Fellowship support scheme scholarship

PhD scholarship opportunity in economics at The University of Queensland, based in the School of Economics and linked to an ARC DECRA project led by Associate Professor David Smerdon. The project sits at the intersection of applied microeconometrics, behavioural economics, health economics, and quantitative research on decision-making and cognitive performance.

The research agenda examines how sleep, exercise, diet, and environmental conditions shape real-world behaviour using de-identified WHOOP wearable data, Chess.com game data, and environmental data. Possible thesis directions include sleep quality and circadian disruption, exercise and recovery, environmental shocks, heterogeneous effects, and causal machine-learning approaches for personalised behavioural recommendations.

Applicants should have strong skills in applied microeconometrics, causal inference, panel methods, difference-in-differences, two-way fixed effects, instrumental variables, and experimental or quasi-experimental design. Strong R or Python capability is especially valued, along with reproducible coding, version control, and AI-integrated research workflows. Experience with behavioural data, wearable/sleep data, or large health datasets is desirable but not required.

This is a domestic Australian PhD scholarship only. Funding includes a living stipend of $37,500 per annum tax free (2026 rate, indexed annually) and tuition fees covered. Applicants must commence no later than Research Quarter 4, 2027, and should submit an expression of interest (EOI) for the PhD program. In the EOI, select the advertised project option and use scholarship code CHESS-SMERDON.

For questions, contact Associate Professor David Smerdon at [email protected]. The project is not available to international students.