PhD Scholarship Opportunity – Designing a Model of Navigation Support for Australian Adults Making Workers’ Compensation Claims
Job No.: 695315
Location: 509 St Kilda Road, Melbourne (as of September 2026, remote until then)
Contract Type: Full-time
Duration: 4-year fixed-term appointment
Remuneration: Upon enrolment the successful applicant will receive a Research Living Allowance, at current value of $40,000 AUD per annum 2026 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.
About the project
Workers’ compensation, Job Seeker and Disability Support Pension, are central components of Australia’s social safety net. These systems provide financial support to people whose capacity to work is limited due to injury or illness. However, growing evidence shows that many individuals experience significant challenges when interacting with these systems, including difficulties understanding eligibility requirements, producing relevant documents, and navigating complex administrative processes.
The PhD project will generate in-depth qualitative evidence on how Australian adults experience these financial support systems. These insights will be utilised to co-design a navigation support model that can assist individuals in accessing and engaging with these systems.
The successful candidate will employ qualitative and participatory research methods, including interviews, focus groups, and co-design approaches, to ensure that the perspectives of people with lived experience of work disability are embedded in the research. Findings will describe new approaches for system and policy, and their dissemination to policy agencies will be an important part of the project. This PhD offers a unique opportunity to contribute to high-impact, policy-relevant research that seeks to improve the experiences and outcomes of people living with work disability.
Team overview
As part of the Healthy Working Lives Group within the School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine, this PhD is supported by an Australian Laureate Fellowship program, Reforming Work Disability Benefit Systems for Contemporary Australian Society.
The program comprises three interconnected streams: Program 1 identifies how work disability develops through a national cohort study; Program 2 examines participant experiences of benefit systems; and Program 3 informs system redesign using community preference models. Together, they form an integrated agenda linking prevention, lived experience, and policy reform. All research is supported by a Community of Practice and informs real-world outcomes including a National Training program.
The successful candidate will be part of Program 2 and will be within a multidisciplinary cohort of researchers and students.
Supervisory team
The principal supervisors will be Professor Alex Collie and Dr Samineh Sanatkar.
Professor Collie is a leading public health and social policy scholar, Director of the Healthy Working Lives Research Group and the Division of Health Systems, Services and Policy in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University. His research focuses on work injury rehabilitation, occupational health, and social protection systems, using multidisciplinary and mixed-methods approaches across Australian and international contexts. He is an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow and serves as President of the Scientific Committee on Work Disability Prevention at the International Commission on Occupational Health.
Dr Sanatkar is a Research Fellow with the Healthy Working Lives Research Group at Monash University. Her work focuses on improving work participation and recovery outcomes for people with work-related mental health conditions, illness, or injury. She applies mixed methods and co-design approaches to understand the lived experience of interacting with workers’ compensation and disability support systems.
Eligibility Requirements:
Prospective applicants must satisfy Monash University PhD entry requirements as outlined in the Monash Graduate Research Admission Procedure, this includes:
- Being able to demonstrate and present valid and current Australian work rights; and
- A bachelor’s degree of at least four years in a relevant discipline, which includes a research thesis or project, with a minimum overall average grade of an Honours degree equivalent to the First-Class Honours Division A; or
- A master's degree in a relevant discipline which includes a research thesis or project equivalent to at least 25 percent of one year of full-time study, with a minimum overall average grade of honours equivalent to the First-Class Honours Division A; or
- A qualification, or combination of qualifications and relevant professional or research experience, deemed equivalent by the Graduate Research Committee (or delegate); and
- Preferably, be available to commence as a full-time, on-campus PhD candidate in Q3 or Q4 2026 (or by arrangement).
Please note: this scholarship does not cover tuition fees.
How to apply:
To apply please follow the following steps:
- Check your eligibility following this link. Only continue if eligible.
- Submit your CV along with a cover letter outlining your interest in the project and explaining why you believe you are a strong fit, to melinda.mccabe@monash.edu.
- Selected candidates will be invited to take part in an interviews (either in person or via ZOOM)
- The successful candidate will be provided an invitation to apply, along with further instructions, and will then need to submit an application for candidature only via the online portal. Upon successful enrolment the associated scholarship will be awarded.
Enquiries: Further enquiries about the scholarship or application process should be directed to; Dr Melinda (Millie) McCabe, Senior Project Co-ordinator, E: melinda.mccabe@monash.edu.
Applications Close: Wednesday 19 August 2026, 11:55pm AEST
Supporting a diverse workforce
