PhD Scholarship in Assistive Technology and Disability

at  Monash University

The Opportunity
This opportunity is limited to Australian citizens, Australian Permanent Residents, NZ Citizens and a person entitled to stay in Australia, or to enter and stay in Australia, without any limitation as to time.
Candidates who identify as having a disability are strongly encouraged to apply.
This PhD scholarship is funded as part of an establishment grant for the Monash Assistive Technology and Society (MATS) Centre ( www.monash.edu/mats/about ).
The MATS Centre helps people living with disabilities to lead self-directed lives. Emerging assistive technologies have the potential to break down many of the barriers that people with disabilities face at school, university, work and in the social sphere. Our work is guided by on-the-ground partnerships with the community to ensure we’re addressing real problems faced by real people and creating a lasting impact. Join us and help to create a world that is more inclusive and equitable.
The MATS Centre helps people living with disabilities to lead self-directed lives. Emerging assistive technologies have the potential to break down many of the barriers that people with disabilities face at school, university, work and in the social sphere. Our work is guided by on-the-ground partnerships with the community to ensure we’re addressing real problems faced by real people and creating a lasting impact. Join us and help to create a world that is more inclusive and equitable.
The successful candidate will explore an area of research focus within MATS and in the Faculty of Information Technology (FIT). The precise details of the PhD project are open to negotiation, but it should be designed with the aim of making a positive difference to the life experience of people with disabilities. Projects that fall into one (or more) of the following themes are encouraged:
Innovative Assistive Technology: The co-design and evaluation of new assistive technologies that address the real-world needs of people with disability. These might, for instance, utilise conversational agents, computer vision, mixed reality, wearables etc.
Disability, Technology, and Society: Research with a sociological or anthropological focus on the use of bespoke and/or mainstream technology for disability inclusion and/ or barriers to access
STEM Participation: Research addressing barriers and increasing participation in STEM education and STEM careers by people with a disability
Community and Workplace Participation: Research investigating the use of assistive technologies to increase participation in cultural, sporting and other community activities and technologies that address barriers currently restricting employment
The proposed project may focus on the experience of people with disability in Australia or other parts of the world where the student and/ or supervisory team have strong links to relevant disability communities.
The successful candidate will be based in the Faculty of Information Technology of Monash University at the Caulfield or Clayton campuses in Melbourne. 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 Faculty of Information Technology (FIT) is the only faculty within Australia’s prestigious Group of Eight universities dedicated to information technology and is one of the largest faculties of its kind anywhere in the world. Because of its disciplinary focus and the areas in which it works, the Faculty is by nature deeply collaborative, facilitating interdisciplinary ties that span the broader research community both within Monash and outside it.
Candidate Requirements
To be eligible for a scholarship, candidates must be domestic students as per the Higher Education Support Act at the time of award. Domestic students include:
Australian citizens
Australian permanent residents
a person entitled to stay in Australia, or to enter and stay in Australia, without any limitation as to time
a New Zealand citizen
The candidate will be able to demonstrate strong links to disability communities through lived experience of disability and/ or track record of successful work/ co-research with people with disabilities. Candidates who identify as having a disability are strongly encouraged to apply.
Candidates will be considered provided that they fulfil the criteria for admission at Monash University and demonstrate strong research capability. Details of the relevant requirements are available at www.monash.edu/graduate-research/study/apply . Applicants should ensure they familiarise themselves with these requirements before deciding whether to apply.
Scholarship holders must be enrolled on campus. Scholarship holders must normally be enrolled full-time, but those with a disability/health condition that precludes full-time enrolment can be considered for part-time enrolment.
Enquiries
If you are interested, please contact
Associate Professor Matt Butler, Faculty of IT
Email: matthew.butler@monash.edu
Phone: +61 3 9903 1911
Once you have discussed your application with Associate Professor Matt Butler please email an Expression of Interest (EOI). This should comprise:
A cover letter that includes a brief statement of the candidate’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 statement of academic record, supported by scanned copies of relevant certified documentation
English language proficiency test results (if applicable)
Contact details of two academic referees
Applications Close: Wednesday 3 July 2024, 11:55pm AEST
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