Deadline: 30 September 2021
Open to: domestic and international applicants
Benefits: tuition fee coverage, stipend, and other benefits

DESCRIPTION

Expressions of interest are sought for a fully funded three year PhD scholarship at the Asia Research Centre, Murdoch University, in association with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada’s 2.5 million Partnership Grant ‘Appraising risk, past and present: Interrogating historical data to enhance understanding of environmental crises in the Indian Ocean World’, anchored at the Indian Ocean World Centre, McGill University under the directorship of Professor Gwyn Campbell.

The successful applicant will join a team of scholars led by Emeritus Professor James Warren and focusing on the Southeast Asian and Indo-Pacific regions. Investigations centre upon periods of acute environmental crisis, variously characterized by natural disasters, epidemic disease, socio-economic instability, and migration, bondage, and mass mortality. Within this framework, researchers will investigate current and traditional perceptions of environmental risk and risk management, explore past-to-present patterns to the human and environmental dimensions of crisis, and apply the results of historical research to enhance environmental risk and governance protocols. This groundbreaking initiative is not limited to the discipline of history, involving geography, anthropology, and the environmental sciences.

The successful candidate will be based at the Asia Research Centre in the College of Arts, Business, Law and Social Sciences, Murdoch University, in Perth, Western Australia. The Asia Research Centre has a strong track record of innovative research in the social and environmental history of Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean World, and offers a supportive and collegial environment to postgraduate students.

ELIGIBILITY

The scholarship is open to domestic and international applicants.

Applications are invited for candidates with similar or complementary research interests. Essential criteria include:

• An International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 7.0 or above;
• A first-class Honours or Masters degree with a thesis component in a relevant historical or related social science field;
• Demonstrated archival and/or fieldwork experience;
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

In addition, familiarity with vernacular languages and/or local and regional dialects is highly desired.

BENEFITS

The scholarship provides tuition fee coverage, and a stipend (tax free) $27,596 per year, the equivalent value of the national stipend rate, plus additional funding on a case-by-case basis for archival research and fieldwork.

HOW TO APPLY?

Please send a current CV and completed thesis proposal form to Emeritus Professor James Warren by no later than 30 September 2021.

Selected applicants will then be invited to submit proposals via Murdoch University’s postgraduate scholarship application process. Applicants must be able to commence no later than mid-2022.

For more details, please visit the official website.