Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) PhD Scholarship

This PhD scholarship at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) offers an exceptional opportunity to undertake innovative research as part of Dr Raylene Nixon’s Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) project, titled 'Interrogating Institutional Responses to Aboriginal Deaths in Custody in Queensland.' The project critically examines how state institutions, particularly coronial systems, construct, manage, and respond to Aboriginal deaths in custody, with a specific focus on the experiences of families navigating coronial inquests.

The research is grounded in Indigenous sovereignty, anti-colonial, and anti-racist frameworks, aiming to expose and challenge the systemic and institutional conditions that underpin deaths in custody. It seeks to shift dominant narratives by foregrounding the voices, experiences, and truths of families, recognizing them as knowledge holders and witnesses whose testimonies are often marginalized within formal legal processes. The project engages with the coronial inquest as a site where power, narrative, and accountability are contested, exploring how these processes can reproduce harm, silence Indigenous perspectives, and limit possibilities for justice. It also identifies pathways for structural reform and community-led approaches to truth-telling and accountability.

Possible research areas include: the experiences of Aboriginal families engaging with coronial inquests; the role of coronial systems in shaping narratives of death, responsibility, and accountability; institutional racism and structural violence within legal, health, and custodial systems; trauma-informed and culturally safe approaches to working with families affected by deaths in custody; the impact of coronial findings on families, communities, and policy reform; Indigenous-led approaches to justice and accountability beyond the coronial system; the intersection of policing, healthcare, and custody in Aboriginal deaths; and policy/legal reform relating to deaths in custody in Queensland and nationally.

The successful candidate will be supervised by Dr Raylene Nixon and embedded within QUT’s Carumba Institute, an internationally renowned Indigenous research community committed to social justice, community impact, and transformative change. The candidate will have opportunities to engage with leading Indigenous scholars and researchers, contributing to ethically grounded research practices that center lived experience, relational accountability, and cultural safety.

Funding includes a stipend of $51,010 per annum (tax-exempt, indexed annually) for up to 3.5 years, with a possible 6-month extension, and a tuition fee offset/sponsorship for up to 4 years. Applicants must meet QUT’s PhD entry requirements, including English language proficiency, and demonstrate a strong academic record (first-class honours, master’s with research, or equivalent experience). Relevant backgrounds include Indigenous studies, law, criminology, justice studies, public health, social work, community development, sociology, anthropology, or related social sciences. Applicants should show a strong interest in research addressing structural and institutional responses to Aboriginal deaths in custody, and the capacity for ethically grounded, culturally safe, and Indigenous-informed research. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants, lived experience, community connection, and commitment to Indigenous-led research and advocacy are highly valued.

Applications close 30 April 2026. To apply, email Dr Raylene Nixon with your academic and research background, motivation, and CV. If supported, submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) for a QUT PhD, nominating Dr Raylene Nixon as principal supervisor and referencing the scholarship link in the financial details section. Apply for the scholarship concurrently with your PhD application.

For more information and to access the application link, visit: QUT Scholarship Page.