PhD Programs

5 minute read

Give yourself an edge. Join a multidisciplinary PhD Program to enrich your graduate research experience. The University’s PhD Programs are supplementary learning opportunities that exist outside your core PhD studies. They provide the chance to work with others who share a passion for discovering new knowledge in your area of interest.

We currently offer 10 multidisciplinary programs, detailed below. Each has a different focus, such as mental health, cancer, or infection and immunity. The programs features a series of activities to enhance your learning experience. You can attend masterclasses, workshops and seminars, delivered by experts in your field. You will keep up to date with research findings and breakthrough discoveries. And you may have opportunities for mentoring and internships.

When you join a PhD Program, you’ll connect with graduate researchers from other disciplines. And you’ll engage with relevant external organisations. By participating, you’ll broaden your networks and improve your career prospects.

Please note, these programs run outside your core PhD research. If you are looking for information about possible topics for your core PhD research, please explore the breadth of PhD research themes available.

Why join a PhD Program?

By joining a PhD Program, you will set yourself up for success. You'll have extra support and opportunities throughout your research degree. This will enable you to:

access a breadth of expertise from across the University
consider your research from the perspective of other disciplines
place your research in a broader multidisciplinary context
build multidisciplinary networks that lead to postdoctoral pathways
develop professional skills to enhance your career prospects
improve your research and communication skills to become an accomplished graduate researcher.

Are you eligible?

To take part, you must be enrolled in a PhD at the University of Melbourne. Your thesis topic must relate to the PhD Program theme.
When you join a PhD Program, you will remain enrolled in your current department.
You can join a PhD Program at any time during your candidature. You will remain part of the program until you complete your doctoral studies.

Explore the individual PhD Programs

Biomedical Engineering Innovation PhD Program

The Biomedical Engineering Innovation PhD Program is a multidisciplinary research training initiative. It is a supplementary learning opportunity that enriches the graduate research experience.

The program brings together people who work on research related to biomedical engineering, including:

PhD students, supervisors and alumni from across the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct
industry and clinical partners.

The program is facilitated by:

the Graeme Clark Institute
the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Melbourne.

Find out more

Child and Adolescent Health PhD Program

The Child and Adolescent Health PhD Program complements your PhD studies. As a participant, you will join more than 200 graduate researchers at the Melbourne Children’s Campus. This campus is a fully integrated paediatric teaching hospital, University department and research institute. Our research streams include:

cell biology
genetics
clinical sciences
population health
infection and immunity.

We undertake multidisciplinary research in the following areas:

clinical trials
genomics
stem cell medicine
global health
life-course (longitudinal population) studies
health services research
digital health
data science.

Find out more

Comprehensive Cancer PhD Program

The Comprehensive Cancer PhD Program provides specialist cancer research training and support for PhD candidates. It complements your core PhD activities.

The program provides a unique opportunity for PhD candidates researching cancer-related topics to work together. It attracts PhD candidates from a range of disciplines.

To be eligible, you must be enrolled as a PhD student in a partner organisation. Together, these organisations form the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) alliance. Through this program, you will experience clinical and research activities across the alliance.

Upon completion, you will be ready to conduct world-class cancer research. The program will also prepare you for a wide range of career options. It does this by broadening the scope of your research knowledge. And by providing professional development and career training programs.

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Interdisciplinary Graduate Research Program in Indigenous Settler Relations

The Interdisciplinary Graduate Research Program in Indigenous Settler Relations enhances the experience of Masters and PhD students by creating an enriching cohort experience. The program develops an intellectual community and facilitates opportunities for you to deepen your academic knowledge and skills.

The program is open to graduate researchers in any faculty. You must be undertaking graduate research related to Indigenous settler relations in Australia and the world.

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Infection and Immunity PhD Program

As a participant, you will work with others who share a passion for discovering new knowledge about infection and immunity. In this program, you will:

learn from global leaders in infection and immunity
access high-calibre scientists and facilities
work in an environment where discovery research meets diagnosis and surveillance
work with experts in infectious diseases, epidemiology, genomics and more.

The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity delivers this PhD Program. The institute is a joint venture between the University of Melbourne and the Royal Melbourne Hospital. You may join this program if you are:

a graduate researcher at the Doherty Institute
enrolled in a PhD at the University of Melbourne.

The Doherty Institute is home to high-quality discovery research. It has large diagnostic operations in virology and bacteriology. So, the institute can provide vast research training opportunities in many areas, including:

epidemiology
clinical and translational research
infectious diseases surveillance
outbreak investigations.

As a program participant, you will access first-class research training in your primary discipline. And you can supplement this with extra workshops, seminars and potential internships. Our key partners in biopharmaceutical-linked industries provide these extra training opportunities. These connections will assist with future employment opportunities, beyond the pure research environment.

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Medical Biology PhD Program

When you join the Medical Biology PhD Program, you will work with others who share a passion for research related to medical biology.

You will learn more about:

medical biology
research management
commercialisation of research
clinical translation.

The Medical Biology PhD Program is delivered by the Department of Medical Biology at the University of Melbourne. When you join, you will undertake research training at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI).

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Mental Health PhD Program

When you join the Mental Health PhD Program, you’ll feel part of a community. You will work with others who share a passion for discovering new knowledge about mental health. We have graduate researchers from a wide range of disciplines, including:

psychiatry
psychology
epidemiology and community mental health
history and philosophy of psychiatry
psychiatric nursing
social work.

This interdisciplinary PhD program offers PhD candidates in mental health a unified research training experience. It is a joint initiative of the following schools and departments:

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Migration, Statelessness and Refugee Studies PhD Program

The Migration, Statelessness and Refugee Studies PhD Program is delivered by the Melbourne Social Equity Institute at the University of Melbourne.

You will work with others who share a passion for discovering new knowledge in this area. You will engage with researchers from other disciplines across the University. And you will connect with relevant external organisations.

These connections will allow you to:

consider your research from the perspective of others
develop your research in reference to current real-world challenges
enhance your career prospects.

During the program, you will attend masterclasses, workshops and seminars. There will be a focus on ethics and research methods. And you will learn how to communicate your research to diverse audiences.

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Neuroscience PhD Program

The Melbourne Neuroscience PhD Program brings together graduate researchers from many disciplines. These researchers share a passion for discovering knowledge in the area of neuroscience. When you join, you will access the best in neuroscience research from across the University.

The Melbourne Neuroscience PhD Program will help you to:

connect with other researchers from across the University
build relationships with relevant external organisations
develop your future career path after graduation
consider your research topic from different perspectives
contribute to the discovery of new knowledge
expand your professional and personal networks
learn how to engage with industry.

We have a strategic location in Parkville. This allows us to link across faculties. And we are close to key partner organisations including hospitals, research institutes and industry partners.

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The Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences hosts the One Health PhD Program. This program is open to graduate researchers from the:

The University of Melbourne’s PhD Programs are supplementary learning opportunities that enhance your graduate research experience. To join this PhD Program, you must be enrolled in a PhD with a One Health focus. The One Health concept recognises that water, soil, plant, animal and human health are interdependent. The University’s vision is to conduct high-quality, high-impact research across the One Health spectrum. This PhD Program is a key part of our One Health strategy. You can engage with our guiding principles to create a healthy and sustainable world.

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Population and Global Health Graduate Research Program

The Population and Global Health Graduate Research Program provides an engaging and practical skills-based training environment and cohort experience for graduate researchers.

The program enables you to maximise the value of your graduate research experience. It also helps you to make informed choices about your future career path.

It will focus on: