Indigenous research and leadership development programs

The University of Melbourne, through the Faculty of Education, offers two programs for people of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent who are currently undertaking or have recently completed a Research Higher Degree.

The programs are underpinned by Indigenous knowledges and perspectives, and include contributions from a broad range of senior Indigenous academics from across Australia. They offer unique opportunities for students to connect and network with other Indigenous researchers and build important research collaborations.

The programs support students to develop and enhance research skills essential to higher degree research completion and career success, and to build leadership capability.

The Professional Certificate in Indigenous Research and the Graduate Certificate in Indigenous Research and Leadership form Signature Project 1.1 of Murmuk Djerring, the University of Melbourne’s Indigenous Strategy 2023-27.

Applicants accepted into the programs will receive a full scholarship thanks to a generous gift to the University from Julie Hannaford. The scholarship covers course fees as well as travel and accommodation for an on-campus symposium.

Read what people say about their experiences of the courses

• “The course was so engaging and opened our thinking up about post-graduate work, research, and thinking, particularly in an Indigenous context – you can see how you can shape the theoretical approaches of a methodology that you’re using because of your positioning…this course did that for me, and it just was like someone turned a key. It was really good. I can’t speak highly enough about it.”

• “The fact that this course was subsidised made a lot of difference to me ... Knowing that this would have also allowed others to attend and to see that there was a lot of us in the room together was great.”

• “This course is crucial in advancing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research as it provides an important opportunity for those at the beginning of their research journey to gain insight into the process, to develop their ideas and to create connections with others. These are all critical factors as they help to ensure that we gain foundational support in our early research, which can then contribute to our ability and confidence to see the research journey to the end. This of course is vital as more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers and academics are needed to not only reach parity with the rest of the academic world, but in that our voices can speak to our lived experiences and share the stories of our people."

• "Thinking about research through an Aboriginal lens, just offers a really, really important space that is very difficult` to find anywhere else."

• “The most memorable outcome for me from the Graduate Certificate was without a doubt, the people. Getting to know everyone, the other participants and the Melbourne Uni crew, was exactly what I needed. Seeing how other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are engaging in so many areas of research was not only excellent to hear, but it was also inspiring to see their development over the days we spent together. The connections that I made with everyone are really special to me, as it made me feel like that my journey is not a solo one. I know that the relationships that came from the course will be supportive now and in the future, which when looking at the amount of Indigenous academics in Australia, is really important. The Graduate Certificate helped me to realise that my place in the world as an Aboriginal academic is not only valid, but that it will be important and can be powerful.”

• "It reflects our ways of being Indigenous peoples, the relationality that we have, the coming together, the sharing. And I think that’s a really important scaffold and bolstering aspect of this program."