Francine V McNiff PhD Scholarship

Monash University is offering the Francine V McNiff PhD Scholarship in Criminology through the Social and Political Sciences Graduate Research Program in the Faculty of Arts. This is a PhD scholarship opportunity for candidates interested in criminology, law, and related social science approaches to crime, justice, and policy.

The scholarship is based at Clayton campus in Melbourne and is linked to research supervision in Criminology within the School of Social Sciences and the Faculty of Law. The program highlights research strengths in policing, punishment and prison reform, restorative justice, criminal justice policy reform, hate crime, gender-based violence, and cybercrime/technology-facilitated harms.

Funding: the award includes a Faculty of Arts Research Living Allowance of AUD 37,145 per annum (2026 full-time rate, tax free, indexed) plus an additional AUD 10,000 per annum top-up. The scholarship runs for 3.5 years, and candidates may also access support for research trips, conferences, major events, and other research-related expenses.

Eligibility: applicants should have academic excellence and a strong academic record in Criminology, Law, or a related discipline such as Sociology, Political Science, Gender Studies, Psychology, or Human Geography. Applicants must demonstrate financial disadvantage; refugees and immigrants are welcomed. Candidates must satisfy Monash PhD admission requirements, including English-language proficiency. Applicants must not already hold a PhD. Current Monash PhD students in their first year may be considered if eligible, and scholarship holders must be enrolled full time and on campus.

Application process: first discuss your proposed topic with Dr Kathryn Benier. Then submit an Expression of Interest with a cover letter, a research proposal (max 750 words), CV, academic records and certificates, English test results if applicable, and contact details for two academic referees. Use the Special Scholarship Scheme for the 2026 Francine V McNiff PhD Scholarship in Criminology.

Deadline: applications close on 8 June 2026 at 11:59pm AEST.