An interdisciplinary program addressing the contemporary issues of asylum-seeking, enforced migration and statelessness across the areas of law, health, culture, education, creative arts, history, social policy, housing, social sustainability, community wellbeing and mental health.
The Melbourne Social Equity Institute's Interdisciplinary PhD Program is open to graduate researchers in any faculty undertaking a PhD related to migration, refugee studies or statelessness.
Students are supported to build networks across the University and with relevant external organisations and to develop their research in reference to current real-world challenges. Masterclasses, workshops and seminars will include a focus on ethics, research methods and approaches for communicating research to diverse audiences across and beyond the academy.
The program enriches the PhD experience by creating a strong cohort and intellectual community that assists students in developing their post-doctoral pathways.
Eligible students must have commenced a PhD and have at least one supervisor based at the University of Melbourne.
The program is giving me the opportunity to expand my understanding of the field beyond my own research interest and to reflect more deeply on significant research issues. I particularly appreciate getting to know PhD students from other disciplines, learning more about their work and experiencing the interconnectedness of our research topics. This program opens up possibilities for future collaborations and significant ongoing conversations, which I believe is very exciting and sustaining. Sarah Strauven, University of Melbourne Phd Candidate
As a supervisor it's been a joy knowing that a PhD candidate I am supervising is able to be part of this Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies. It's also made it possible for us to create an interdisciplinary supervisory team. Three cheers for interdisciplinary team work! Dr David Denborough, University of Melbourne PhD Supervisor
Update – Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Despite being away from campus, the Interdisciplinary PhD Program is continuing to support graduate students to build their networks and develop their research in reference to current real-world challenges.
In addition to the formal events below, participants have been having casual catch-ups and virtual "shut up and write" sessions, as well as sharing information about relevant webinars, conferences, scholarships, post-doc opportunities, funding opportunities and more.
Upcoming Events
- Wednesday 28 October 2020
- 1.00pm
Writing and Publishing for ECR and HDR Researchers (open to all)
Learn More
Past Events
- Thursday 8 October 2020
- 3.00pm
Workshop on Policy and Policy Change in Asylum Governance
- Wednesday 2 September 2020
- 10.00am
Masterclass with Professor Karen Farquharson (Faculty of Arts) on Critical Race Theory
- Wednesday 13 May 2020
- 3.00pm
Masterclass with Professor Deborah Warr (Charles Sturt University) on Co-produced Research
- Friday 21 February 2020
- 2.00pm
Welcome Event 2020
- Monday3 December 2020
- 3.00pm
Activism and Academia Workshop
- Tuesday19 November 2019
- All Day
Migration, Refugees and Statelessness Interdisciplinary Conference
- Friday20 September 2019
- 2.00pm
Masterclass with Carolina Gottardo (Jesuit Refugee Service) on Global Compacts and Regional Refugee Processes
- Wednesday21 August
- 2.00pm
Masterclass with Dr Ibi Losoncz (ANU) on Unforced Migration
- Wednesday29 May 2019
- 10.00am
International Fieldwork Workshop
- Monday25 March 2019
- 2.30pm
Ethics Workshop
- Thursday14 March 2019
- 1.00pm
Welcome Event 2019
- Thursday21 February 2019
- 2.00pm
Workshop on Responsibility for Refugee and Migrant Integration
- Friday7 December 2018
- 2.00pm
Masterclass with Associate Professor Val Colic-Peiske, Migration and Mobility Research Network, RMIT
- Thursday15 November 2018
- All Day
Researchers for Asylum Seekers Interdisciplinary Conference
- Friday6 October 2018
- 2.00pm
Share Your Research Session
- Thursday16 August 2018
- 3.00pm
Study Circle led by Shannon Owen: The Research Encounter
- Friday10 August 2018
- 2.00pm
Masterclass with Associate Professor Eva Alisic (Melbourne School of Population and Global Health) on children and trauma
- Friday13 July 2018
- 3.00pm
Study Circle led by Anh Nguyen: Refugee Mobility, Framework and Purpose
- Friday29 June 2018
- 2.00pm
Masterclass with Gillian Triggs, Vice Chancellor's Fellow and former President of the Australian Human Rights Commission
- Friday8 June 2018
- 2.00pm
Masterclass with Professor Nick Haslam, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences
- Friday18 May 2018
- 2.00pm
Skills Workshop: Writing and Responding to Journal Review with Professor Julie McLeod, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Capability)
- Friday11 May 2018
- 2.00pm
Masterclass with Erika Feller, Vice Chancellor's Fellow and former Assistant High Commissioner (Protection) at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- Friday23 March 2018
- 3.30pm
Welcome Social Event at the Melbourne Social Equity Institute
- Tuesday & Wednesday13 – 14 February 2018
- All Day
Refugee Alternatives Conference
- Thursday16 November 2017
- All Day
RAS Postgraduate Conference
- Friday13 October 2017
- 2.00pm
Abstract writing and presentation skills workshop
- Friday8 September 2017
- 2.00pm
Research translation and communication workshop
- Friday11 August 2017
- All Day
Introductory full-day workshop and launch of the PhD Program
PhD candidates enrolled in the PhD program come from schools and faculties from across the University of Melbourne including Law, Education, Architecture, Fine Arts and Population Health.
Current Students
Adrienne Anderson
Refugee law and gender-based violence against women: uncovering the political dimensions
Sayomi Ariyawansa
Tackling the exploitation of temporary migrant workers
Estelle Boyle
Interstitial spaces of belonging: the role of digitally networked spaces in refugee and migrant inclusion
Deirdre Brennan
Campaigning for citizenship in Nepal (2006 – 2018): assessing how activism impacts upon law reform and the public perception of the stateless
Duncan Caillard
The art of looking: contemplating emptiness in the films of Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Mollie Daphne
How can/does the Victorian education system support social inclusion, educational engagement and successful educational outcomes for students from refugee backgrounds in both primary and secondary schools in the growth areas of Melbourne?
Vincent Dogbey
The dilemmas of development: forced migration, displacement and involuntary resettlement
Jean Dinco
Framing the Rohingya conflict: can social media and traditional media frames forecast conflicts?
Caitlin Douglass
Exploring alcohol and other drug use among young people of migrant backgrounds in Victoria
Philippa Duell-Piening
The right to be counted for people with disabilities who are refugees or from refugee backgrounds
Rose Iser
Understanding second-generation African Australian students from refugee backgrounds in the classroom
Sarah Khaw
Exploring community-based doulas' and health care providers' experiences when providing care to migrant and refugee women in Australian maternity settings
Thomas McGee
Syria's changing statelessness landscape
Hala Nasr
Safe spaces as a response to gender-based violence in refugee settings: possibilities and limitations
Shannon Owen
Projecting futures through documentary film
Daniel Pejic
The city as group agent in global migration governance
Jade Roberts
Beyond the state: an individual rights approach to recognising and protecting the rights of stateless people
Nina Serova
Inheritances and encounters: Russian migrant women’s experiences in Australia
Farnaz Shahimi
Resilience and sense of identity among refugee children: a social ecological perspective
Kelly Soderstrom
Governance and responsibility in the refugee crisis in Germany: an analysis of institutional change and the capabilities-expectation gap
Sarah Strauven
People with and without refugee experience co-creating a shared world through narrative practices
Claire Sullivan
Legal responses to violence: experiences of women from refugee backgrounds
Catherine Townsend
Continental European Architects who migrated to Victoria between 1930 and 1940: their experience and contribution to Australian architecture.
Franka Vaughan
Who is a Liberian anyways? The claim for formalised identity by diasporic Liberians
Dana Young
Sports participation, social capital and health for refugee and migrant teenage girls
Max Walden
Where to now, if anywhere? The role of international NGOs and grassroots civil society actors in advocating on behalf of asylum seekers and refugees in Indonesia
Completed Students
Jonathan Daly
Out-of-placeness: mediating intercultural encounter through urban design
Completed in 2019
Rasika Jayasuriya
Protecting the right to family unity: the impact of low-waged labour migration on children left behind
Completed in 2019
Ebony King
The role of services in facilitating the resilience of unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors
Completed in 2019
Sanaz Nasirpour
Diasporic relations and women’s leadership: the question of women’s rights in Iran
Completed in 2018
Anh Nguyen
Vietnamese child migrants in Australia and the historical use of Facebook in digital diaspora
Completed in 2019
Louise Olliff
Refugee diaspora organisations in the international refugee regime: motivations, modalities and implications of diaspora humanitarianism
Completed in 2017
Elham M Shoorcheh
Examination of key clinical, biological, psychological and social factors associated with post-pubertal anxiety in young people diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Completed in 2018
Brandais York
The legal rights and protections of Cambodian women within international marriage migration to China
Completed in 2019
The Program is offered by the Melbourne Social Equity Institute and students remain enrolled in their current departments. Eligible students must have at least one supervisor based at the University of Melbourne and be undertaking doctoral research on a relevant topic.
Timely completion of a PhD thesis remains the priority, with the Program intended to enhance the experience of advanced research training and aid post PhD pathways.
Students can join the program at any time during their candidature and remain part of the program until the completion of their doctoral studies.
If you are not a current student at the University of Melbourne and would like information about how to apply to become a PhD candidate at the University, please visit the Future Students website.
Application Process
Applicants are asked to provide the following information via an online form. We strongly recommend that you prepare your answers offline (in Microsoft Word or similar) and save a copy for your own records.
- Name, enrolment and contact information
- Start and expected completion dates
- Current Supervisor/s
- Thesis title (or proposed title)
- A brief description of their topic (up to 100 words)
- An outline of what they are most interested in gaining from the program (up to 100 words)
The PhD Program in Migration, Statelessness and Refugee Studies is open to students enrolled in a PhD at the University of Melbourne through any of its Faculties. If you would like information about how to apply to become a PhD candidate at the University, please visit the Future Students website.
If you a current student or have already applied to study at the University of Melbourne and have questions about the PhD Program please contact:
Dr Karen Block
keblock@unimelb.edu.au
socialequity.unimelb.edu.au
+61 3 8344 0862
For updates about our work in the area of refugees and migration, and the other activities of the Melbourne Social Equity Institute, please subscribe to our email newsletter.