Research scholarships

Full project title: Migrant and refugee welcome: achieving social sustainability through local migration governance

About the scholarship

Australia and the UK are both among the top 10 recipient countries of people on the move (migrants and refugees) globally, while migration control is also high in their respective national policy agendas. Local and city-level governing bodies in the two countries are often at the coalface of migrant and asylum seeker/refugee engagement, yet have little sway in national-level decision making and migration programs.

This project asks how the two countries can move toward more socially sustainable migration policies that are led by their respective local governments, building on existing sanctuary and ‘welcome’ programs, and working alongside community, NGO and third-sector organisations. The project will directly contribute to our understanding of social sustainability through migration: while an inevitable – and desirable – feature of all developed societies, migration is often misconceived in public discourse and policy.

Methodologically, our project will comparatively examine the role of local-level initiatives in creating socially sustainable forms of settlement, sanctuary and/or ‘welcome’ across Australia and the UK. Specifically, the successful doctoral candidate will conduct:

• a literature review of relevant academic approaches to cross-scale (national/ local/ urban) approaches to migrant integration
• comparative analysis of national policies of migrant and asylum/refugee welcoming programs in the two countries
• field-based, ethnographic investigation of selected programs in both Australia and the UK (with the potential for a third country case study).

The project’s research focus promises significant societal impact and thereby, added value: it is fully expected that the research process and findings alike will directly engage local governments and key local stakeholders, informing best practice in migrant and refugee settlement and social sustainability.

The successful student will be guided to develop a migration and social sustainability information and policy network featuring academics and key stakeholders in the two countries, thereby strengthening its potential societal impact and ensuring its legacy, while helping establish the candidate as a future leader in their domain.

The project supervisors recognise that the management and reception of migration across different contexts varies significantly, and are open to hear from potential PhD candidates whose interest or expertise range in terms of the scale at which migrant reception is most feasible.

In addition, the supervisors are open to the possibility of a third case study being added to Australia and the UK, as long as convincing case is put forward by the candidate.

Availability

This scholarship is available to eligible candidates to undertake a direct entry full time 3.5-year PhD program commencing in the 2025-2026 academic year (St Andrews), 2025 academic year (Macquarie).

Students will enrol at both institutions from the outset. In terms of their location for study, the entry point for students:

• beginning at St Andrews is 27 September
• beginning at Macquarie is 1 October.

Eligibility

Admission and scholarship criteria of both universities must be met:

• For St Andrews, see how to apply and entry requirements.
• For Macquarie, see PhD entry and English language requirements, and graduate research scholarship eligibility criteria.

Additional criteria

Applicants must not already:

• hold a doctoral degree; or
• be matriculated for a doctoral degree at the University of St Andrews, Macquarie University, or another institution.

While students from a human geography or urban planning/studies background are sought after, we are open to students with an interest in:

• areas of migration and social justice, as well as cities and urbanism
• the use of qualitative, social sciences-based methodological approaches.

Components

The student will be expected to spend approximately half of the award term at the University of St Andrews and half at Macquarie University. The successful candidate will be expected to have completed the doctorate degree by the end of the award term. The award term excludes the continuation period and any extension periods.

Funding arrangements are made on the basis that:

• for the period spent at the University of St Andrews, the scholarships will comprise of a full tuition fee award and a stipend paid at the current UK Research Council rate (£19,237 each year at 2024-2025 rates. Note: rates will rise annually in line with UKRI stipend rises).
• Macquarie will fund a living allowance scholarship per position at an annual rate of AUD38,500 (2025 rate, tax exempt), paid pro-rata while the student is in Australia.  A tuition fee scholarship will be granted for the period of joint enrolment up to 42 months.

Macquarie will also provide an airfare allowance for flights between the UK and Australia up to a maximum of $4000 AUD to be arranged by the Graduate Research Academy.

Unless otherwise specified, the scholarships do not cover:

• any continuation, extension, or resubmission period/fees
• a research training grant or another equivalent award for research expenses
• support for travel, immigration, health insurance and related charges between the partner institutions.

How to apply

Students are to submit their EOIs to:

• Dr Andrew Burridge (Macquarie supervisor) at andrew.burridge@mq.edu.au
• Dr Antonis Vradis (St Andrews supervisor) at antonis.vradis@st-andrews.ac.uk
• and cc gr.globalprograms@mq.edu.au.

Include the following documents:

• CV including information about publications
• transcripts of most relevant/recent degrees
• information about thesis components (thesis mark, word count, weight/length in comparison to the degree overall)
• statement of suitability as a candidate for the project (max 500 words).

The participating schools at St Andrews and the Graduate Research Academy at Macquarie in coordination with the academic supervisors will be expected to complete the selection process.

The Global Office at St Andrews will work with the Graduate Research Academy at Macquarie to arrange official notification of scholarship awards, invite scholarship awardees to formally apply for admission to both universities by mid-January 2025, and conclude contractual arrangements which must be in place prior to the start of the degree.

Students who are nominated for the award will be asked to formally apply for candidature through the Macquarie application portal:

Contact us

Further enquiries about the global PhD scholarships may be addressed to: