This PhD scholarship at the University of Newcastle Australia offers an exciting opportunity to investigate the social history of polio vaccination, focusing on the public health promotion of the Sabin Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) in Australia from 1967 and/or transnational histories of polio and public health in Australia and New Zealand. The doctoral research will be part of a larger Australian Research Council funded project examining polio’s history in Australia between 1950 and 1970—a pivotal period marked by serious outbreaks and the introduction of vaccines. The project, led by Professor Catharine Coleborne, will involve the examination of oral history collections, polio memories, stories from regional Australia, and the introduction of vaccines, with a digital mapping component. The successful PhD candidate will benefit from co-supervision by a member of the history academic staff and/or an expert from public health, medicine, or Indigenous research. The student will have opportunities to attend conferences, co-publish with the lead supervisor, participate in a small research team, and contribute to public engagement activities. Potential research topics include the public health promotion of the Sabin OPV, transnational histories of polio, and the broader social and cultural impacts of polio and vaccination in Australia and New Zealand. The project seeks to research, locate, and reveal people’s experiences of polio, linking personal accounts to the national narrative of health and illness. Through a combination of oral histories, archival sources, and digital humanities approaches, the research aims to produce a multi-dimensional understanding of polio’s history, public memory, medical knowledge, and the role of social welfare organizations. Applicants should have previous experience in social histories of health and medicine (strongly preferred) and must demonstrate archival research capability, as some archives are located in Canberra and other sites. Being based in Newcastle or Sydney is preferable. The student will have the opportunity to shape their project within the framework of the funded program and learn about digital mapping if interested. The scholarship provides a living allowance of $37,440 per annum (2025 rate), indexed annually, for 3.5 years, as well as a tuition fee scholarship for the same duration. An additional relocation allowance of up to $1,500 is available. The scholarship is subject to the grant/funding being fully established. To apply, interested candidates should send an email expressing their interest, including scanned academic transcripts, CV, a brief statement of research interests, and a proposal specifically linked to the research project, to [email protected] by 5pm on 30 January 2026. For more information and to apply, visit the official scholarship page.