Graduate researchers are a diverse and inspiring group of people, each following their own pathway to a research degree at the University of Melbourne. Often these individual stories and perspectives influence their choice of PhD topic.
Your research degree will prepare you for a career in research, but it can also lead to many other places. Some of our graduates take research positions in Australia or around the world. Others join the private sector, run their own business, or work for the government or not-for-profit organisations.
Explore their stories.
Life as a graduate researcher
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How a music PhD can fuel artistic practice
Monica Lim empowers more people to make music. Her PhD in interactive composition feeds her artistic practice and connects her to collaborators.
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How a PhD candidate is returning native plants to urban Melbourne
Katherine Horsfall is bringing biodiversity – and beauty – back into Melbourne’s suburbs, while building industry connections and launching her business.
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A PhD will allow this psychologist to help more people
Julia Hall hopes to become the first person in her family to complete a PhD. Her research has helped uncover how the pandemic affected children’s development.
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Designing hypersonic vehicles through an engineering PhD
PhD candidate Vincent Liu is partnering with industry to develop autonomous flying technology.
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Experiments in space: how a PhD candidate helps satellites talk
PhD candidate Rob Mearns helps nanosatellites talk to their operations centres. His instrumentation is packed aboard the SpIRIT nanosatellite, now in orbit.
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Developing new medical technologies through a PhD
Negar Zoka is researching new methods of brain stimulation. She is excited about the potential practical outcomes of her research.
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How a passion becomes a University of Melbourne PhD project
Nellie Seale has combined her two passions – cultural institutions and games – into a unique PhD looking at how museums can use games to engage the public.
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How a PhD can support keeping artificial intelligence ethical
PhD candidate Henrietta Lyons is using her legal skills to research the design of systems to appeal decisions made by AI.
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Becoming a champion for arts in disaster relief through a PhD
Disasters can fracture communities. To heal social connections, Anna Kennedy-Borissow is building the case to include the arts in emergency planning.
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How a PhD connects this engineer to new people and ideas
Liam Murray wants his biomedical engineering research to reach patients. He connects to an international, interdisciplinary network to improve human health.
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The injustice of coal: driving decarbonisation through a PhD
PhD candidate Ceren Ayas is researching how justice can be used as a key driver for low-carbon transition away from coal.
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Bringing Indigenous knowledges into classrooms through a PhD
Through his PhD, Josh Cubillo wants to educate and empower non-Indigenous teachers in urban settings, so they can integrate Indigenous knowledges into their curriculum.
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Researching identity construction while building a new life
Franka Vaughan has moved to Melbourne from the UK to complete her PhD. Originally from Ghana in West Africa, Franka is researching identity construction in post-conflict Liberia.
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This PhD candidate empowers people in a mental health crisis
Helena Roennfeldt’s lived experience of the mental health system is informing her PhD research. She is making space for people to talk about their own mental health crises, so these insights can shape new solutions.
Life after graduate research
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Reducing the stigma of child-to-parent violence through a PhD
Dr Cristina Tambasco worked to reduce the stigma of child-to-parent violence through her research. Her PhD has led to a career in the community sector.
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A PhD nurturing Indigenous knowledge launched a tech career
Dr Kagonya Awori is blazing a trail in the tech sector, forging new knowledge in the process.
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The 'right' supervisor, funding and community led to PhD success
An unexpected opportunity to complete a PhD at the University of Melbourne became a life-changing event for Dr Oscar T Serquiña Jr.
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How a PhD created career and life opportunities for this graduate
Dr Martin Reinoso loved solving problems creatively during his PhD. For him, the PhD led to a job, a startup company and Australian citizenship.
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A University of Melbourne PhD can support industry careers
Dr Kayla Heffernan proposed her own thesis topic to her PhD supervisors. Research skills she gained have benefited her career in user experience design.
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How a PhD trained this researcher to find creative solutions
Generous mentors helped Dr John Lu finish his PhD in battery recycling. He continues to pursue difficult questions as a Research Fellow.
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How a research career becomes possible with a PhD
Dr Hanchao Hou gained the skills and knowledge needed to develop a whole new research framework through a PhD at the University of Melbourne.
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How a PhD can lead to improving patient lives
Dr Shunfei Yan helps researchers identify unmet medical needs – a passion he developed during a PhD at the University of Melbourne.
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A joint PhD creates career opportunities around the world
Find out what it’s like to undertake a joint PhD in Germany and Australia. Learn how an international joint PhD can shape your career and your life choices.
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Uplifting children's voices: how a PhD can change careers
Dr Katie Lamb talks about life after her PhD. And the perspectives of children and young people who’ve experienced family violence.
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How a PhD led to an epilepsy clinical trial – and a new career
Umesh Nair uses skills he acquired during his PhD to help researchers meet their own infrastructure needs.
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From a PhD to a mobile app that helps predict seizures
Dr Pip Karoly is working on a seizure forecasting app for epilepsy sufferers – something she'd outlined in her PhD.
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A PhD supports a career in international law research
Dr Anna Dziedzic talks about her research on the use of foreign judges, and her life after completing her PhD.