Australian Research Council Discovery Project

RMIT University is recruiting a fully funded PhD candidate for the Australian Research Council Discovery Project Shadow Money: A Comparative Analysis. The project examines the implications of digital tokenization for the financial sector, with a specific focus on stablecoins, payment networks, and the impact on the credit card payments industry.

The successful candidate will join an international and interdisciplinary team of leading scholars and will contribute to research on the design, usage, benefits, and challenges of stablecoins. The project is interested in the socio-technical dimensions of payments infrastructure, including how digital token integration may transform or displace existing credit card payment rails, revenue models, and industry control structures.

Preferred academic backgrounds include economic sociology, science and technology studies, economics, finance, political economy, and related fields. Applicants should have strong knowledge of digital technologies, platform studies, payment infrastructures, blockchain, stablecoins, and finance. An Honours 1 or Masters by Research degree is required, along with an excellent academic record and strong communication skills. English proficiency must satisfy RMIT HDR policy (IELTS 6.5 overall, with no band below 6.0 or equivalent).

Applications are to be sent by email to Prof Janet Roitman at [email protected] with the subject line PhD Application_ARC DP_Your Name. Applicants should include a CV with publications, academic transcripts, a 2-page research proposal with 2-3 open-ended research questions or a hypothesis, and an English transcript meeting RMIT HDR admission requirements. The post links to the RMIT eligibility page and includes an attached project description for further details.