UWA Postgraduate Research Scholarships for 2010

UWA Postgraduate Research Scholarships for Local Students

The University of Western Australia has a range of postgraduate research scholarships available for local (domestic) students, including Australian Postgraduate Awards (APA), University Postgraduate Awards (UPA) and prestigious University scholarships funded from bequests. These awards are tenable at The University of Western Australia for up to two years for Masters by research candidates and three years for Doctoral candidates. PhD scholarships may be extended to a maximum of three and a half years.

Australian/University Postgraduate Awards

Australian and University Postgraduate Awards valued at $20,427pa (tax-free) in 2009 are awarded in all disciplines. It is expected that the APA/UPA stipend will be increased to $22,500pa in 2010.

UWA Safety-Net Top-Up Scholarships

UWA Safety Net Top-Up Scholarships valued at $5,000pa (tax-free) for 2009 were  awarded in conjunction with Australian and University Postgraduate Awards to new students without other Top-Ups of $10,000pa or more. The UWA Top-Ups were introduced as a temporary measure to raise the minimum postgraduate scholarship to at least $25,000 pa due to the APA rate not being raised for 2009 and the combined value of the APA/UPA and Top-Up stipend is $25,427pa in 2009.

Please note that the award and value of the UWA Top-Up stipend for each year is wholly within the discretion of the Scholarships Committee. The Committee will take various factors into consideration, especially the value of the APA stipend set by DEEWR. It will be reviewed annually and the annual value may be varied up or down in subsequent years from the amount initially quoted in the year of commencement.

In the recent Federal Budget it was announced that the APA stipend will be increased to $22,500pa for 2010, and the Scholarships Committee will reduce the Top-Up for 2010 to $3500pa in the light of the APA increase. The combined total APA/UPA plus UWA Top-Up will be $26,000pa for 2010. The UWA Top-Up stipend for 2011 and later years will be subject to change and may be further reduced if there are future increases to the APA stipend.

Prestigious Scholarships - Multiple Disciplines
Awarded in the main end of year round

• Valued at up to $110,000 over 3 and a half years
• Hackett Postgraduate Scholarships for all disciplines
• Prescott Postgraduate Scholarships for all disciplines
• Eric & Shirley Barrington Scholarships for financially disadvantaged students with demonstrated high academic achievement
• Robert and Maude Gledden Postgraduate Scholarships for research in applied science, particularly relating to surveying, engineering, mining or cognate subjects
• Jean Rogerson Postgraduate Top-up Scholarships for all disciplines 

Please see the UWA Prestigious Postgraduate Research Scholarships page for more information on the value and conditions attached to these scholarships.

A separate application form for the prestigious scholarships is not required and Mid-Year APA applications can be transferred across to the main round. However you may need to provide extra information for specific scholarships (for example, the Gledden scholarships and others). Any Mid-Year APA awardees who are awarded a prestigious scholarship for 2010 will receive the higher stipend and entitlement to additional allowances, from 1 January 2010.

Engineering, Computing & Mathematical Sciences Scholarships

• William & Marlene Schrader Postgraduate Scholarships for research in Biomedical Engineering, with preference given to students establishing financial need.
• Samaha Research Scholarships - full and top-up scholarships for research in Engineering.
• Julian & Irena Hunka Memorial Trust Scholarships for research in Mechanical Engineering.
• Benthic Geotech Scholarship for research in Civil & Resource Engineering studying offshore site investigation techniques
• Ernest & Evelyn Havill Shacklock Scholarships top-up scholarships for research in Civil & Resource Engineering.
• Othman Frank Blakey Scholarships top-up scholarships for research in Civil & Resource Engineering.
• William Lambden Owen Scholarships top-up scholarships for research in Engineering. 

Medicine, Dentistry & Health Sciences Scholarships

• Richard Walter Gibbon Medical Research Scholarship for research in a field related to cancer or Parkinson's disease, for science graduates or medical and dental graduates. Further details are available here.
• Warren Jones/UWA Postgraduate Research Scholarship for PhD research supervised and undertaken at Fremantle Hospital. Further details are available here.
• Stan & Jean Perron Awards are for students to conduct the research principally within the Telethon Institute of Child Health Research under the supervision of one or more of the Institute’s researchers. Further details on the scholarship and application process are available.
• Cognitive Impairments in Dementia PhD Top-Up Scholarship for research into the cognitive impairments underlying symptoms of dementia. Enrolment will be through the School of Psychology or the School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, and the research will be conducted as part of the North-Metropolitan Area Health Service-Older Adult Mental Health Program. The scholarship provides a stipend of $10,000 pa. The scholarship provides a stipend of $10,000 pa. More information is available here.
• Mitochondrial Gene Expression Scholarship for research in mitochondrial biology and the development of gene therapy approaches and chemotherapeutics to combat mitochondrial dysfunction in disease. More information is available here.
• Synthetic Biology Scholarship for research in synthetic biology to engineer artificial processes inside living cells. More information is available here

Architecture, Landscape & Visual Arts

• The Tarlington-Hetherington Scholarship in Fine Arts is awarded as a supplementary scholarship with an Australian or University Postgraduate Award. It is valued at $2000 and paid via a single cheque payment. More information is available here.

Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences Scholarships

• Ferry Postgraduate Philosophy Top-Up Scholarship is available to undertake PhD research in the field of "Hard Determinism" in the Discipline of Philosophy. More information on how to apply for this scholarship is available here.
• Theresa Symons Top-Up Scholarships in Philosophy is available to students undertaking research in the area of Philosophy. More information on how to apply for this scholarship is available here.
• Nakashima Foundation Japanese Studies Scholarship for PhD research in contemporary Japanese studies, with preference given to research projects within the discipline of Asian Studies. More information is available here.
• Ernest & Evelyn Havill Shacklock Scholarship is a $6000pa top-up scholarship awarded to the top-ranked eligible applicant for research in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Life and Physical Sciences

• Ernest & Evelyn Havill Shacklock Scholarship is a $6000pa top-up scholarship awarded to the top-ranked eligible applicant for research in Life and Physical Sciences.
• Cognitive Impairments in Dementia PhD Top-Up Scholarship for research into the cognitive impairments underlying symptoms of dementia. Enrolment will be through the School of Psychology or the School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, and the research will be conducted as part of the North-Metropolitan Area Health Service-Older Adult Mental Health Program. The scholarship provides a stipend of $10,000 pa. The scholarship provides a stipend of $10,000 pa. More information is available here.

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

• CTW Dr Margaret Feilman Postgraduate Scholarship is available to a female graduate to undertake PhD research on 'The Natural and Agricultural Sciences' related to one or more fields of botany, zoology, surface hydrology, physical geography or soils as they relate to the land mass of WA. More information is available here.
• Sir Eric Smart Scholarship for Agricultural Research is offered to encourage students to enrol in the Doctor of Philosophy degree in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences to undertake research projects in relation to ways in which the productivity and profitability of grain crops growing in the light soil types of Western Australia may be improved. More information is available here.

Business

• BHP Billiton Postgraduate Research Scholarships are available to pursue research in economic, business or management issues relevant to the resources sector.

Awards for Indigenous Applicants

• Indigenous Postgraduate Research Top-Up Scholarships valued at $10,000 per annum, are awarded to all Indigenous applicants who are awarded either an Australian or University Postgraduate Award. No separate application form is required, but please tick the Indigenous Top-Up box on the online form.
• Community Council Scholarship in Knowledge Transfer and Indigenous Health valued at $26,000pa plus $2000 travel/maintenance allowance. Further information is available here
  
  
  Some of the above awards make provision for a relocation allowance for interstate transfers and a thesis allowance within the time limit specified (see individual Conditions of Award). Please see column on the right (entitled "stipends and conditions") for scholarship value and other specified allowances.

An Establishment Allowance of $2,000 will be paid to highly ranked applicants relocating from interstate and overseas (Australian Citizens and Permanent Residents only) in addition to relocation allowances provided by the various scholarship schemes, as listed above.

Application instructions and extensive information on scholarships is found on the Advice to Applicants sheet. Further information about prestigious scholarships can be obtained here.

Application Procedure

Applications for 2010 Australian and University Postgraduate Awards and UWA Postgraduate Scholarships are by online form through the iAthena Scholarship System. Click HERE for iAthena Login

Applicants for Postgraduate Courses in Psychology

Please note that all applicants for postgraduate degree courses in Psychology may also need to complete a separate application form to be submitted directly to the School of Psychology. For details please see the Psychology website at: http://www.psychology.uwa.edu.au/for/prospective_postgraduates

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible to apply for postgraduate research scholarships an applicant must:

• be an Australian citizen, an Australian Permanent Resident or a New Zealand citizen.

An applicant must also:

• have obtained, or expect to obtain at least an upper division Second Class Honours degree* or equivalent;
• be undertaking or intend to enrol in a Masters by Research or Doctoral degree in 2010;
• be enrolling as a full-time student. Approval may be given for a part-time award where an applicant is able to demonstrate heavy care commitments or a medical condition which would preclude full-time study;
• not have completed a degree at the same level or higher level as the proposed candidature;
• not expect to receive another equivalent award, scholarship or salary to undertake the proposed study which is greater than 75% of the stipend rate;
• be free to take up a postgraduate award if offered, by 31 March 2010.  Special approval may be granted on written application for a later commencement date for candidates with unavoidable commitments but any awards offered will lapse if not taken up before 30 June 2010.

* Please note: Australian Postgraduate Awards (APAs) are only awarded to applicants with First Class Honours or equivalent results. To be eligible for an Australian Postgraduate Award, you cannot have held an APA, an APA (Industry) or an Australian Postgraduate Research Award previously, unless it was terminated within six months of commencement.

Closing Dates & Enquiries

APPLICATIONS FOR STUDY IN 2010

Open: 12 August 2009

Close: Friday 30th October 2009

Enquiries not answered by the Advice For Applicants sheet should be directed to the Graduate Research and Scholarships Office:

Email: help@scholarships.uwa.edu.au
Telephone: (08) 6488 1584 or (08) 6488 3738
Fax: (08) 6488 1919 

Postal address (for original documents):
Graduate Research and Scholarships Office – M358
G13 Hackett Hall
The University of Western Australia
35 Stirling Highway
CRAWLEY WA 6009