Australian Government RTP

PhD or Masters opportunity in Public Health at Curtin University focused on critical perspectives in perinatal public health and maternal responsibilisation.

The project, The Governed Mother: Maternal Responsibilisation in Australian Perinatal Public Health, examines how policy, health messaging, clinical practice, and service systems position women as primarily responsible for early child health outcomes. It uses a critical health promotion lens to explore how responsibility is constructed, whose interests are served, and how these narratives shape care experiences and equity.

Research themes and methods: perinatal public health, maternal responsibility, health promotion, public health policy, gender studies, sociology, equity, and critical discourse analysis. The project will analyse policy documents, clinical guidelines, and health promotion materials; interview perinatal practitioners; survey mothers with young children; and co-design recommendations for system reform.

Institution and supervision: Curtin University, Perth, Australia. The post is advertised by Dr Krysten Blackford, Senior Lecturer in the School of Population Health.

Funding: Australian Government RTP-funded scholarship with tuition and stipend. The opportunity is open to domestic and international applicants.

Eligibility highlights: strong Honours or research Masters graduates are encouraged to apply. Suitable backgrounds include public health, health promotion, sociology, gender studies, or related fields. Applicants should have strong writing skills, an interest in policy and equity, and willingness to work with qualitative and quantitative methods.

Application window: RTP Expressions of Interest are open now for the Central Scholarship round, July 1st to July 31st 2026.

How to apply: submit an Expression of Interest to Dr Krysten Blackford and follow the Curtin project/application instructions. Enquiries can be sent to [email protected].