MONASH UNIVERSITY
Top university
Just Landed
New Today
PhD Stipend Scholarship in Human-Animal Interactions, Monash University Monash University in Australia
Degree Level
PhD
Field of study
Education
Funding
PhD annual stipend for 3.5 years at $37,145 per annum for the 2026 rate, indexed annually. Additional support includes up to $4,000 from the School of Primary and Allied Health Care HDR Support Fund and access to the Monash Graduate Research Travel Grant.
Country
Australia
University
MONASH UNIVERSITY
Apply for this scholarship
Keywords
Suggested scholarships
About this position
This PhD stipend scholarship at Monash University invites a student to develop an original research project in human-animal interactions. The opportunity is based in the School of Primary and Allied Health Care at Monash’s Peninsula campus, and is shaped around the supervisory expertise of Dr Em Bould and a broader multidisciplinary team.
The project direction is intentionally open, allowing the successful candidate to propose their own research program while building on existing work in animal-assisted activity and related community-based interventions. The advert highlights examples such as Dog Buddies, which uses dog-walking to support inclusion for people with cognitive disabilities, and the Pets and People Program, which brings older adults and international university students together through a shared interest in pets. The research environment is therefore centred on creative, interdisciplinary approaches to understanding how interactions with animals may support connection, participation, and wellbeing.
The position sits within a health and social inclusion context that connects human-animal interaction with disability, healthy ageing, and community engagement. The successful candidate will join a setting with expertise spanning human-animal interaction, disability, healthy ageing, and social inclusion, and will be able to shape a topic that advances knowledge in human-animal supports. The advert also notes that collaborators in speech pathology have adapted the Dog Buddies idea into Fetching Connections, illustrating the applied and collaborative nature of the research environment.
This is a scholarship-based doctoral opportunity rather than a fixed project with a single predefined question, so the emphasis is on the student’s ability to design a strong, innovative proposal and contribute to Monash’s ongoing work in this area. The scholarship includes stipend support and additional research-related support, and the candidate is expected to proceed through a two-stage application process led by Dr Em Bould.
Funding details
PhD annual stipend for 3.5 years at $37,145 per annum for the 2026 rate, indexed annually. Additional support includes up to $4,000 from the School of Primary and Allied Health Care HDR Support Fund and access to the Monash Graduate Research Travel Grant.
What's required
Applicants must meet Monash University PhD entry requirements and one of the listed eligibility pathways: Australian citizen, New Zealand citizen, or permanent resident; plus a bachelor’s degree of at least four years in a relevant discipline with a research thesis or project and an overall average equivalent to First Class Honours Division A; or a master’s degree in a relevant discipline including a research thesis or project equivalent to at least 25 percent of one year of full-time study with an overall average equivalent to First Class Honours Division A; or an equivalent qualification or combination of qualifications and relevant professional or research experience accepted by the Graduate Research Committee. Candidates should preferably be able to commence full-time in Q4 2026 or by arrangement, and should demonstrate strong interest in animal-assisted interventions, social inclusion, and/or healthy ageing, with experience in qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods research.
How to apply
Email an Expression of Interest to Dr Em Bould at [email protected]. Include a cover letter, a research proposal, CV, academic transcripts, and contact details for two referees. If shortlisted, you will then be invited to submit a full Monash PhD candidature application.
Make your next move.
Prepare your application
Review drafts and confirm requirements with the provider.
Make your next move.
Prepare your application
Review drafts and confirm requirements with the provider.