PhD Scholarship: Co-Designing Climate Justice

In the face of growing climate, economic, and social risks, urban resilience is increasingly important. The complexity of these challenges require innovative approaches across government, the private sector and local communities.

PhD Scholarships: Co-Designing Climate Justice

This PhD project will examine community co-design as a means of improving climate justice and community resilience in Melbourne. It will evaluate recent and on-going co-design projects and may include the delivery of novel co-design methods with communities, depending on the availability and consent of community partners. The project will focus on heat as a priority risk for Melbourne.

The impacts of climate change are likely to be most severe for those with the lowest capacity to adapt. Community resilience to climate-related disasters is celebrated as local people pull together to help each other in times of emergency, yet communities often feel unsupported in the long-term processes of preparing for and recovering from disasters. Community and individual disaster resilience may be undermined by long-term stresses such as poverty, under-employment, disability, low-quality housing and social exclusion.

Community co-design aims to bring community knowledge, needs and aspirations into the core of decision-making about services, products and systems. Co-design methods have the potential to respond to the complexity of risks facing urban communities by enabling a diversity of knowledge and perspectives to be included from the outset of projects and programs.

The Urban Resilience and Innovation Program at the Melbourne Centre for Cities is underpinned by a strong partnership with the City of Melbourne. We have two PhD studentships available to commence in 2023. This scholarship is for a PhD project to commence in 2023. The successful PhD candidate will join a vibrant, interdisciplinary team working across the City and the University of Melbourne. Research undertaken by the candidates will support the City of Melbourne to better understand the resilience challenges they face and the opportunities for innovation in policy and practice.

We welcome applications from candidates with relevant qualifications and experience. This could include design, geography, engineering, environmental science, community development, planning, architecture or other academic and professional disciplines. Prospective candidates are encouraged to familiarise themselves with Prof. Bell’s research, including her work on Bottom-Up Infrastructure.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are strongly encouraged to apply and to contact Prof. Bell to discuss their application and research ideas and experience. See here for further information about Indigenous graduate researcher support at the University

Eligibility: To be eligible for these scholarships applicants must be a Domestic applicant, and meet the Faculty's entry requirements.

Stipend amount and duration: Stipend rate of $34,400 pa (2023 rate, then indexed) for 3.5 years. Access to standard fieldwork and conference support.

Other allowances: The Faculty’s normal allowances will be offered to the successful candidate. These include fieldwork funding, conference grants, a computer, office space etc.

Fees: This scholarship is open to domestic/local candidates only (RTP covers fees)

Preferred commencement date for successful candidate: Semester 1, 2023

Application process:

  • Submit a formal application for PhD candidature through the University of Melbourne application system (application for candidature is essential, and separate to the EOI for scholarship. Further details regarding eligibility, other requirements and the application link can be found here).
    • Supply all requested detail, including a research proposal (up to 2,000 words) and current CV
  • Submit an Expression of Interest for the scholarship by the 31st August.

Project Sponsor: Melbourne Centre for Cities, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning

Research Associations: Melbourne Centre for Cities, City of Melbourne Chair in Urban Resilience and Innovation, The Retrofit Lab, City of Melbourne

For enquiries and further information please contact Prof. Sarah Bell