PhD Scholarship in Digital Mapping of Homemade & DIY Cultural Economies in First Nations Communities
Job No.: 681214
Location: Clayton campus
Employment Type: Full-time
Duration: 3.5-year fixed-term appointment
Remuneration: The successful applicant will receive a Research Living Allowance, at current value of $52,352 AUD per annum 2025 full-time rate (tax-free stipend), indexed plus allowances as per RTP stipend scholarship conditions at: www.monash.edu/graduate-research/future-students/scholarships/scholarship-policy-and-procedures.
The Opportunity
This PhD scholarship is funded to contribute towards an important part of an ARC-funded project Mapping Australian Homemade, Amateur & Do-it-Yourself Cultural Economies conducted by Professor Paul Long, Dr. Delvin Varghese, Associate Professor Shane Homan, Dr Ali Alizadeh and Dr Ash Watson (UNSW).
The PhD will form a vital part of a project that aims to fill a significant gap in the Australian Government’s National Cultural Policy to ‘Revive’ the cultural sector while affirming ‘First Nations First’ and ensuring that there will be ‘A Place for Every Story’.
The project aims to explore and celebrate diverse creative practices including traditional, community-based, and grassroots creativity that may be undervalued in formal cultural economies
The project will innovate methodologically (leveraging methods from human-centred design and digital sociology) to generate and engage publics with research insights through curation, exhibition, and co-production of HADIY creative work created by first nations individuals.
Project outcomes include enabling digital mapping of the practices of the 45% of Australians who participate in the arts as producers of forms such as poetry, music and fine art and their relationship with the professional cultural and creative industries. Led by Monash, the three-year interdisciplinary project brings together academics in media, creative industries, cultural studies, sociology, and human-centered computing. The successful applicant will join the research team and contribute to the wider project but will also undertake their own distinct PhD project.
Undertaking this PhD as part of a larger project has several advantages. The successful candidate will be integrated into an already successful research agenda that has been funded by the Australian Research Council, and will have access to funding to support fieldwork, transcription, travel, and conference attendance.
Monash University is the largest university in Australia and regularly ranks in the top 100 universities worldwide. Monash has six globally networked campuses and international alliances in Europe and Asia. The applicant will be co-located between Action Lab in the Faculty of Information Technology (a multidisciplinary team of impact-focused researchers working at the intersection of communities, technology and social innovation) and School of Media, Film and Journalism (Faculty of Arts).
Candidate Requirements
We seek applicants with a demonstrated academic achievement and passion for research that benefits Indigenous communities – in a relevant disciplinary area, including Human-Computer Interaction, Media Studies, Digital Cultures, Digital Sociology and Digital Humanities. The desirable candidate will have experience of interviews and participatory research methods and evidence of expertise (such as publications or media practice) in one of the above disciplines.
In its assessment, the selection committee will prioritise First Nations applicants who hold an Australian (or equivalent international) Honours or Master’s degree (both in a relevant field), with a significant research component and with first-class honours/H1 awarded.
Details of eligibility requirements are available at: www.monash.edu/graduate-research/study/apply/admission-criteria
Applicants should ensure they familiarise themselves with these requirements before deciding whether they should apply.
Scholarship holders must be enrolled full-time and on campus. Please note: applicants who already hold a PhD will not be considered.
The successful applicant will be expected to enrol by October 2025. However, there may be some flexibility as to the date of commencement.
Submit an Expression of Interest
EOIs shall comprise:
- A cover letter that includes a brief statement of the applicant’s suitability
- A brief research proposal not exceeding 750 words in length that fits within the broad project aims and objectives, and demonstrates some understanding of the area of research
- A curriculum vitae, including a list of any published works, conference presentations and relevant work experience
- A full statement of academic records, degree certificates and official grading system (if available), supported by scanned copies of relevant certified documentation
- English language proficiency test results (if applicable)
- Names and contact details of 2 academic referees
Please send your EOI and any enquiries you may have to Dr Delvin Varghese, Department of Human-Centred Computing, Faculty of IT, Delvin.Varghese@monash.edu.
The successful candidate will then be guided by Faculty of IT in putting an application for the Indigenous PhD Scholarship in Mapping Australian Homemade, Amateur & Do-it-Yourself Cultural Economies.
Applications Close: Tuesday 15 July 2025, 11:55pm AEST
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