric materials (such as hafnium oxide and aluminium oxide), and emerging 2D dielectrics (such as hexagonal boron nitride and molybdenum disulfide). These dielectric layers act as insulators within the capacitor, and their choice strongly affects how efficiently applied voltages can change graphene’s optical character. The combination of bulk and 2D dielectrics is expected to provide the best of both worlds – effective charge storage and sensitivity to applied voltage, and high interface quality that preserve graphene’s electronic properties.

At the University of Melbourne, the student will synthesize high-quality graphene and 2D capacitor dielectric stacks, before transferring them onto silicon photonics chips (designed at The University of Manchester and fabricated in a silicon foundry), before patterning them into device structures. The student will use advanced nanofabrication techniques, including chemical vapor deposition (CVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), and precision lithography. Electrical and optical testing will then evaluate how these DLG capacitors perform when integrated with photonic waveguides for switching signals at telecoms wavelengths (around 1.3 and 1.55 μm).

This project combines materials science, electrical engineering, and photonics, offering a rich, multidisciplinary research experience. The student will gain hands-on expertise in 2D material synthesis and transfer, cleanroom microfabrication, dielectric engineering, and optoelectronic device characterisation.

Ultimately, the project seeks to demonstrate that graphene capacitors with hybrid dielectrics can serve as ultrafast, low-energy optical modulators compatible with standard silicon chip manufacturing. Such devices could form the building blocks for next-generation telecommunication systems, data centres and optical computing technologies.

This is an exciting opportunity for a motivated researcher to contribute to a frontier area of science and engineering, developing new materials and device concepts that could transform the way information is transmitted and processed in the digital age. 

Supervisory team

We advise that you speak to the supervisory team before applying for this project:

• Associate Professor James Bullock, University of Melbourne (email: james.bullock@unimelb.edu.au)
• Dr Iain Crowe, University of Manchester (email: iain.crowe@manchester.ac.uk)  

Apply:

• Find out more and apply now

This Project will be based at The University of Manchester with 12 months spent at the University of Melbourne.

Project description:

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body, providing structure to organs with highly varied functions (such as tendons vs lungs). Collagen deposition is a tightly controlled process; dysregulation underpins many pathologies and age-related conditions, including fibrosis, heart disease, tissue degeneration and frailty/poor wound healing. Despite collagen's fundamental importance, therapeutics for collagen pathologies have been lacking, due to conceptual hurdles in understanding how collagen is assembled/removed. Further, we still have very little understanding on how different cells coordinate to produce a 3D tissue that is rich in collagen. Closing these knowledge gaps forms the basis of this research project.

Using proteomics techniques, genome editing, biochemical assays, biomaterials and imaging, this project will determine how collagen deposition is controlled at the molecular level, by coordinated actions of different cell types (fibroblasts, immune cells) in collagen fibrillogenesis dynamics, either through cell-cell interactions, and/or autocrine/paracrine actions. This research will further our understanding of fibrotic responses and identify new targets for treating lung fibrosis. 

Supervisory team

We advise that you speak to the supervisory team before applying for this project:

• Dr Joan Chang, University of Manchester (email: joan.chang@manchester.ac.uk)
• Associate Professor Brooke Farrugia, University of Melbourne (email: brooke.farrugia@unimelb.edu.au) 

Apply:

• Find out more and apply now

This project will be based at the University of Melbourne with 12 months spent at The University of Manchester.

Project description:

During tissue homeostasis, our bodies are constantly replacing old tissues with new ones, a process that helps heal injuries and is essential for proper tissue function. All types of tissues are made up of both cells and a noncellular component, known as the extracellular matrix. The most abundant component of the extracellular matrix is collagen, which provides mechanical strength and structural integrity in our tissues. These properties, however, are dependent on how the collagen fibres are formed as they grow. The processes of how collagen fibres grow and how they are assembled can be influenced by several factors, but we lack understanding of the mechanistic events orchestrating this growth.

This project will investigate the mechanistic events that modulate how collagen fibres in our tissues grow and assemble, using cutting edge technologies to understand how changes in the matrix modulate tissue formation and remodelling.

Supervisory team

We advise that you speak to the supervisory team before applying for this project:

• Associate Professor Brooke Farrugia, University of Melbourne (email: brooke.farrugia@unimelb.edu.au)
• Dr Joan Chang, University of Manchester (email: joan.chang@manchester.ac.uk) 

Apply:

• Find out more and apply now

This project will be based at The University of Manchester with 12 months spent at the University of Melbourne.

Project description:

Systemic lupus erythematosus is a lifelong health condition where a person’s immune system starts to attack their own body. As a result, many organs in the body become permanently damaged (including the skin, heart, kidneys and brain). This damage leads to a substantial quality of life burden, a lower ability to perform usual daily activities, and lower life expectancy compared with the general population. This burden is also very unequal across diverse groups of individuals. Most people affected are younger women, and more likely to be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (in Australia) and of Black African/Caribbean and South Asian descent (in the UK).

There are only a couple of treatments available for people with lupus. When these treatments don’t work, the condition continues to cause damage and harm to patients. However, a new promising type of treatment (called CAR-T cell therapy) is starting to emerge. CAR-T cell therapy is a type of precision medicine that works by infusing modified immune cells to fight against a patient's lupus. Healthcare systems in the UK and Australia have excellent experience of using CAR-T cell therapies for other health conditions. There is now a growing need to understand the value of CAR-T cell therapy for severe lifelong health conditions such as systemic lupus erythematosus.

In this PhD, you will address this need with health economics methods. These methods are essential to guide health policy decisions globally, and the findings will have a positive impact to move these new treatments closer to benefiting people with lupus. You will be based at the Manchester Centre for Health Economics (The University of Manchester), and will have a 12-month research visit to the Economics of Genomics and Precision Medicine Unit (The University of Melbourne). You will be supervised by a world leading multi-disciplinary team of experts in the health economics of advanced cell therapies and lupus (Gavan), precision medicine (Payne, Goranitis) and doctors who test CAR-T cell therapies for cancer and lupus (Thistlethwaite, Parker).

The PhD will be split into three projects:

1. First, you will use data from an important national register of patients with lupus (called the BILAG-BR) to understand health outcomes (life expectancy and quality of life) for people who don’t respond well to treatments in current practice.
2. Second, you will perform a discrete choice experiment to quantify people’s preferences for receiving a CAR-T cell therapy, and its likely uptake in routine care.
3. Third, you will run an early model-based cost-effectiveness analysis of CAR-T cell therapy compared with standard of care to simulate the lifetime costs, health outcomes and value for people with lupus.

You will develop skills in research collaborations with patients and the public, health economic evaluation, statistical analysis of real-world patient data, quantitative preference elicitation, project management and communicating with policymakers and clinical leaders. The findings will have a direct impact on improving the lives of people with lupus, by stimulating future treatments, informing service delivery, and guiding research and development strategies within the UK and Australia.

Supervisory team

We advise that you speak to the supervisory team before applying for this project:

• Dr Sean Gavan, The University of Manchester (email: sean.gavan@manchester.ac.uk)
• Associate Professor Ilias Goranitis, The University of Melbourne (email: ilias.goranitis@unimelb.edu.au) 

Apply:

• Find out more and apply now

This project will be based at the University of Melbourne with 12 months spent at The University of Manchester.

Project description:

The Economics of Genomics and Precision Medicine Unit and the Melbourne Health Economics at the University of Melbourne invites applications for a PhD Scholar to contribute to a research project funded by the University of Melbourne and The University of Manchester's Dr Isabel Clifton Cookson Scholars scheme.

This PhD provides a unique opportunity to undertake impactful research in the economics of genomic medicine and generate results that can influence genomic policy in Australia and internationally. Rare genetic conditions impose a significant health and economic burden on patients, their families and healthcare systems. Although individually rare, over 10,000 such conditions have been identified to date, affecting more than 350 million people globally. Genomic medicine has a transformative potential for the diagnosis and clinical care of these rare and other more common conditions, such as breast cancer, where there is an established genetic basis. However, small patient populations, heterogeneity in how the conditions may present and develop and lack of long-term cost and outcome data are barriers to the sustainable and equitable translation of genomics. This PhD will explore how patient data collected routinely within clinical care can best be used to advance the way we assess value and value for money, and support policy makers to make evidence-informed decisions that help health systems, patients and families realise the value of genomic medicine.

Through the application of different health economics methods, the PhD candidate will have a unique opportunity to work with real-world data of patients experiencing rare and more common conditions and generate evidence that can shape national genomic policy. The project is led by Associate Professor Ilias Goranitis (Head of Economics of Genomics and Precision Medicine Unit, University of Melbourne) and Professor Zornitza Stark (Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne), and the project team is further comprised of leading experts in health economics of genomics from The University of Manchester (Dr Sean Gavan and Professor Katherine Payne).

Supervisory team

We advise that you speak to the supervisory team before applying for this project:

• Associate Professor Ilias Goranitis, The University of Melbourne (email: ilias.goranitis@unimelb.edu.au)
• Dr Sean Gavan, The University of Manchester (email: sean.gavan@manchester.ac.uk) 

Apply:

• Find out more and apply now

This Project will be based at The University of Manchester with 12 months spent at the University of Melbourne.

Project description:

Using training targeted at non-auditory skills to improve children’s listening abilities in noisy environments.

The University of Manchester is seeking applicants for a full-time PhD Scholarship, in conjunction with the University of Melbourne. This unique opportunity will allow the successful applicant international travel and collaboration opportunities in a reciprocal program facilitating a parallel PhD partnership.

Understanding speech in noise and reverberation requires the integration of auditory, language and cognitive abilities. When children experience listening difficulties in these conditions, it is paramount to initiate effective treatment, because if persistent and left untreated, these listening difficulties can negatively affect long-term academic outcomes. We have developed a comprehensive test battery to assess potential underlying causes of listening difficulties, which can range from auditory processing, to language, and cognitive deficits, and any combination thereof. In this project, we seek to take the next step and systematically assess a number of training programmes aimed at improving diagnosed deficits. You will work at the forefront of the evaluation of these potential remediation strategies by delivering different trainings to primary school aged children in the Greater Manchester area and comparing the extent of their improvements on a number of outcome measures.

You will learn to critically assess the literature, be immersed in all aspects of setting up and running a training study and acquire some qualitative data collection and analysis skills. As this project is run in collaboration with the University of Melbourne, you will be working on a companion project with a PhD student in Melbourne. Within your PhD programme, you will be spending 12 months at the University of Melbourne, learning about clinical delivery of audiology services within the Australian context, contributing to the companion project and learning about complementary aspects of the project that are tested specifically in Melbourne. This project will contribute to our understanding of how the abilities measured by these novel tests relate to one another and are influenced by basic underlying processes.

The results of this PhD will enable audiologists and other clinical specialists working with children to deliver effective remediation for listening difficulties. Based on extensive testing and validation, these training programmes will present a set of effective remediation strategies for children with listening difficulties, targeted to their underlying deficits. This PhD project will allow for this new suite of trainings to be implemented into clinical practice in both the UK and Melbourne (or elsewhere in Australia). With minor variations to the test involving language these training regimens will have application worldwide.

The essential requirement in potential applicants is the ability to carry out behavioural tests on children of primary school age. Desirable skills include qualifications or knowledge in any of audiology, psychology, speech therapy or education.

Supervisory team

We advise that you speak to the supervisory team before applying for this project:

• Dr Antje Heinrich, The University of Manchester (email: antje.heinrich@manchester.ac.uk)   
• Dr Grace Nixon, The University of Melbourne (email: nixong@unimelb.edu.au) 

Apply:

• Find out more and apply now

This project will be based at the University of Melbourne with 12 months spent at The University of Manchester.

Project description:

The University of Melbourne is seeking applicants for a full-time PhD scholarship, in conjunction with The University of Manchester. This PhD opportunity is a reciprocal program facilitating a partnership between two institutions, allowing for international travel and collaboration opportunities.

Understanding speech in noise and reverberation requires the integration of auditory, language, and cognitive abilities. When children experience listening difficulties in these conditions, it is paramount to initiate effective treatment, because if persistent and left untreated, these listening difficulties can negatively affect long-term academic outcomes. We have developed a comprehensive test battery to assess potential underlying causes of listening difficulties, which can range from auditory processing, to language, and cognitive deficits, and any combination thereof. In this project, we seek to take the next step and systematically assess a number of training programs aimed at improving listening abilities in children.

You will work to deliver different training programs to children with diagnosed listening difficulties in Melbourne, comparing the extent of their improvements on a number of outcome measures. The project will focus on direct training of speech-in-noise listening and targeted, deficit-specific training.

As this project is run in collaboration with the University of Manchester, with a PhD student there working on the companion project, you will be spending 12 months at the University of Manchester, learning about clinical delivery of audiology services within the UK context, contributing to the companion project and learning about complementary aspects of the project that are tested specifically in Manchester.

The results of this PhD will enable audiologists and other clinical specialists working with children to deliver effective remediation for listening difficulties. Based on this evidence, these training programs will present a set of remediation strategies for children with listening difficulties. This PhD project will allow for new training methods to be implemented into clinical practice globally.

The essential requirement in potential applicants is the ability to carry out behavioural tests on children with diagnosed listening difficulties. Desirable skills include qualifications or knowledge in audiology, psychology, speech therapy or education.

Supervisory team

We advise that you speak to the supervisory team before applying for this project:

• Dr Antje Heinrich, The University of Manchester (email: antje.heinrich@manchester.ac.uk)   
• Dr Grace Nixon, The University of Melbourne (email: nixong@unimelb.edu.au) 

Apply:

• Find out more and apply now

This Project will be based at The University of Manchester with 12 months spent at the University of Melbourne.

Project description:

Precision radiotherapy using either conventional X-ray radiotherapy (‘photons’) or high energy proton beam therapy (PBT) is an essential part of curative treatment for many childhood brain tumours. Modern radiotherapy can target tumours very precisely, but even with PBT, some healthy brain tissue can still be affected. This can cause lifelong side effects that impact how the brain functions, particularly affecting ‘cognitive’ functions such as memory, the ability to process new information, and problems relating to hormone regulation by the pituitary gland. These side effects can have a profound influence on school performance, employment and independent living therefore significantly impacting overall quality of life and cost to society after treatment is finished. We already know that a child’s brain is sensitive to radiotherapy damage, however no previous study has focused on which brain regions and brain connections are most sensitive to cognitive and hormone damage. As a result, when doctors are planning radiotherapy, they try to avoid certain structures known to cause problems with cognitive function. An understanding of the mechanisms of cognitive injury, validated by clinical data, is needed for the next era of childhood radiotherapy, in which radiotherapy may be combined with immunotherapy or targeted agents to preserve intellect while killing tumour cells. 

In this study we will use routinely collected medical imaging, acquired to monitor the success of treatment (i.e. the risk of recurrence) to study the development of the brain after treatment. By comparing the growth of the brain in children treated with radiotherapy to untreated (healthy) children, we hope to discover sub-clinical signs of side-effects. This will improve our understanding of the impact of radiation in brain structures and guide the development of “gentler” radiotherapy for future children. 

This project brings together leading research teams from The Christie Hospital, Manchester, UK, The University of Manchester and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia. Therefore, combining clinical data and research expertise in long-term effects of cancer treatment from two large paediatric cancer centres and two-research active universities. The knowledge from this project could lead rapidly to a step change in radiotherapy practice and inform the next generation of clinical trials of radiotherapy, working towards an era of minimal toxicity treatments for children with brain tumours.

Supervisory team

We advise that you speak to the supervisory team before applying for this project:

• Professor Marianne Aznar, University of Manchester (email: marianne.aznar@manchester.ac.uk)
• Associate Professor Nick Hardcastle, University of Melbourne (email: Nick.Hardcastle@petermac.org) 

Apply:

• Find out more and apply now

This project will be based at the University of Melbourne with 12 months spent at The University of Manchester. 

Project description:

Radiotherapy (RT) is given to 50% of children with cancer but can lead to lifelong toxicities. However, children treated with RT form only less than 5% of the entire radiotherapy patient cohort. In this context, there is limited understanding on the radiosensitivity of healthy organs/structures in a child, thus it can be challenging to predict the late toxicities of treatment. Dose-volume response models in use today do not typically consider the growing physiology of children.

These unique challenges demand international collaboration. This is a rare opportunity for a highly motivated PhD candidate to work with Melbourne and Manchester teams to evaluate the impact of radiation dose to the musculoskeletal system in children.

We hypothesise that routinely acquired MR imaging scans, used for tumour surveillance, will allow for measurements of ‘lack of growth and development’ after radiotherapy which impacts on quality of life of childhood cancer survivors. Increasing our understanding of dose-response relationships specific to children can lead to better treatments. In this project, we will investigate artificial intelligence (AI)-based automated pipelines to measure common developmental toxicities in paediatric radiotherapy, with three objectives, each resulting in at least one publication:

• Objective 1: Modelling population based “healthy vertebrae growth” of paediatric patients.
• Objective 2: Assessing growth impairment/ morphological changes in the musculoskeletal system after cancer treatment.
• Objective 3: Developing the probabilistic model to correlate radiation dose to the quantifiable growth impairment/ morphological changes.

The results will enable clinicians to better predict the risk of late side effects of treatment, and help with the discussion with patients and their families. With this increased knowledge of dose-response and the improvements in precise radiation therapy techniques, this work has the potential to enhance radiation treatment with ‘smarter’ planning to strategically reduce dose to certain structures leading to reduced late toxicities such as growth defect.

A successful candidate will work in a multidisciplinary clinical setting with medical physicists, radiation oncologists, radiation therapists, computer scientists as well as bio-statisticians in both Melbourne and Manchester. The candidate is expected to spend at least 12 months in Manchester through multiple visits during 3.5 years of PhD candidature period. Using clinical data from The Christie Hospital, Manchester, UK and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia, we are joining two large paediatric cancer centres and two-research active universities with expertise in the long-term effects of cancer treatment. The knowledge from this project could lead rapidly to a step change in radiotherapy practice and inform the next generation of clinical trials of radiotherapy, working towards an era of minimal toxicity radiation.

Supervisory team

We advise that you speak to the supervisory team before applying for this project:

• Associate Professor Nick Hardcastle, University of Melbourne (email: Nick.Hardcastle@petermac.org)
• Professor Marianne Aznar, University of Manchester (email: marianne.aznar@manchester.ac.uk)  

Apply:

• Find out more and apply now

This Project will be based at The University of Manchester with 12 months spent at The University of Melbourne.

Project description:

The PhD studentship is at the centre of a collaboration between The University of Manchester and University of Melbourne, to enhance understanding of how to best support children over the transition from primary school to secondary school. The PhD will generate important new insights into the role of contiguous transition provision between primary and secondary school settings, through evaluation of the Talking about School Transition (#TaST) intervention in England and Australia. Briefly #TaST is a 17-week universal, skills-based transition intervention, that is delivered across the last two years of primary school and first year of secondary school, to ultimately reduce children’s concerns about primary-secondary school transition, improve their mental health and wellbeing, and support attendance and attainment.

The primary school component of the #TaST intervention has been piloted in England and Australia, and demonstrated feasibility (e.g. implemented as planned), acceptability (e.g. children and teachers found the skills-based approach useful), utility (e.g. preliminary evidence has shown the intervention to reduce children’s transition worries and increase their transition excitement and coping efficacy) and reach (e.g. international support for #TaST has been recognised by the Department for Education in England and Australia). This thesis will examine the efficacy of the secondary school component of the #TaST intervention.

Envisaged is an interdisciplinary, mixed-methods project, blending secondary analysis of a large quantitative dataset (#P-S WELLS) and new qualitative and quantitative data generation. The project will comprise of three empirical papers:

1. quantitative evaluation of the efficacy of the secondary school #TaST lessons in England, and whether intervention effects vary by levels of implementation, through secondary data analysis;
2. qualitative inquiry exploring the acceptability of the Year 7 lessons in Melbourne, and whether local adaptations are needed, prior to implementation, through primary data collection;
3. quantitative evaluation of the efficacy of the secondary school #TaST lessons in Melbourne, through primary data collection.

There has been a strong history of collaboration between supervisors at The University of Manchester and the University of Melbourne that lays concrete foundations for the studentship, providing common points of reference, a shared research agenda, and excellent research environment to support the PhD student. The PhD student will also benefit from working within two separate institutions drawing on the distinct and complimentary expertise of their academic supervisors at strategic points across the PhD empirical papers.

The PhD will also join a thriving PhD community at each institution which encourages interdisciplinary working and collaboration and will have access to strong research infrastructures and state-of-the art research facilities, including expertise in knowledge exchange and impact. In the first six months of their PhD programme, the PhD student will undertake core research training units, spanning: (i) research design and practice; (ii) quantitative tactics; and (iii) qualitative tactics, and have access to further opportunities for personal and professional development across their PhD.

Supervisory team

We advise that you speak to the supervisory team before applying for this project:

• Dr Charlotte Bagnall, University of Manchester (email: charlotte.bagnall@manchester.ac.uk)
• Professor Neil Humphrey, University of Manchester (email: neil.humphrey@manchester.ac.uk)
• Dr Emma Thornton, University of Manchester (email: emma.thornton@manchester.ac.uk)
• Professor Jon Quach, University of Melbourne (email: jon.quach@unimelb.edu.au) 

Apply:

• Find out more and apply now

This project will be based at the University of Melbourne with 12 months spent at The University of Manchester.

Project description:

The PhD studentship is at the centre of a collaboration between The University of Manchester and University of Melbourne, to focus on developing evidence on how to best support student mental health, wellbeing and learning across the transition period from primary to secondary school. Briefly, the transition from primary school to secondary school is a critical period for children that poses a heightened risk for the development of poor emotional wellbeing in the short term, and can lead to poor mental health and life chances in the long-term, if sufficient support at both primary and secondary school is not provided. A population of students identified as being at greater risk of experiencing a poor transition are students with special educational needs and disability, whose voices are chronically underrepresented in the field.

The recruited PhD student will work on a project aiming to understand the perspectives of disabled students and those with learning difficulties as they transition from primary to secondary school, and especially changes in their emotional wellbeing during this time. To do this, drawing upon data collected in the United Kingdom, the student will explore the suitability of the Primary-Secondary School Transitions Emotional Wellbeing Scale (#P-S WELLS) in identifying which aspects of moving to secondary school children are experiencing difficulties with, and who might be vulnerable over the transition period, in Australia. Envisaged is an interdisciplinary, mixed-methods project; it will blend qualitative data analysis exploring the perspectives of students with special educational needs and disability, educator and experts, with secondary analysis of a large quantitative dataset (#P-S WELLS).

There has been a strong history of collaboration between supervisors at the University of Manchester and the University of Melbourne that lays concrete foundations for the studentship, providing common points of reference, a shared research agenda, and excellent research environment to support the PhD student. The PhD student will also benefit from working within two separate institutions drawing on the distinct and complimentary expertise of their academic supervisors at strategic points across the PhD empirical papers.

The PhD will also join a thriving PhD community at each institution which encourages interdisciplinary working and collaboration and will have access to strong research infrastructures and state-of-the art research facilities, including expertise in knowledge exchange and impact. In the first six months of their PhD programme, the PhD student will undertake core research training units, spanning: (i) research design and practice; (ii) quantitative tactics; and (iii) qualitative tactics, and have access to further opportunities for personal and professional development across their PhD.

Supervisory team

We advise that you speak to the supervisory team before applying for this project:

• Professor Jon Quach, University of Melbourne (email: jon.quach@unimelb.edu.au) 
• Dr Charlotte Bagnall, University of Manchester (email: charlotte.bagnall@manchester.ac.uk)

Apply:

• Find out more and apply now

This Project will be based at The University of Manchester with 12 months spent at The University of Melbourne.

Project description:

During many violent conflicts and crises, international peacekeeping and humanitarian response missions have made a positive contribution towards stabilisation and reconstruction, the alleviation of suffering, and broader peacebuilding objectives. However, the good intentions that animate these missions, and the positive outcomes they produce, are often accompanied by unintended consequences for the host societies they are meant to protect and support (Lemay-Hébert and Murshed 2016; Lemay-Hébert et al., 2020; Westendorf, 2020; 2023). These impacts include a ‘brain drain’ on national capacities after most promising national talent is recruited to international organisations, and the exacerbation of social division on the ground, including by creating housing or wage inflation and unintentionally fuelling localised political conflicts via these other consequences. When these consequences undermine local and global perceptions of the effectiveness and legitimacy of international peacekeeping and humanitarian projects, the whole enterprise of cooperative international involvement in the pursuit of peace and prosperity is put at risk (Westendorf 2020; von Billerbeck 2016).

This PhD project critically examines the unintended consequences of international peacekeeping and humanitarian missions on local labour and housing markets. Through this lens, the research will analyse how the hiring practices of the United Nations and other international organisations and humanitarian actors have affected local employment opportunities, contributed to wage inflation, and influenced the reintegration of national talent into domestic institutions, and how their presence has impacted the housing market in the host community by gentrifying certain areas pushing communities to the outskirt of cities or through added security measures disrupting the everyday lives of citizens. The project will centre on a case study of a country with a long history of hosting international missions and a rich archive of interventionary practices – potentially Bosnia, Kosovo, or Timor-Leste. The specific case study will be discussed and selected through current research interests and affinities of the PhD candidate and through conversation with the principal investigators based at The University of Manchester and the University of Melbourne. The case selection will be subject to travel advice and University approval.

Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study will combine archival research with ethnographic fieldwork, including an extended research stay in the selected case study location. The PhD candidate will also be encouraged to develop a specific methodological apparatus fitting the specific reality of the case study.

The project addresses four central research questions:

1. How do the unintended consequences of peacekeeping and humanitarian missions manifest and intersect across the labour and housing markets?
2. What methodologies best enable the generation of reliable, gender-sensitive data on these impacts to reduce harm?
3. What factors contribute to the compounding and amplification of negative consequences in specific missions?
4. How can policymakers and practitioners avoid or address these unintended effects in future interventions?

By advancing knowledge of the political economy of peacekeeping and humanitarian interventions, this research aims to inform more effective, harm-reducing international practices. The findings will be disseminated through journal publications and policy briefs, contributing to global efforts to improve peacekeeping and humanitarian response.

Supervisory team

We advise that you speak to the supervisory team before applying for this project:

• Professor Nicolas Lemay-Hebert, University of Manchester (email: nicolas.lemay-hebert@manchester.ac.uk)
• Dr Jasmine Westendorf, University of Melbourne (email:  jasmine.westendorf@unimelb.edu.au)

Apply:

• Find out more and apply now, note we will be contacting all applicants after the closure of the advertisement.

This project will be based at the University of Melbourne with 12 months spent at The University of Manchester.

Project description:

This PhD project investigates the often-overlooked, gendered consequences of international peacekeeping and large-scale humanitarian interventions on local political economies. While such missions are intended to support and stabilize conflict-affected societies, their presence frequently disrupts local economies and social structures in complex and highly gendered ways. Notably, the participation of peacekeeping and humanitarian personnel in the sexual exploitation and abuse of local community members – primarily women and children – highlights the urgent need to examine how gendered vulnerabilities intersect with broader economic and social impacts. Despite this, analyses of the political economy of interventions have typically been conducted in isolation from gendered perspectives, reinforcing the marginalisation of gender issues and obscuring the interconnectedness of economic, social, and gendered harms.

This project directly addresses this critical gap by systematically integrating political economy analysis with gender analysis. It will explore how interventions reshape local labour and housing markets, and how these changes influence patterns of vulnerability, access, and influence – particularly for women and marginalised groups. For example, the project will examine how urban housing inflation driven by international missions can increase susceptibility to sexual exploitation and abuse, which in turn may fuel local resentment and conflict. The research will be grounded in deep empirical engagement with one or more case study contexts that have experienced significant peacekeeping or humanitarian interventions. Using a mixed-methods approach, the candidate will combine archival research – drawing on UN Archives in New York and humanitarian archives at The University of Manchester – with ethnographic fieldwork, including extended stays in selected locations. Fieldwork will involve interviews with international and national staff, civil society organizations, and affected community members, complemented by focus group discussions to capture diverse perspectives.

Key research questions include: How do unintended consequences of peacekeeping and humanitarian missions manifest and intersect across social, political, and economic domains? How can reliable, gender-sensitive data be generated to reduce harm? What factors, including gender, contribute to the compounding of negative impacts? And how can policymakers and practitioners better prevent and address these harms?

By advancing a feminist international political economy perspective, this project aims to inform more equitable and effective humanitarian responses. The candidate will be supported to publish in leading journals and engage with policymakers, contributing to improved practices in international intervention.

Supervisory team

We advise that you speak to the supervisory team before applying for this project:

• Dr Jasmine Westendorf, University of Melbourne (email:  jasmine.westendorf@unimelb.edu.au)
• Professor Nicolas Lemay-Hebert, University of Manchester (email: nicolas.lemay-hebert@manchester.ac.uk)

Apply:

• Find out more and apply now, note we will be contacting all applicants after the closure of the advertisement.