phd agency australia

Quick links

• Climate change
• COVID-19 research
• Staff profiles

CSIRO Industry PhD scholarship program

Preparing PhD researchers to create impact with industry.

About the Industry PhD Program

CSIRO's Industry PhD (iPhD) program brings together an industry partner, a university and Australia’s leading science agency, CSIRO, to co-develop a four-year industry-focused PhD project. PhD students will gain unique skills to focus on impact-driven research. The iPhD program part of an Australian Government initiative to better translate university research into commercial outcomes. View our current student scholarships  and Program Rules. PDF (498 KB)

• View transcript
• Copy embed code

Share & embed this video

https://www.youtube.com/embed/B5hUQn5YdHE?autoplay=1&start=0

<iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/B5hUQn5YdHE?autoplay=1&start=0" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Information for students and industry

Join us to study a PhD with industry and university support. Our students receive a generous scholarship and get real-world experience.

Current scholarships

See our list of current projects. Gain experience working with industry to solve real-world problems while earning your PhD.

Tackle your business challenge. Gain access to top research and development expertise while developing the next generation of researchers.

Information for universities and CSIRO reseachers 

Universities.

Drive research translation and commercialisation. Guide your PhD candidates to develop solutions to real-world problems in partnership with industry and CSIRO​.

CSIRO researchers

Partner with industry and university to solve challenges. We are always looking for new projects. If you are a CSIRO researcher who has a project idea, find out more here.

News and case studies

News and announcements.

Read the latest updates on the Industry PhD Program, expression of interest rounds, projects and other news.

Case studies

Collaborative research projects with industry and university. Discover how iPhD students are helping to solve real world challenges.

Subscribe to our Industry PhD scholarship newsletter

News and updates from our industry phd scholarship program. .

News and updates from our Industry PhD scholarship program.

Find out how we can help you and your business. Get in touch using the form below and our experts will get in contact soon!

CSIRO will handle your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and our Privacy Policy .

Enter a valid email address, for example [email protected]

A Country value must be provided

First name must be filled in

Surname must be filled in

Please choose an option

Organisation must be filled in

Please provide a subject for the enquriy

We'll need to know what you want to contact us about so we can give you an answer

We have received your enquiry and will reply soon.

We're Sorry

The contact form is currently unavailable. Please try again later. If this problem persists, please call us with your enquiry on 1300 363 400 or +61 3 9545 2176. We are available from 9.00 am to 4.00 pm AEST Monday - Friday.

• Ph.D. in Australia

Home » Admissions » Ph.D. in Australia

Why Study in Australia?

• As per QS World University Rankings 2018, 5 Australian universities figure in the top 50 list – The Australian National University (Rank 20), The University of Melbourne (Rank 41) , The University of New South Wales (Rank 45) , The University of Queensland (Rank 47) , The University of Sydney (Rank 50) and a total of 7 universities is in the top 100 list
• Australia provides globally renowned and recognized programs, most accredited by AACSB and EQUIS.
• Presence of Innovative Research Universities (IRU) – A collaboration of seven newly­-founded universities, focusing on pioneering research work, teaching and research activities. The universities are Charles Darwin University, Flinders University, Griffith University, James Cook University, La Trobe University, Murdoch University, Western Sydney University
• Presence of Australian Technology Network (ATN) – A group of universities dealing with and aiming to increase industrial and enterprise partnerships, along with establishing the Industry Doctoral Training Centre. The universities are University of Technology Sydney, RMIT University, University of South Australia and Curtin University.

Top Universities

• University of Melbourne
• Australian National University
• The University of Queensland
• RMIT University
• University of Western Australia
• University of Adelaide
• University of Sydney
• The University of New South Wales
• Monash University

Powerful Reasons to Study in Australia

Popular fields of phd study.

• Anthropology
• Marine Biology
• Creative Arts

Types of PhD Programs

Program duration & cost of education.

However, as an international PhD student, various sources of funding are available including Studentships from Australian Universities, Endeavour scholarships, and research training programs.

A PhD student can work for 40 hours/fortnight while the program is in session. During holiday/vacation time, a doctorate student can work for an unlimited period.

Eligibility Criteria for PhD Programs

For certain programs, applicants may need to clear an interview.

Intake & Application Deadlines

• PhD programs may begin at any point in time during the year . The applications can be made year round, but ideally you should start applying at least four months before you plan to begin your doctorate.

Student Visa Terms and Provisions

The visa application process is online and the document checklist, which varies for each program, is available on the DIBP website. This site mentions all the necessary requirements. Information is also available at the nearest Australian visa office.

• To be eligible for a student visa, you need to first enrol in a full-time program registered with the Commonwealth Registry of International Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS). In order to obtain a visa, you must first enrol in a course of study that is listed on the CRICOS.
• After enrolment with CRICOS and payment of necessary fees, you will receive a Letter of Offer or Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) from the university.
• You must then show proof of sufficient financial resources (~AUD 21000 per year) to support yourself during the course of the program.
• Health insurance.
• The Visa Application fee (AUD 560).

Work Permit

• After completing the PhD, you can live and work in Australia for a minimum period of four years.

Manya – The Princeton Review offers end-to-end study abroad services encompassing admissions consulting services, test preparation, English language training, career assessment, and international internship opportunities to study abroad aspirants.

Planning to study abroad? Get free 1-on-1 counselling with our experts

Quick Links

• MS in USA: Eligibility, Fees, Scholarships
• Student visa assistance for the Canada
• Upcoming Intakes to Study in Canada
• The Education System in Canada
• Cost of Studying in Canada
• Job Opportunities for International Students in Canada
• Scholarships to International Students in Canada
• Entry Requirements for Canada Universities
• Application Deadlines in Canada

Upcoming Intakes to Study in Australia

Education system in australia, job opportunities for international students in australia, student visa assistance for australia, scholarships to international students in australia, cost of studying in australia, entry requirements for australian universities.

• Study in Singapore
• Education System in the UK
• Upcoming Intakes to Study in UK
• Job Opportunities for International Students in the UK
• Student Visa Assistance for The UK
• Cost of Studying in the UK
• Scholarships to International Students in the UK
• Entry Requirements for UK Universities
• Application Deadlines in UK
• Job opportunities for international students in the Germany
• Upcoming Intakes to Study in Germany
• Cost of Studying in Germany
• Education System in Germany
• Scholarships to International Students in Germany
• Student Visa Assistance for Germany
• Top Universities in Germany
• Entry Requirements for German Universities
• MS in the UK
• MS in Australia
• Masters (MS) in Canada
• MS in Germany
• MS in Singapore
• MBA in Australia
• MBA in Canada
• MBA in Germany
• MBA in Singapore
• PhD in Singapore
• Phd in Canada
• PhD in Germany
• UG in Australia
• UG in Canada
• UG in Germany
• UG in Singapore
• UG in the UK
• UG in the USA
• Upcoming Intakes to Study in USA
• Education System in the USA
• Cost of Study in USA
• Job Opportunities for International Students in USA
• Scholarships to International Students in USA
• Student Visa Assistance for USA
• Entry Requirements for USA Universities
• Application Deadlines in USA
• Scholarships Assistance
• Shortlisting
• Application Review
• Interview Preparation
• Visa Guidance
• Pre Departure Assistance
• Undergrad Abroad
• Master’s Abroad
• How to Apply for PhD Abroad in 2023
• How to Apply for Master’s Abroad?
• Study in Europe
• PHD Abroad Top Destinations
• Undergraduate Courses in India
• MBA Entrance Exams in India
• Admission Counseling Services
• What and How to Prepare for a Master’s Degree Abroad
• Top 5 Reasons to Apply to a Ph.D. Abroad
• MS Abroad Admission Consulting
• Educational Counsellors
• MBA Specializations
• One-Year MBA Abroad
• Global University Tie Ups
• Top MBA Colleges in India
• Financial Assistance
• MBA Admissions
• Master’s Abroad Top Destinations
• Masters Abroad Placement Data
• Visa Counseling Services
• Master’s Abroad Programs
• Profile Enhancement – MS
• How to Apply for MBA
• Profile Enhancement – MBA
• MBA Applications
• Executive MBA in India
• Do MBA Abroad
• Part-Time MBA Programs in India
• Top MBA Destinations
• What and How to Prepare for MBA
• MBA Programs
• MBA Careers
• Types of MBA Programs
• Admissionado
• Manya exclusive
• Manya Premium
• Manya Partner Admissions Program
• Admissions Counsulting Services in Gurugram
• Admissions Counsulting Services in Vijayawada
• Best Study Abroad Consultants in Hyderabad
• Best Study Abroad Consultants in Chennai
• Best Study Abroad Consultants in Chandigarh
• Best Study Abroad Consultants in Trichy
• Best Study Abroad Consultants in Tirupati
• Best Study Abroad Consultants in Guwahati
• Best Study Abroad Consultants in Kolkata
• Best Study Abroad Consultants in Bhubaneswar
• Best Study Abroad Consultants in Jaipur
• Best Study Abroad Consultants in Mysore
• Best Study Abroad Consultants in Gurugram
• Best Study Abroad Consultants in Coimbatore
• Best Study Abroad Consultants in Jalandhar
• Best Study Abroad Consultants in Noida
• Best Study Abroad Consultants in Bengaluru
• Best Study Abroad Consultants in Mumbai
• Best Study Abroad Consultants in Nagpur
• Best Study Abroad Consultants in Goa
• Best Study Abroad Consultants in Aurangabad
• Best Study Abroad Consultants in Nashik
• Best Study Abroad Consultants in Rajkot
• Best Study Abroad Consultants in Vadodara
• Best Study Abroad Consultants in Ahmedabad
• Best Study Abroad Consultants in Surat
• Cost of Studying in South Korea
• Scholarships for International Students in South Korea
• Cost of Studying in Spain
• Scholarships in Spain
• Cost of Studying in Russia
• Scholarships for International Students in Japan
• Cost of Studying in Japan
• Cost of Studying in New Zealand
• Scholarships in New Zealand
• Study in UAE
• UG in South Korea
• MS in South Korea
• MS in Spain
• MBA in South Korea
• MBA in Spain
• PhD in Spain
• PhD in South Korea
• UG in Japan
• UG in Switzerland
• Statement of Purpose (SOP) for UK
• Statement of Purpose (SOP) for Canada
• Statement of Purpose (SOP) for USA
• Statement Of Purpose For Student Visa
• Statement of Purpose (SOP) for Australia
• Statement of Purpose Sample (SOP Sample)
• Statement of Purpose (SOP) Format
• Scholarship Essay
• Professional LOR – Format & Samples
• Academic LOR
• LOR Samples for MS
• LOR Samples for PhD
• Letter of Recommendation (LOR) for USA
• Letter of Recommendation (LOR) for Canada
• Letter of Recommendation (LOR) for Australia
• LOR for Student to Study Abroad
• Letter of Recommendation (LOR) for UK
• LOR Samples for PG Diploma
• LOR Samples for UG Courses
• LOR Samples for MBA
• UG in Netherlands
• MS in Japan
• MS in Switzerland
• MS in Netherlands
• MBA in Switzerland
• MBA in Netherlands
• MBA in Japan
• PhD in Switzerland
• PhD in Netherlands
• UG in Spain
• PhD in Japan
• Scholarships in Netherlands
• Cost of Studying in Netherlands
• Cost of Studying in Switzerland
• Scholarships in Switzerland
• UG in New Zealand
• MS in New Zealand
• MBA in New Zealand
• PhD in New Zealand
• Cost of Studying in Norway
• Cost of Studying in France
• Student Visa for France
• UG in Russia
• MS in France
• MS in Russia
• UG in Norway
• MS in Norway
• MBA in France
• MBA in Russia
• PhD in France
• PhD in Russia
• PhD in Norway
• Best Study Abroad Consultants in Jamnagar
• GRE, GMAT, Digital SAT, IELTS Preparation and Admissions Consulting Services in Patna
• GRE, GMAT, Digital SAT, IELTS Preparation and Admissions Consulting Services in Ghaziabad
• Best Study Abroad Consultants in Raipur
• Study in Ireland
• Study in Italy
• Study in Latvia
• Study in Poland
• Study in Finland
• Study in Sweden
• Study in Czech Republic
• Study Abroad

Find Popular Colleges/Universities in Australia

If your are aspiring to study in Australia and are searching for the best fit university to match your profile, then you're at the right place!

More About Studying in Australia

The Australian education system is unparalleled in quality and contemporaneity, and lays ... Know More >

Almost graduating? Planning to take up undergraduate, master’s, or doctorate studies in ... Know More >

A fast-emerging study abroad destination, Australia is home to some of the ... Know More >

Australia is another popular study destination, not only for Indian students but ... Know More >

Australia is one of the best destinations to pursue higher education for ... Know More >

Australia with its world-class education ecosystem, top-class universities, a robust economy, ... Know More >

Think of Australia and one is bound to imagine beautiful and endless coastlines, exotic ... Know More >

Manya Admissions Consulting

Ultra Premium

Most popular and premier admission consulting service* by distinguished Ivy League mentors.

Our accomplished study abroad industry veterans will enable you to maximize your chances of admission to your dream university.

Meet our experienced advisors who will counsel you on the best-suited options

Our advisors will advise & assist you in applying to universities from our partner universities bucket.

Other Top Destinations

Browse Universities Abroad

Universities in USA

Universities in Canada

Universities in UK

Universities in Australia

Universities in Ireland

Universities in New Zealand

Ug courses in other countries.

Our Top Admits

• Dhivya Bharathi
• Chennai | CAND15251
• Ashneet Wadhwa
• Lucknow | CAND21926
• The University of Sydney
• Bela Chakraborty
• Mysore | CAND22791
• Shruthi Balaji
• Chennai | CAND16730

More About Study in Australia Related Services

• Master's Brochure

Trending Articles

Top 5 Countries for Undergraduate Studies in 2024

It is a dream for many students to pursue their undergraduate studies in a foreign country. ... Read More >

Australian Student Visa Success & Rejection Rate in 2024

Australia continues to be a preferred study abroad destination ... Read More >

Australian Government Scholarships for Indian Students

The Australian government has a substantial scholarship programme for ... Read More >

IELTS Band Requirement for Australia: A Complete Guide

Australia is one of the top countries in the ... Read More >

Manya's Admission Consulting Centers

• Bhubaneswar

Our Partners

Upcoming Webinars/Events

More webinars/events are coming soon...

Just One Step Away!

Our Experts require more information to assist you in a better way.

Testimonial

Privacy Overview

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

A Guide to Doing Your PhD in Australia

Sign up to our newsletter!

The newsletter signup widget on posts

• Name * First Last
• Name This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

If you’re an international student who has completed higher education studies, you might now be considering studying a doctorate degree, also known as a PhD. In Australia, this is the highest level of study and, once completed, can unlock doors to better employment, higher wages, and industry recognition.

Here’s a handy guide on how to apply, what to expect, and where to find further information for your exciting next step.

What is the difference between honours, a master ’s and a PhD?

An honours  is an extra year of study in Australia. To qualify you need to have completed your undergraduate degree, otherwise known as a bachelor’s degree, to a high standard. This is often considered a stepping stone to further postgraduate study.

Graduates with a bachelor’s degree might consider a graduate certificate, which usually takes one semester of full-time study and can help you specialise in your chosen career path. One step up from a certificate is a graduate diploma. This type of study takes one year of full-time study and can often be continued on from the graduate certificate.

A master’s by coursework is similar to a graduate diploma but takes a little longer and is regarded as a higher qualification. In most cases, you need a relevant bachelor’s degree; however, in certain circumstances, extensive relevant work experience might be accepted instead. This type of course typically takes 18 months to complete. A master’s by research takes two years of full-time study and is based on a research project supervised by a university academic.

A doctorate by research or a PhD is the highest level of study offered in Australia. A PhD requires submission of a thesis that is assessed by examiners who determine whether the research is worthy of the qualification. A PhD student must show through their thesis that they have made a significant contribution to their field. Once graduated, the candidate may use the title of Doctor.

How does a PhD work in Australia?

A PhD in Australia is usually studied over the course of three years. While some students take a little longer, extensions are subject to funding, as well as other important factors. Domestic students may have the option to study part-time but as an international student, you must study full-time in order to be eligible for a student visa .

According to the Australian Government , fees to study a PhD range from A$19,000 to A$78,000 per year, depending on the education provider. There is a chance you may not have to pay the full amount if there is funding available, which is common in Australia. Most universities have funding for promising PhD students set aside. Get in touch with your chosen university directly to find out what scholarships are available to international students. The Australian Government also runs Destination Australia , which funds eligible education providers in regional areas to offer scholarships to both domestic and international students. The government also offers the Research Training Program for participating universities.

International students also need to consider the cost of living while abroad to qualify for their visa. You’ll need at least roughly A$21,041 for each year of your study in your bank account in order to be granted a visa.

Do I need honours to apply for a PhD?

In most cases you will need an undergraduate degree with a minimum of Second Class Honours (Division A) – also known as ‘upper second-class’ honours – to apply for your PhD to demonstrate you have significant research experience. However, many education providers offer research-based qualifications to give you this experience if you didn’t complete an honours degree originally.

What is the basic structure of a PhD?

PhDs in Australia are usually research-based and, while they may contain other aspects, the focus of your studies will be on working towards your doctoral thesis.

In general, a PhD begins with a literature review that collects, analyses and summarises the current research published on your chosen subject. This then provides the basis for designing, implementing and analysing your own research that you’ll write about for your thesis.

In Australia, you are not required to undergo a viva voca , which is an assessed oral exam in defence of your research topic, method and predicted results. Instead, you are assessed solely on your thesis.

How do I apply for a PhD?

To apply for an Australian PhD, the first step is to contact a university academic working as a supervisor for PhD projects. You contact them, usually about four months before you wish to commence your studies, with the research topic you would like to propose. The person you choose should be the lead researcher for the institution you wish to apply to, in the relevant field you wish to study.

Once you have what is known as an ‘expression of interest’ from a provisional supervisor, you can begin your formal application to the university. Most universities won’t consider an application without an expression of interest from a supervisor, so make sure you have this first.

What else do I need to know?

To study as an international student in Australia, you must have a student visa (subclass 500) from the Australian government. Unless you are exempt, the application fee for this visa is AUD$710. You can read more about student visas and their requirements here .

Australian PhDs are delivered in English and have language skill requirements. There are various tests you can take to verify your English language skills including the IELTS, CAE and PTE. The score you need is usually specified on the universities website and will depend on the test you take.

International students must have Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) in order to be granted their student visa. There are a variety of providers to choose from, including many universities, but the policy you choose must adhere to the Overseas Student Health Cover guides. Explore your options in greater detail here .

The new international student working limit of 48 hours every fortnight does not apply to international students who are pursuing a doctorate or a master’s degree through research. These students are not restricted in terms of the number of hours they can work. However, your actual work hours should align with your study requirements and also require approval from your academic supervisor. This is to ensure that your employment does not interfere with your primary objective of completing your academic research.

PhD study is an excellent way to enter the Australian workforce and graduate visas are available that can entitle you to stay in Australia for up to four years after you have finished your PhD. In other words, if you have dreams of both furthering your education and settling long-term in Australia, a PhD could be the perfect way to make those dreams a reality.

Sarah Price

Originally from the UK, Sarah has worked as a freelance writer for nearly 10 years, both at home and now in Perth where she lives. Once an international student in South West WA herself, she loves to help new students feel welcome, confident, and ready to make the most of their study abroad. Having lived in Perth and explored a lot of WA, Sarah knows just how wonderful it is to discover this beautiful state.

Related Articles

Bringing Your Family to Australia? A Complete Guide For International Students

Understanding the Australian Grading System

A Guide to Universities in Victoria

You're viewing this site as a domestic an international student

You're a domestic student if you are:

• a citizen of Australia or New Zealand,
• an Australian permanent resident, or
• a holder of an Australian permanent humanitarian visa.

You're an international student if you are:

• intending to study on a student visa,
• not a citizen of Australia or New Zealand,
• not an Australian permanent resident, or
• a temporary resident (visa status) of Australia.

How to get a PhD

Study tips Published 5 Apr, 2022  ·  4-minute read

Trying to wrap your head around how PhD programs work? We don’t blame you. Sometimes it feels like you need a PhD just to figure out how to get a PhD.

So, with a little help from our academics and some UQ PhD candidates, we’ve broken down the application and preparation process into 10 manageable steps:

• Complete prior research
• Choose your topic
• Find a PhD supervisor
• Write your PhD proposal
• Identify potential scholarships
• Gather required documents and apply
• Determine if you'll continue working during your PhD
• Calculate how long you’ll be researching your PhD
• Develop the traits and behaviours of a good PhD student
• Apply and get accepted

Let’s discuss how to get a PhD in Australia – from choosing your topic to getting stuck into the actual research.

1. Complete prior research (if necessary)

You don’t necessarily need a master’s degree to start a PhD. However, you do need to have completed extensive research. This might involve an academic research program (such as a bachelor's degree with an honours year or a Master of Philosophy ), research conducted in your professional career, or a combination of both. The important thing is that you can demonstrate experience in conducting effective research, as this is a key part of the PhD selection criteria.

Learn more about doing a PhD without a master's degree

2. Choose your topic

Whether you’re developing a thesis on a topic you’ve already worked on or branching out into a new area of interest, you’ll want to know early what kind of topic you want to research for your PhD. Finding a niche that sparks your curiosity is important for ensuring you’ll stay inspired during the 3+ years ahead.

Keep in mind that you generally have two options here. You can complete a PhD by:

• joining an existing research project in an area that interests you 
• start a fresh research project that aligns with your specific goals.

Get tips for choosing your PhD topic or explore available research projects at UQ

3. Find a PhD supervisor

One of the essential steps to consider when thinking about how to get a PhD is finding someone to guide you through the process.

Approaching academics about your PhD can be intimidating, but shortlisting and selecting the most appropriate person / team to supervise your research project is important. By choosing your mentor carefully, you can ensure you’ve got someone in your corner who understands your research, has relevant expertise, and will be there to support you throughout your journey.

Learn how to find the right PhD supervisor

4. Write your PhD proposal

Check with your supervisor to see if they require a formal PhD proposal (most will, but not all). If so, with their guidance, it’s time to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard).

Even if your supervisor doesn't explicitly ask for one, a PhD proposal is a valuable document for outlining the scope of your research and giving your project its initial momentum – so it might be worth writing one either way.

Learn how to write a good PhD proposal

5. Identify potential scholarships

Dedicating yourself to research sometimes means sacrificing your income in the short term, though it can lead to more financial security in the long term . To help support yourself during your studies, you can apply for PhD scholarships and funding.

Learn how to get a PhD scholarship

6. Gather required documents and apply

It’s time to jump online and do the official application process. Aside from your research proposal, you should also prepare to provide your:

• academic CV
• academic transcript
• degree certificate(s)
• English language documents (if needed)
• ID (such as a passport)
• two references / letters of recommendation from people who can comment on your research experience.

  Learn how to apply online for a UQ PhD

7. Determine if you'll continue working during your PhD

Some PhD candidates continue doing part-time or casual work while completing their research. However, this isn't easy and may not be feasible in most cases; it takes serious time-management skills to juggle any kind of job alongside a full-time PhD. So, think carefully about whether you’d like to keep working in some capacity or commit your attention fully to your research.

Learn more about working while doing a PhD

8. Calculate how long you’ll be researching your PhD

To complete your PhD within the standard 3.5-year* timeframe, you'll need to be organised with a clear project plan. Of course, the very nature of research is that you'll discover unexpected things and take unplanned detours along the way. So, your plan should include contingencies for any obstacles you might hit to ensure you still complete your research on time. 

*In special cases, you may be able to request an extension of your tuition for up to 4 years, but that is the maximum time allowed for a PhD.

Explore how long a PhD takes

9. Develop the traits and behaviours of a good PhD student

We know you’ve already got what it takes, but there are some skills and attributes you could cultivate or practise to make your upcoming journey a little smoother. Between writing your proposal and meeting with potential supervisors, be sure to set some time aside to work on yourself as well.

Discover what makes a good PhD student

10. Apply and get accepted

All the preparation is done. You’ve equipped all the gear, chosen your guide and mapped out your route. It's time to apply and set the wheels in motion.

Submit your PhD application

Share this Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email

Related stories

How to decide on a PhD topic

4-minute read

How to find a PhD supervisor

5-minute read

How to write a good PhD proposal

How to get a PhD scholarship or funding

3-minute read

• Frequently Asked Questions
• Funding Amounts
• Funding Outcomes

Announcements

National industry phd program.

The Australian Government is investing $296 million to build a bedrock of research talent skilled in university–industry collaboration across the sector under the Increase Workforce Mobility initiative. This includes funding to establish the National Industry PhD Program to support the Government’s commitment to add 1,800 Industry PhDs over 10 years.

About the Program

An Industry PhD is a doctoral program designed with an industry application. Under appropriate academic and industry supervision, PhD candidates undertake a co-designed research project with university and industry participation.

The National Industry PhD Program will support PhD candidates to undertake industry-focused research projects and be equipped with the knowledge and skills to better translate university research into commercialisation outcomes. Upon completion, candidates will have the ability to work at the interface of research and industry, and across the sectors in future.

The Program consists of two streams:

• Industry Linked PhD stream: This stream is for outstanding PhD candidates to undertake research projects co-designed by university and industry, with opportunities to be embedded in an industry setting and participate in a 12-week training program.
• Industry Researcher PhD stream: This stream is for highly capable industry professionals who are supported by their employers to undertake PhD projects in partnership with a university while retaining industry employment and salary benefits.

For more information, please visit the adjacent Program  website hosted by the delivery partner, Campus Plus.

How to apply

Applications must be submitted on ISEO by participating universities on behalf of researchers, industry partners, PhD candidates and industry employees.

If you are unsure of a participating university's main point of contact, please contact Campus Plus at [email protected]

Alternatively, if your project is not yet application ready, please fill in this short Expression of Interest form. This will enable Campus Plus to assist you.

Applications for Round 3 2024 are now closed.

Applications for Round 4 2024 are expected to open on 1 July 2024.

For more information regarding general application timelines, please see Attachment D of the Program Guidelines .

Where to find out more

The National Industry PhD Program Guidelines provides more detailed information about the National Industry PhD Program, including eligibility, duration, application processes, training embedment and funding support.

Access the Program guidelines .

National Industry PhD Industry Linked and Industry Researcher funding amount

View all the National Industry PhD Program resources

Sign up to the mailing list for updates on the National Industry PhD Program.

If you have any questions, please email the Program delivery partner, Campus Plus, at [email protected]

Australian PhD graduates’ agency in navigating their career pathways: stories from social sciences

• Open access
• Published: 26 January 2024

Cite this article

You have full access to this open access article

• Binh Ta   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-5252-045X 1 ,
• Cuong Hoang   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-3131-3803 2 , 3 ,
• Hang Khong   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-3262-6978 4 &
• Trang Dang   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-0029-944X 4 , 5  

1066 Accesses

1 Altmetric

Explore all metrics

Despite limited opportunities for tenured academic positions, the number of PhD graduates in Social Sciences has steadily risen in countries with developed research systems. The current literature predominantly portrays PhD graduates as victims, either of the higher education system or of their own optimism in pursuing an academic career. This paper takes an alternative stance by spotlighting the agency exhibited by PhD graduates in Social Sciences as they deftly navigate their career pathways amid the constrained academic job market. Specifically, we adopt an ecological perspective of agency to explore how PhD graduates in Social Sciences exercise their agency in navigating their career from the beginning of their PhD candidature until up to 5 years after graduation. We employ a narrative approach to delve into the employment journeys of twenty-three PhD graduates. Within this cohort, we select to report four participants from four Australian universities, each possessing distinct career trajectories. Our analysis highlights agency as the link between various personal and institutional factors that shape our participants’ career trajectories. Based on this finding, we offer recommendations for practice and policy changes that appreciate PhD graduates’ agency.

Similar content being viewed by others

The prospective shift away from academic career aspirations

Changing Career Pathways: Making Visible the Employment Destinations and Non-academic Contributions of Doctoral Scholars

Ph.D. Pathways to the Professoriate: Affordances and Constraints of Institutional Structures, Individual Agency, and Social Systems

Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.

Introduction

There has been a significant surge in the number of new PhD graduates over the past few decades in countries with developed research systems (Buenstorf et al., 2023 ; Hancock, 2023 ; OECD, 2021 ). However, academic job markets have shrunk considerably (Guerin, 2020 ), with decreased percentages of tenure academics in Australia (Crimmins, 2017 ; Lama & Joullié, 2015 ), the USA (Feder, 2018 ; Hayter & Parker, 2019 ), the UK as well as many other European countries (Feder, 2018 ; Germain-Alamartine et al., 2021 ; OECD 2021 ). Research on labour markets for PhD holders has identified several prominent labour market trends (despite specific variations across nations). These include a growing availability of non-academic opportunities for PhD holders in the USA (Hayter & Parker, 2019 ) and other OECD countries (OECD 2021 ), a shift towards temporary and contract positions especially in the higher education sector in the UK and Australia (Hancock, 2023 ; Croucher, 2023 ), stronger ties with industry and entrepreneurship in European countries such as the UK, Norway, Sweden, and Italy (Hancock, 2023 ; Germain-Alamartine et al., 2021 ; Marini, 2022 ), and increased global mobility across OECD countries (Auriol et al., 2013 ). These trends emphasise the importance of a broader perspective on career possibilities for PhD holders in a dynamic job market.

Academic job markets exhibit variations depending on the national system. For instance, recent cohorts of doctoral graduates in Germany are more engaged in university-based professional jobs (e.g. administration and management positions) (Buenstorf et al., 2023 , p. 1218). By contrast, recent census data in Australia suggests a growing trend of PhD graduates seeking employment opportunities beyond the academic sector (McCarthy & Wienk, 2019 ). Likewise, more PhD graduates in the UK pursue non-academic career paths (Hancock, 2023 ; McAlpine et al., 2013 ). Regardless of the national differences, a decline in tenured academic positions and increased use of academics on a contingent contract basis is a common trend in countries with developed research systems that need further investigation.

In terms of aspiration, a survey in Australia shows that nearly two-thirds of PhD students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) want to find a job in an industry or the public sector; in contrast, only one-third of PhD students in Social Sciences indicate their intention to look for work outside academia (McCarthy & Wienk, 2019 ). Top employers of PhD graduates are Banking and Finance, Information Technology, Engineering, Energy and Mining, Medical and Pharmaceutical sectors (McCarthy & Wienk, 2019 ), which look for STEM experts rather than social scientists. Within academia in a broader context, PhD graduates in Social Sciences in OECD countries are less likely to have full-time research fellowship opportunities, meaning fewer opportunities leading to secure employment (Auriol, 2010 ). UK PhD graduates in Social Sciences find more opportunities in non-research positions than their counterparts in STEM (Hancock, 2023 ). These findings suggest that career opportunities for PhD graduates in Social Sciences are limited both inside and outside academia.

Despite the large body of literature underscoring job security issues, little is known about how PhD graduates in Social Sciences navigate their career pathways in such a gloomy employment landscape. Addressing this gap, this study explores the stories of PhD graduates in Social Sciences to examine how they consider career options and make decisions from the beginning of their candidature until up to 5 years after graduation. The next section will present the literature that casts light on various career pathways available for PhD graduates in Australia. It is then followed by discussions about the agency of PhD graduates in navigating their career progression.

Common career pathways for PhD graduates

Inside academia.

In Australia, a PhD graduate can follow two main academic career routes: the lecturer pathway (teaching and research positions) and the postdoctoral pathway (research-only positions) (Rogers & Swain, 2022 ). Both routes have equivalent academic titles, which are ranked from levels A to E. Table 1 shows the titles used in most Australian universities.

The postdoctoral pathway, more common amongst those in STEM, especially in the biomedical sciences, is research-focused and often starts with a research assistant position (level A). PhD graduates in Social Sciences and Humanities tend to take the teaching and research pathway, which normally starts with teaching associate positions (level A). For both pathways, academic positions that offer continuing employment often start at level B.

The above two pathways are not distinctive routes. In fact, it is common to find PhD graduates switching between precarious teaching and research positions with no permanent employment opportunities entailed (Menard & Shinton, 2022 ; Spina et al., 2022 ). Alarmingly, there is an increase in the number of teaching-only staff, considered “second class”, accounting for around 80% of the casual academic workforce because they are loaded with heavy teaching and do not often have opportunities, time, and support to conduct research (Bennett et al., 2018 , p. 282). Without strong track records in research, they are unlikely to be offered a long-term employment contract (Rogers & Swain, 2022 ). The time taken to obtain one can extend to 10 years or more after the completion of doctoral study (Nadolny & Ryan, 2015 ).

Outside academia

The employment landscape for PhD graduates outside academia has become more and more promising. The rise of knowledge-based economies has promoted collaboration between academia and industry and made available career options outside of academia to PhD graduates (Hancock, 2023 ; Priestley et al., 2015 ). Although people may be optimistic about career prospects outside of academia (Waaijer, 2017 ), there are certain challenges involving adapting to the requirements of industries. Research indicates that PhD graduates often find it difficult to transition from Higher Education to other sectors because of their lack of industrial experience, the mismatch between the job market’s demand and their skill sets (Jackson & Michelson, 2016 ) or their lack of skills to sell themselves in the market (Boulos, 2016 ). Further, industry leaders tend to show reluctance to hire PhD holders due to their lack of understanding about the potential and values of these graduates for their organisations (Couston & Pignatel, 2018 ). To succeed outside of academia, PhD graduates, especially those in Social Sciences and Humanities, are recommended to equip themselves with generic and transferable skills at the doctoral level (Guerin, 2020 ; Jackson & Michelson, 2016 ; Pham, 2023 ) or enterprise skills (Lean, 2012 ). There are also recommendations for providing coursework to expand their skill sets (Denicolo, 2003 ) and substantial resources for them to develop their profiles (Waaijer, 2017 ).

The above recommendations come from a deficit frame, which views PhD graduates as lacking the required skills to be successful outside academia. It also places a strong emphasis on the responsibilities of individual PhD graduates while overlooking the systemic problem: the neoliberalisation of higher education (Warren, 2017 ). On the one hand, neoliberalism with its technocratic rationalities drives the process of responsibilising graduates for their employment outcomes (Hooley et al., 2023 ; Reid & Kelestyn, 2022 ; Sultana, 2022 ). On the other hand, it creates competitive and exploitative working conditions in higher education (Guerin, 2020 ; Khosa et al., 2023 , March 23) As a result of neoliberal governance, universities have to adopt corporate management models requiring increased numbers of flexible workers, which accounts for casualisation of the academic workforce and associated job security issues (Warren, 2017 ). Moreover, the neoliberal funding mechanism has turned universities into exploitative employers by gaining profit from academics’ under-paid work (Bates, 2021 ).

Following the above line of logic, it makes sense for PhD graduates to leave academia with its poor working conditions and embark on industry-based careers. Nevertheless, a majority of PhD students and graduates in Social Sciences and Humanities want to pursue an academic career, and indicate hope to obtain a permanent academic position (McCarthy & Wienk, 2019 ; Suomi et al., 2020 ). These people are portrayed as victims of cruel optimism (Burford, 2018 ; Guerin, 2020 ). Specifically, PhD graduates in Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences are reported to hold false hope of obtaining a permanent academic appointment, and be pushed out of academia “by disappointment and inability to remain employed in the sector, rather than being pulled out to better work or lifestyle opportunities” (Guerin, 2020 , p. 311). This body of research clearly overlooks PhD graduates’ agentic roles in responding to institutional structures.

• PhD graduate agency

There is research acknowledging the role of both individual agency and institutional structures in shaping PhD graduates’ career pathways (Campbell & O’Meara, 2014 ; O’Meara et al., 2014 ). While institutions provide career frameworks, comparable to a “road map”, outlining entry and advancement milestones, individuals have agency in navigating their involvement with this “road map” (Dany et al., 2011 ; Garbe & Duberley, 2021 ). How individuals navigate their career pathways depends on their interpretation of institutional “career scripts”, which are defined as “collective interpretive schemes” that “represent steps of commonly successful careers in a certain institutional setting” (Laudel et al., 2019 , p. 955).

It is important to note that existing research on academic agency mainly drew on the experiences of faculty members who have more or less stable academic positions. There are only a handful of studies discussing the agency of newly graduated PhD holders in managing their careers. For example, Pham et al. ( 2023 ) found that international PhD graduates in the Australian context display their agency through drawing on their strengths and multiple identities to obtain employment, and navigating visa requirements. Examining PhD graduates in STEM in the USA, O’Meara et al. ( 2014 ) claim that PhD graduates can exercise agency by observing the academic job market and understanding the nature of academic careers. Drawing on the same data set, Campbell and O’Meara ( 2014 ) suggest that PhD graduates’ agency can manifest through taking strategic actions to “overcome systemic challenges in order to pursue professional goals” (p. 53). Nevertheless, the question of how PhD graduates in Social Sciences exercise their agency in navigating their career pathways has not been investigated in-depth. By addressing this question, our research can offer sophisticated insights that have implications for enhancing the employment experience of PhD graduates in Social Sciences across individual, institutional, and socio-political levels.

An ecological perspective of agency

In this study, we adopt an ecological perspective of agency, which highlights the interplay between individual capacities and environmental conditions (Priestley et al., 2015 ). On the one hand, this perspective recognises individual ability to make intentional choices, initiate actions, and exert control over oneself and the environment (Goller & Harteis, 2017 ). On the other hand, it emphasises how one’s ability to act with agency is afforded by the ecological system within which one operates (Priestley et al., 2015 ). For example, an academic’s agency is not only facilitated or constrained by socio-political structures and institutional conditions (McAlpine, 2012 ; Thomas, 2014 ), but also by their personal histories, and ability to envision different futures (Tao & Gao, 2021 ). Therefore, to understand PhD graduates’ agency, it is important to take into account their life histories, their career envisions as well as the social structures within which they operate. By exploring not only the social dimension of agency, but also the personal and temporal dimension of agency, this ecological approach can shed light on the multifaceted aspects that shape individuals’ agency in the context of PhD graduate employment. This approach to agency is summarised in the following diagram (Fig.  1 ):

An ecological perspective on agency (adapted from Priestley et al., 2015 )

Research methods

Study design and participants.

Our research adopted a qualitative multiple-case study design using semi-structured interviews to explore the employment experiences of PhD graduates in Social Sciences. We interviewed 23 PhD holders who graduated from five Australian universities within 5 years before the interviews. Twenty-one out of 23 participants were from Group of Eight, which are Australia’s leading research-intensive universities. The participants graduated between 2016 and 2021 and aged between 27 and 70. Their research fields cover sociology, education and linguistics. Ethical approval was obtained from Monash University (project ID: 22980).

The interviews, which were conducted in October 2021, focused on their employment experiences and career decisions made before, during and after completion of the PhD. Adopting a semi-structured interviewing approach, we treated each interview as a conversation, giving freedom to the participants to recount their experiences. For example, at the beginning of the interview, we said “please treat me as a friend whom you haven’t seen for a long time. I would love to hear your employment experiences, including before the start of your PhD, during your candidature, and your current position.” The participants would then start telling their stories. Occasionally, where relevant, we would ask them questions, clarifying particular details and aiming to understand why they make particular career decisions.

Analysis approach

Our data analysis comprises two main stages. The first stage involves documenting employment trajectories of each participant while the second stage involves analysis of selective stories representing each employment trajectory. Based on their employment trajectories, we grouped our participants into the following four categories: (1) those who remained in academia and had long-term contracts (1 year or more); (2) who remained in academia and had precarious positions; (3) who moved out of academia; (4) who moved out, and returned to academia. Demographic features of each group provided participants in each category are provided in Table  2 :

Although it is tempting to draw conclusions about the association between the demographic features of the group and their employment trajectory, we refrain from doing so due to the small sample size. Instead of reducing our data into numbers, we would like to capture the richness of stories shared by our participants. Though each story is unique in its own way, a common feature emerging among all stories is the participants’ agency in navigating their career pathways.

In this paper, we focus on stories told by four participants who represent four different career pathways. Their stories are chosen not because they are typical of demographic features listed in Table  2 . We also do not aim to choose narratives to represent the wide variety of different disciplines within Social Sciences. Instead, we chose these stories because they are the best examples of how PhD graduates can act with agency in navigating each career pathway.

Narrative analysis

Narrative theories have been widely adopted in career development studies, which explore career barriers, adaptability, and decision-making process (Lent, 2016 ; Meijers & Lengelle, 2012 ; Rossier et al., 2021 ). As Rossier et al. ( 2021 ) point out, stories allow career counsellors and researchers to understand the dynamic complexity of how individuals navigate moments of vulnerability in their career journeys. Such understanding allows the promotion of individuals’ self-directedness, enabling them to mitigate barriers, cultivate resilience, and foster change (Rossier et al., 2021 ). Our paper extends this line of research by adopting a narrative approach to examine how PhD graduates navigate the uncertainties of the academic labour market.

We examine each story as a whole as opposed to thematic analysis in which stories are fragmented into thematic categories (Wells, 2011 ). In our view, a story is not a mere representation of what happens, but rather it is constructed in the process of telling and it is told for social purposes (Ta, 2022 ; Ta & Filipi, 2020 ). The construction of stories in narrative research starts at the interview stage: interview questions not only shape the scope of the story to be told, but also influence the development of the story (Stokoe & Edwards, 2006 ). Stories will then continue to be re-constructed through interpretation and analysis. Acknowledging the constructive nature of telling and re-telling stories, we do not aim to provide an objective account of reality. Instead, we selectively analyse details that help us understand how participants’ agency interplays with other personal and social factors to shape their career pathways.

When analysing stories, we also look at participants’ construction of identity because identity, agency and storytelling have a close-knit relationship (Bamberg et al., 2011 ; Holland & Lachicotte, 2007 ). Through telling stories about themselves, “people tell others who they are, but even more important, they tell themselves who they are, and then try to act as though they are who they say they are” (Holland & Lachicotte, 2007 , p. 3). In other words, people’s stories about themselves play a role in shaping how they act in certain circumstances (Sfard & Prusak, 2005 ). Not only participants’ stories about who they are now, but also stories about who they want to become in the future can shape people’s present actions (Sfard & Prusak, 2005 ). This perspective on storytelling aligns with the ecological approach discussed above, highlighting the interplay between agency and personal histories, future career envisions.

Staying in academia with a long-term contract

Introduction to mary.

Mary (pseudonym) who completed her doctoral study in 2019 in her late 50s. Prior to her PhD, she was in and out of academia for about 25 years, serving as a sessional staff at a number of universities in Victoria. She also has solid experience in the corporate sector and ran a consultancy business in learning and development for 10 years. Just before the submission of her doctoral thesis, she was offered to work as a full-time research fellow and a deputy director of a centre providing free career consultancy and training for refugees.

An advocate of a good cause

Mary’s career story originated from her years of volunteer work involving supporting refugees. This experience provided her with insights into refugees’ employment issues. Therefore, she wanted to support refugees in career adaptability and decided to do a PhD study in this area. As she told us, her main motivation for her PhD research was to “fill the literature gap and a gap in the sector”. With this claim, Mary displays an image of a passionate scholar who was responding to the call of the industry and the knowledge gap. To realise her aspiration, she strategically recruited supervisors who worked in the field of migration and were able to support her good cause. By making meaningful choices about her research field, and strategically selecting supervisors, Mary displayed her agency in managing the direction of her career pathway.

An independent thinker establishing a niche field

During her PhD candidature, Mary saw herself as building a niche research area, which placed her in a unique position allowing her to function as a bridge between academia and the refugee sector. Besides working on the doctoral thesis, she accumulated extra assets to make her stand out in the job market. For example, she gained substantial industry experience by engaging in voluntary work to support refugees. Moreover, to build up her research experience, she worked as a lead research assistant in four research projects related to refugees’ employment. In this role, she co-wrote grant applications with her supervisors, which in her opinion was an important skill set, giving her an advantage in applying for research jobs.

A versatile leader with a vision

Unlike many PhD candidates struggling to find an academic position, Mary actively shaped her own career pathway and created her own job. Toward the end of her PhD candidature, Mary, together with her ex-supervisor, submitted to his university a proposal to set up a centre for supporting refugees’ employment. This proposal was built around her PhD and other research projects that she and her supervisor had been doing. To manage the centre, she drew on her previous experience running a consultancy business and working for the corporate sector. She saw herself as a multi-tasker with “varied work experience” and “lots of strings” to her bow, which made her a perfect fit for the job. However, she noted that what she is doing is not about creating a job, but instead “it’s about building a reputation, it’s about building impact.” In summary, she positioned herself as a leader with a vision and motivation for creating something bigger than mere employment for herself.

The interplay between agency, personal histories, career envisions and institutional factors

Mary portrayed herself as a highly capable, multi-tasker leader who had an ethical commitment to pay back to the research participants and a vision to create social impacts. Her unique career pathway was not only shaped by her strong agency, her mature age, her rich industry and research experience, her well-articulated career visions, but also influenced by institutional factors, particularly her ex-supervisor and his university. As a senior academic in a leadership position, he supported her in proposing the establishment of the centre. Additionally, she also received strong support from the university with a tradition of running humanitarian centres: it accepted their proposal, created favourable conditions for them to run the centre, and offered her a research fellow position. However, it is noted that these favourable conditions did not come on their own, but Mary played a significant role in creating them: she made serious investigations when choosing an institution and she interviewed several potential supervisors before making a decision. She also deliberately built both industry and research experiences that aligned with her career goal. As a result, she did not struggle to secure a position, but proactively created her own position as the deputy director of a university-based career clinic for refugees even before the completion of her PhD. In short, her agency was a prominent factor that shaped her career pathway.

Staying in academia with precarious positions

Introduction to kate.

Kate (pseudonym), a female domestic graduate in her 40s, is a typical example of a PhD graduate who remained in academia yet struggled to obtain a secure position. Prior to her PhD, she worked as a schoolteacher and was involved in a government project to implement e-learning in schools. She remained in these jobs while enrolling in the PhD program part-time. In the latter half of her PhD candidature, she started to work as a teaching associate at her university. Upon completion of her PhD, she mainly worked as a sessional staff at the same university for over 4 years. At the point of the interview, she got a 5-month contract as an education-focused lecturer at another university and was still looking for a long-term position.

An educator passionate about both research and teaching

Kate’s enrolment in the PhD program came out of her “fascination and respect for higher learning”. She loved “the intellectual enrichment and cultural enrichment of university life”, which she found stimulating. In terms of career considerations, Kate recalled that she had an “internal calling” of conducting research and teaching at university during her PhD candidature. At some point, she expressed her preference of becoming an academic to a professional job, and the “secret desire” to gain “recognition from academia”. However, Kate maintained both jobs as a schoolteacher and a university tutor even after she graduated. Her diverse interests led to her uncertainty about her career pathway: “I get torn between the two pathways [being a teacher and a researcher].” After the completion of her PhD program, she decided to negotiate with her school to have a 6-month agreement after being offered a 1-year contract “just to have a little bit of security before deciding to take the leap into pursuing academia”.

An active job seeker on a million contracts

Kate described herself as very good at networking, which led to several casual contracts after graduation. Her efforts of working hard in her casual roles helped her gain the trust of employers who could provide her with more opportunities. Desperate for a secure position, she actively applied for more stable jobs. She strategically chose to apply for jobs with a similar title or similar role and jobs with employers she had experience working with. In addition, she also tried to make her presence stronger by being around the campus, finding out about and participating in university events, getting herself invited to meetings, and taking advantage of mentoring opportunities offered by the university. Kate displayed her agency in managing her career pathway by making conscious choices regarding job application, networking, and increasing her presence in the university community.

An academic seeing herself as “not an academic yet”

Although Kate worked as a casual academic for several years, she did not “feel like a real academic yet”. She did not feel that she was part of the academic community in her workplace, seeing a clear boundary between those inside and outside the “full-time staff club”. In her words, sessional staff are “not fully embedded in that environment and easily dispensable.” In this claim, Kate highlighted the low status of sessional teacher and implied her aspiration to become an insider of the full-time staff club. To actualise her aspiration, Kate saw the necessity of building a research narrative to showcase her uniqueness through weaving various research experiences she has accumulated into a coherent story. As she believed a strong research narrative is essential for selling oneself in the academic job market, she worked hard to craft one. This story indicates her strong agency in identifying key success factors and working hard to achieve success.

The interplay between agency, personal histories, career envisions, and institutional factors

Kate’s story represents the majority of our participants who worked hard and played agentic roles in navigating their career roadblocks, but still had not been able to obtain a stable academic position. To prepare for an academic career, she accumulated extensive teaching experiences, and built strong connections to academic communities. The missing element, as Kate identified, was a lack of a strong research narrative. Her limitation in research was partly due to the fact that at the early stage of her PhD candidature, she had to take jobs with stable incomes to pay her mortgage and bring up a child as a single mother. As a child grew up, when she felt she could take risks, leaving a stable position as a secondary teacher to engage in various precarious academic jobs. Although her personal circumstances and the institutional requirement regarding research performance have limited her choices at certain points of time, her key career decisions were driven by her aspirations of becoming an academic.

Moving out of academia

Introduction to noriko.

Noriko (pseudonym), a PhD graduate in her late 20s is a typical example of those who moved out of academia and did not intend to return. She started doing her PhD study at a very young age. After her undergraduate degree, she worked at an Australian primary school for a year, and did a Master’s study, which was immediately followed by a PhD study. While doing her Masters’ and PhD studies, she had multiple part-time jobs including teaching at primary schools and tutoring university students. She was actively looking for opportunities to stay in academia, but settled on a full-time professional job as a policy officer at the Department of Education 1 year after her PhD graduation.

A struggling casual teacher with a passion for studying

Noriko experienced multiple struggles when she worked as a casual relief teacher at a primary school. Therefore, she wanted a career change. As a first step, she decided to do a Master’s study, and then a PhD study focusing on relief teaching. She also attributed her decision to her love for studying, which is a common quality that academics tend to share. To fund her PhD research, she actively searched for scholarships, which shows her agentic role in finding opportunities to support her career change.

A strategist building stepping-stones for an academic career

Noriko had multiple casual teaching opportunities during her PhD candidature. Since the middle of her Master’s study, she had already actively searched for opportunities to work as a casual teaching associate, teaching university students. Her strategy was “mass emailing”: she emailed every unit coordinator whom she did not know personally, expressing her interest in teaching their units, which successfully resulted in job offers. In accounting for multiple job opportunities, she highlighted the significance of networking, getting to know people in the faculty, appearing to be competent, and showing initiative when communicating with them. In her own words, she was “open to any opportunities that might arise”, and “strategically took on jobs” that would make her resume look good. This effort led to an offer of a 6-month contract position as a unit coordinator, who is in charge of coordinating teaching staff who teach a subject. In this story, Noriko displayed her agency in creating stepping-stones on the academic pathway, thereby to some extent realising her goal of becoming an academic.

A pragmatist prioritising job security over becoming an academic

Despite the desire to become an academic at the beginning of her PhD candidature, Noriko later realised that it was not realistic to pursue the career. She was also concerned that the pressure in relation to research outputs would drive her life out of balance. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic experience made her prioritise job security over her ambition to become an academic. When she graduated in 2021, a year after the start of the pandemic, she started looking for a more secure job outside academia. She applied for a position as a policy officer at the Department of Education and performed very well in the interview. She proudly said: “I was really good at showcasing my skills that were translatable to the position […], I remember telling the interviewers, like, I’m really good at synthesising really large volumes of information”. Apparently, Noriko’s decision to leave academia is a rational choice; it was a response to the insecure working conditions; and it was facilitated by her confidence in the transferability of her skills to the non-academic position.

When Noriko received the job offer, she felt like she “finally achieved the goal, which was to get a full-time job”. However, for her, it was also “a bittersweet moment” because it was not an academic job. Despite some “bitterness”, she confessed that she did not want to come back to academia unless “there is, by some miracle, a permanent full-time position”. Job security was the key consideration in her decision of whether or not she would return to academia.

Noriko’s stories represent a proportion of PhD graduates who had a strong passion for chosen research topics, and acted with agency in pursuing an academic career, but decided to leave academia for job security reasons. In comparison to others who left academia after a number of years, Noriko decided to leave within a couple of months after graduation. This early decision might be attributed to her employment experience as a relief teacher and the COVID-19. While the life of a relief teacher taught her to appreciate stability, the strike of COVID-19 on higher education made her realise how insecure an academic career can be (Hadjisolomou et al., 2022 ). Her aspiration of becoming an academic became weak and having a stable job became the ultimate goal. However, her decision to leave academia should not be seen as a failure. Rather it is a story of success in which Noriko demonstrated her agency in prioritising what was important to her and taking actions that lead to the achievement of her goal to get a full-time job in an area where her experiences and skills are valued.

Moving out and returning to academia

Introduction to jack.

Jack (pseudonym), a PhD graduate in late 20s, represents those whose career pathways involve multiple turns and twists. After his first degree, he worked in public service in the Australian government for 2 years, before pursuing his PhD degree in Applied Linguistics. During his PhD candidature, he had multiple precarious teaching, marking and research jobs. After the submission of his PhD thesis, he started to look for a lecturer or postdoc position both inside and outside of Australia. However, after a few unsuccessful attempts, he decided to return to the public sector. Nevertheless, a couple of months later, he again resigned from the government job to work as a research officer at a university. At the time of the interview, 6 months after the conferral of his PhD, he was offered a fixed-term postdoctoral position in New Zealand.

An idealist following a dream

Jack developed an interest in a research degree when he was doing a research component for his Honour degree. He envisaged an ideal image of a PhD student and desired to become a research student. This outlook played a critical role in his later decision to pursue an academic career; however, after his BA Honour degree, he decided to take a job in public service for financial reasons. In this position, Jack always felt “unfulfilled”. After meeting his partner who was doing a PhD degree, his dream of becoming a PhD student became stronger: “When I saw what my partner’s life was like I thought, wow, it looks so nice”. Holding an idealised notion of a PhD student’s life working 9–5 in a supportive environment, Jack decided to apply for PhD scholarships. He admitted that he chose the research topic because of his personal interest without considering whether his topic choice could bring about opportunities for an academic career. His decision-making was clearly driven by his love for research and the idealistic perspective of a PhD student’s life.

A dreamer facing a reality check

Once being a PhD student, Jack’s dream to become an academic grew stronger. To pave the road for his academic career, he sought to obtain teaching and research experiences, and actively participate in multiple research communities at his university. He secured multiple precarious jobs including tutoring and marking a couple of subjects. Around the time of thesis submission, he started to look for but failed to gain a postdoc position. Despite his proactive measures in preparing for an academic career, he did not succeed in obtaining an academic position. He attributed this lack of success to his limited publications. Although he still longed for academic life, he decided to move back to the public sector working as a policy officer, for financial reasons as he acknowledged “I needed something when the scholarship money ran out” .

A persistent pursuer of an academic career

While working in the public service sector, Jack still persistently pursued his academic dream, spending his spare time on publications, thus developing his academic profile. Despite his fear of being unable to get an on-going academic job, he made a hard decision: leaving the stable job to seek career fulfilment. Here is what he told us about why he left: “If I don’t get an academic job within one year or two years, then it's kind of over for me like I won't be able to get into the area. So, I was really freaking out, I quit ”. His words show his strong desire to get back to academia and his awareness of the time pressure, which both account for his decision to return to academia. After leaving the government job, Jack actively searched for better jobs while working on publications. He looked for positions in China, the UK, and Europe and succeeded with a postdoctoral application with the Chinese government. Nevertheless, he did not go to China for various reasons including his unfamiliarity with the Chinese academic environment, and the uncertainty of getting back to Australia.

A semi-happy postdoctoral fellow

After resigning from the government position, Jack got a job as a research officer at a university. Although he found the position more exciting than the government job, he sometimes felt frustrated with the situation that he had to support other researchers when he could not be one himself. Therefore, he sent another application and succeeded in obtaining a postdoctoral fellow position in New Zealand. He was happy with the job offer except for one thing: he had to relocate to New Zealand. However, he thought moving to New Zealand was a stepping-stone for him to get back to an academic career in Australia. This decision was driven by his long-term goal of having an academic career in Australia. Despite the happy moments of having a fixed-term contract, he was still concerned about its temporary nature.

Jack was the only participant who went back and forth several times between academic and non-academic employment. Fuelled by his envision for an ideal life of an academic, he proactively participated in research communities, and searched for opportunities that can lead to an academic career, which showed his strong agency in navigating his career. Like other participants, the key barrier for him to obtain a stable academic position is the institutional requirement regarding research output. Also like others, he had to prioritise financial security at some stages; however, he did return to academia accepting a less stable position in a neighbouring country, viewing it as a ticket for his entry into a stable academic position in Australia in the future. The fact that he was a young male with no childcare responsibilities might have made it easier for him to accept certain instability in the pursuit of an academic career.

Discussions

This study explored how PhD graduates in Social Sciences navigated their careers in a tight labour market for academic positions. It unpacked the role of agency, personal histories, career envisions and institutional factors in shaping four typical career trajectories: (1) remaining in academia with long-term contracts; (2) remaining in academia with casual or short-term contracts; (3) leaving academia; and (4) leaving and returning to academia. Analysis of stories from these four career trajectories highlighted PhD graduates’ agency as the key link among various factors contributing to shaping the trajectories.

There are multiple factors accounting for why individuals remained in academia. For Mary, who remained in academia with a stable position, supportive factors include her mature age, strong agency in creating career opportunities, well-formed career vision, extensive industry experience, solid connections with the industry, and institutional support. Some of these factors are though observed in the case of Kate, who landed in a short-term contract academic position after graduation. They include her strong aspiration for an academic career, industry experiences, and academic connections, which were also present in the story of Jack, who returned to academia after some diversions. A supportive factor that other participants did not share with Jack was his status as a young male, which allowed him to accept certain instability in his pursuit of an academic career.

The main barrier in most participants’ pursuits of an academic career was regarding research output. According to Kate and Jack, the major hindrance for them to obtain an on-going academic position was their lack of strong research narratives and track records. Likewise, due to the pressures related to research output, Noriko gave up pursuing an academic career. Research output pressure is a long-existing institutional problem. In the neoliberal higher education, to compete for research funding and high ranking, universities have widely adopted recruitment and reward systems that favour academics with high research output (Bogt & Scapens, 2012 ; Douglas, 2013 ). These systems apparently disadvantage newly graduated PhD holders, prolonging the time for them to find a stable position (Nadolny & Ryan, 2015 ). Moreover, an overemphasis on research output is reported to create stress, and work-life balance issues (Culpepper et al., 2020 ; Szelényi & Denson, 2019 ), which account for an increasing rate of PhD graduates choosing non-academic careers (Feldon et al., 2023 ).

A common factor that drew our participants away from academia is financial security. For financial reasons, Kate was unable to devote her time to research and publication, and Jack had to leave academia several times to earn a living elsewhere regardless of their strong passion for research. For financial security, Noriko accepted a professional job albeit feeling sad about giving up an academic career. Job security, which is associated with the casualisation in academia in countries with developed research systems, has become a significant concern for PhD graduates, causing various well-being issues such as stress and anxiety (Van Benthem et al., 2020 ). More importantly, high casualisation can potentially de-professionalise academic work, erode academic freedom and hence make academia less attractive to PhD graduates (Kimber & Ehrich, 2015 ; Ryan et al., 2017 ).

Regardless of the above challenges, a considerable portion of our participants strongly held on to their aspiration to an academic career (16 out of 23). For some participants, their motivation was fuelled by an idealised image of academic life. However, they are not naïve victims of “cruel optimism” as portrayed in some literature (Bieber & Worley, 2006 ; Guerin, 2020 ). Instead, they were well aware of the challenges associated, knew what they would need to do to succeed, and deliberately took actions to achieve their goals. To name a few examples, Mary established a niche area where she can translate her research into practice. Kate worked on crafting a research narrative to promote her research visions. Jack explored and succeeded in obtaining opportunities overseas. Noriko knew how to sell herself to non-academic recruiters and was successful in applying her research capabilities to her professional work. In short, they displayed strong agency in responding to the challenges as well as opportunities in their career pathways: they decided what career they wanted to have, and how to achieve their career goals. Their stories all highlight the importance of agency in shaping one’s career trajectories, which is consistent with existing research (Campbell & O’Meara, 2014 ; O’Meara et al., 2014 ).

Implications for PhD students and graduates

The above findings offer practical implications for PhD students and graduates. PhD graduates should be aware that they can enact their agency in making career choices and responding to the institutional pressures proactively (Campbell & O’Meara, 2014 ; O’Meara et al., 2014 ). To make well-informed career decisions, they need to know career options both inside and outside the academic sector. If they prefer to stay in academia, it is important to be aware that passions, industry experiences, and networking are necessary, but not sufficient to obtain a tenured position in academia. Similarly, research output is an essential factor, but focussing on the number of publications only is not sufficient either. The key element seems to be the ability to construct a narrative that helps present oneself as a researcher with a strong potential to make unique contributions and create lasting impacts as narrative has been increasingly used as a tool in performance measurement in higher education (Bandola-Gill & Smith, 2022 ; Chubb & Reed, 2018 ).

Implications for PhD supervisors, universities and industry employers

Our research calls for institutional recognition of PhD students’ agency. Universities can support this by providing resources and opportunities (e.g. in the form of funding) for them to “start up” their research career (O’Meara et al., 2014 ). In addition, as people who know their students’ research fields, supervisors can act as mentors during their career building-up journey. Instead of merely focusing on the particularities of the PhD research, supervisors can invest time and effort in supporting students to form a career vision and identify competitive edges. Mentoring practices, which have been adopted in PhD programs in STEM, (Curtin et al., 2016 ; Hund et al., 2018 ), can also be offered to those in Social Sciences.

For students who do not intend to pursue an academic career, universities can support their agency by legitimising non-academic careers and integrating career development with research training (Universities Australia, 2013 ). More importantly, a shift in perspective is timely required: PhD students should be treated as highly capable individuals instead of a labour force lacking industry-relevant skills (e.g., Jackson & Michelson, 2016 ; Pham, 2023 ). Appreciating PhD students’ agency, universities can support PhD students to reach their full potential while a deficit perspective may result in a waste of resources in running skills development programmes that do not meet student needs (Moreno, 2014 ). In the same vein, with an agency-focused perspective, industry employers can appreciate the broader value of PhD graduates’ skills in enhancing the growth of their organisations (McAlpine & Inouye, 2022 ).

Policy implications

Policymakers also need to consider the agency of PhD students and graduates, treating them as valued brokers in the process of translating advanced knowledge for the benefit of the society at large (Lazurko et al., 2020 ), instead of turning them into fierce competitors for limited research funding and academic appointments (Carson et al., 2013 ; Pelletier et al., 2019 ). Under the current funding systems, and the casualisation of academic workforce, working conditions in academia have become increasingly competitive, which is associated with early career academics’ mental health issues (Culpepper et al., 2020 ; Szelényi & Denson, 2019 ). To address these issues, there are calls for increasing on-going positions (NTEU, 2020 ), strengthening support for early-career researchers (McComb et al., 2021 ), and reforming research funding policies (O’Kane, 2023 ). Taking the Australian system for example, funding increases in line with PhD completion, which accounts for a surplus supply of PhD graduates compared to the availability of academic positions (Hoang et al., 2023 , May 18). To address this issue, reducing PhD enrolments in Social sciences has been recommended as a solution (Croucher, 2016 , November 18). This recommendation may help resolve the supply–demand issue, but would lead to the shrinking of social research, which would have detrimental impacts on the society at large (Shaw, 2023 , July 25). Instead of limiting PhD enrolments, measures should be taken to promote employment of PhD graduates in the translation of social research findings into practice.

Conclusion and limitation

In this paper, we provide narrative evidence to illustrate the agency of Social Sciences PhD graduates in navigating their career pathways. By emphasising their agentic roles, we are able to identify the key institutional and personal factors that bear strong consequences on the twists and turns in their career pathways. Based on our analysis of the stories told by our participants, we offer recommendations for practice and policy. It is important to note that the stories may not be representative of all social research disciplines due to the limitation in sampling: the majority of our participants did their PhD study in linguistics and education.

Auriol, L. (2010). Careers of doctorate holders: Employment and mobility patterns. OECD Science, Technology and Industry . https://doi.org/10.1787/5kmh8phxvvf5-en

Article   Google Scholar  

Auriol, L., Misu, M., & Freeman, R. A. (2013). Careers of doctoral holders: Analysis of labour market and mobility indicators. OECD Science, Technology and Industry Working Papers. No. 2013/04. Paris: OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/5k43nxgs289w-en

Chapter   Google Scholar  

Bamberg, M., De Fina, A., & Schiffrin, D. (2011). Discourse and identity construction. In S. Schwartz, K. Luyckx, & V. L. Vigoles (Eds.), Handbook of Identity Theory and Research (pp. 177–199). Springer.

Bandola-Gill, J., & Smith, K. E. (2022). Governing by narratives: REF impact case studies and restrictive storytelling in performance measurement. Studies in Higher Education, 47 (9), 1857–1871. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2021.1978965

Bates, D. (2021). Academic labor and its exploitation. Theory & Event, 24 (4), 1090–1109. https://doi.org/10.1353/tae.2021.0060

Bennett, D., Roberts, L., Ananthram, S., & Broughton, M. (2018). What is required to develop career pathways for teaching academics? Higher Education , 75 (2), 271–286. https://link.springer.com/article/ https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-017-0138-9

Bieber, J. P., & Worley, L. K. (2006). Conceptualizing the academic life: Graduate students’ perspectives. The Journal of Higher Education, 77 (6), 1009–1035. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2006.11778954

Bogt, H. J., & Scapens, R. W. (2012). Performance management in universities: Effects of the transition to more quantitative measurement systems. European Accounting Review, 21 (3), 451–497. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638180.2012.668323

Boulos, A. (2016). The labour market relevance of PhDs: An issue for academic research and policy-makers. Studies in Higher Education, 41 (5), 901–913. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2016.1147719

Buenstorf, G., Koenig, J., & Otto, A. (2023). Expansion of doctoral training and doctorate recipients’ labour market outcomes: Evidence from German register data. Studies in Higher Education, 48 (8), 1216–1242. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2023.2188397

Burford, J. (2018). The trouble with doctoral aspiration now. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 31 (6), 487–503. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2017.1422287

Campbell, C. M., & O’Meara, K. (2014). Faculty agency: Departmental contexts that matter in faculty careers. Research in Higher Education, 55 (1), 49–74. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-013-9303-x

Carson, L., Bartneck, C., & Voges, K. (2013). Over-competitiveness in academia: A literature review. Disruptive Science and Technology, 1 (4), 183–190. https://doi.org/10.1089/dst.2013.0013

Chubb, J., & Reed, M. S. (2018). The politics of research impact: Academic perceptions of the implications for research funding, motivation and quality. British Politics, 13 (3), 295–311. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41293-018-0077-9

Couston, A., & Pignatel, I. (2018). PhDs in business: Nonsense, or opportunity for both? Global Business and Organizational Excellence, 37 (2), 49–58. https://doi.org/10.1002/joe.21842

Crimmins, G. (2017). Feedback from the coal-face: How the lived experience of women casual academics can inform human resources and academic development policy and practice. International Journal for Academic Development, 22 (1), 7–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360144X.2016.1261353

Croucher, G. (2016). It’s time to reduce the number of PhD students, or rethink how doctoral programs work. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/its-time-to-reduce-the-number-of-phd-students-or-rethink-how-doctoral-programs-work-68972

Google Scholar  

Croucher, G. (2023). Three decades of change in Australia’s university workforce. Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education.   https://doi.org/10.26188/23995704

Culpepper, D., Lennartz, C., O’Meara, K., & Kuvaeva, A. (2020). Who gets to have a life? Agency in work-life balance for single faculty. Equity & Excellence in Education, 53 (4), 531–550. https://doi.org/10.1080/10665684.2020.1791280

Curtin, N., Malley, J., & Stewart, A. J. (2016). Mentoring the next generation of faculty: Supporting academic career aspirations among doctoral students. Research in Higher Education, 57 (6), 714–738. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-015-9403-x

Dany, F., Louvel, S., & Valette, A. (2011). Academic careers: The limits of the ‘boundaryless approach’ and the power of promotion scripts. Human Relations, 64 (7), 971–996. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726710393537

Denicolo, P. (2003). Assessing the PhD: A constructive view of criteria. Quality Assurance in Education, 11 (2), 84–91. https://doi.org/10.1108/09684880310471506

Douglas, A. S. (2013). Advice from the professors in a university social sciences department on the teaching-research nexus. Teaching in Higher Education, 18 (4), 377–388. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2012.752727

Feder, T. (2018). Contract lecturers are a growing yet precarious population in higher education. Physics Today, 71 (11), 22–23. https://doi.org/10.1063/PT.3.4065

Feldon, D. F., Wofford, A. M., & Blaney, J. M. (2023). In L. W. Perna (Ed.), Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research (pp. 325–414). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-94844-3_4-1

Garbe, E., & Duberley, J. (2021). How careers change: Understanding the role of structure and agency in career change. The case of the humanitarian sector. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 32 (11), 2468–2492. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2019.1588345

Germain-Alamartine, E., Ahoba-Sam, R., Moghadam-Saman, S., & Evers, G. (2021). Doctoral graduates’ transition to industry: Networks as a mechanism? Cases from Norway, Sweden and the UK. Studies in Higher Education, 46 (12), 2680–2695. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2020.1754783

Goller, M., & Harteis, C. (2017). Human agency at work: Towards a clarification and operationalisation of the concept. In M. Goller & S. Paloniemi (Eds.), Agency at work: An agentic perspective on professional learning and development (pp. 85–103). Springer International Publishing.

Guerin, C. (2020). Stories of moving on HASS PhD graduates’ motivations and career trajectories inside and beyond academia. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, 19 (3), 304–324. https://doi.org/10.1177/1474022219834448

Hadjisolomou, A., Mitsakis, F., & Gary, S. (2022). Too scared to go sick: Precarious academic work and ‘Presenteeism Culture’ in the UK higher education sector during the Covid-19 pandemic. Work, Employment and Society, 36 (3), 569–579. https://doi.org/10.1177/09500170211050501

Hancock, S. (2023). Knowledge or science-based economy? The employment of UK PhD graduates in research roles beyond academia. Studies in Higher Education, 48 (10), 1523–1537. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2023.2249023

Hayter, C., & Parker, M. (2019). Factors that influence the transition of university postdocs to non-academic scientific careers: An exploratory study. Research Policy, 48 (3), 556–570. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2018.09.009

Hoang, S., Ta, B. T., Khong, H., & Dang, T. (2023). Australia has way more PhD graduates than academic jobs. Here’s how to rethink doctoral degrees. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/australia-has-way-more-phd-graduates-than-academic-jobs-heres-how-to-rethink-doctoral-degrees-203057

Holland, D., & Lachicotte, W. (2007). Vygotsky, Mead, and the new sociocultural studies of identity. In H. Daniels, M. Cole, & J. Wertsch (Eds.), The Cambridge companion to Vygotsky (pp. 101–135). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CCOL0521831040.005

Hooley, T. J., Bennett, D., & Knight, E. B. (2023). Rationalities that underpin employability provision in higher education across eight countries. Higher Education, 86 (5), 1003–1023. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-022-00957-y

Hund, A. K., Churchill, A. C., Faist, A. M., Havrilla, C. A., Love Stowell, S. M., McCreery, H. F., ..., & Scordato, E. S. (2018). Transforming mentorship in STEM by training scientists to be better leaders. Ecology and Evolution , 8 (20), 9962–9974. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.2011.01717.x

Jackson, D., & Michelson, G. (2016). PhD-educated employees and the development of generic skills. Australian Bulletin of Labour , 42 (1), 108–134. https://search.informit.org/doi/ https://doi.org/10.3316/ielapa.439531603235277

Khosa, A., Ozdil, E., & Burch, S. (2023). 'Some of them do treat you like an idiot’: What it’s like to be a casual academic. The Conversation. http://theconversation.com/some-of-them-do-treat-you-like-an-idiot-what-its-like-to-be-a-casual-academic-201470

Kimber, M., & Ehrich, L. C. (2015). Are Australia’s universities in deficit? A tale of generic managers, audit culture and casualisation. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 37 (1), 83–97. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080X.2014.991535

Lama, T. M., & Joullié, J. (2015). Casualization of academics in the Australian higher education: Is teaching quality at risk?. Research in Higher Education Journal , 28 , 11. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1062094.pdf

Laudel, G., Bielick, J., & Gläser, J. (2019). “Ultimately the question always is: “What do I have to do to do it right?”’Scripts as explanatory factors of career decisions. Human Relations, 72 (5), 932–961. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726718786550

Lazurko, A., Alamenciak, T., Hill, L. S., Muhl, E.-K., Osei, A. K., Pomezanski, D., ..., Sharmin, D. F. (2020). What will a PhD look like in the F=future? Perspectives on emerging trends in sustainability doctoral programs in a time of disruption. World Futures Review , 12 (4), 369–384. https://doi.org/10.1177/1946756720976710

Lean, J. (2012). Preparing for an uncertain future: The enterprising PhD student. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 19 (3), 532–548. https://doi.org/10.1108/14626001211250261

Lent, R. W. (2016). Self-efficacy in a relational world: Social cognitive mechanisms of adaptation and development. The Counseling Psychologist, 44 , 573–594. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000016638742

Marini, G. (2022). The employment destination of PhD-holders in Italy: Non-academic funded projects as drivers of successful segmentation. European Journal of Education, 57 (2), 289–305. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12495

McAlpine, L., & Inouye, K. (2022). What value do PhD graduates offer? An organizational case study. Higher Education Research & Development, 41 (5), 1648–1663. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2021.1945546

McAlpine, L., Amundsen, C., & Turner, G. (2013). Constructing post-PhD careers: Negotiating opportunities and personal goals. International Journal for Researcher Development, 4 (1), 39–54. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJRD-01-2013-0002

McAlpine, L. (2012). Identity-trajectories: Doctoral journeys from past to present to future. Australian Universities’ Review , 54 (1), 38–46. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ968518.pdf

McCarthy, O. X., & Wienk, D. M. (2019). Who are the top PhD employers? AMSI (Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute and CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research). https://amsi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/advancing_australias_knowledge_economy.pdf

McComb, V., Eather, N., & Imig, S. (2021). Casual academic staff experiences in higher education: Insights for academic development. International Journal for Academic Development, 26 (1), 95–105. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360144X.2020.1827259

Meijers, F., & Lengelle, R. (2012). Narratives at work: The development of career identity. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 40 (2), 157–176. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2012.665159

Menard, C. B., & Shinton, S. (2022). The career paths of researchers in long-term employment on short-term contracts: Case study from a UK university. PLoS One, 17 (9), e0274486. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0274486

Moreno, R. (2014). Management of the level of coursework in PhD education: A case of Sweden. Journal of Applied Economics and Business Research, 4 (3), 168–178.

Nadolny, A., & Ryan, S. (2015). McUniversities revisited: A comparison of university and McDonald’s casual employee experiences in Australia. Studies in Higher Education, 40 (1), 142–157. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2013.818642

NTEU. (2020). The growth of insecure employment in higher education. Nation Tertiary Education Unition. https://www.pc.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/337998/sub036-productivity-attachmentb.pdf

O’Kane, M. (2023). Australian universities accord interim report. Australian Government: Department of Education. https://www.education.gov.au/australian-universities-accord/resources/accord-interim-report

O’Meara, K., Jaeger, A., Eliason, J., Grantham, A., Cowdery, K., Mitchall, A., & Zhang, K. (2014). By design: How departments influence graduate student agency in career advancement. International Journal of Doctoral Studies , 9 (1), 155–179. https://ijds.org/Volume9/IJDSv9p155-179OMeara0518.pdf

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). (2021). Reducing the precarity of academic research careers . OECD Science, Technology and Industry Policy Papers, No. 113. https://doi.org/10.1787/23074957

Book   Google Scholar  

Pelletier, K. L., Kottke, J. L., & Sirotnik, B. W. (2019). The toxic triangle in academia: A case analysis of the emergence and manifestation of toxicity in a public university. Leadership (London, England), 15 (4), 405–432. https://doi.org/10.1177/1742715018773828

Pham, T., Dai, K., & Saito, E. (2023). Forms of agency enacted by international Ph.D. holders in Australia and Ph.D. returnees in China to negotiate employability. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education.   https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2023.2237885

Pham, T. (2023). What really contributes to employability of PhD graduates in uncertain labour markets?. Globalisation, Societies and Education , 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2023.2192908

Priestley, M., Biesta, G., & Robinson, S. (2015). Teacher agency: An ecological approach . Bloomsbury.

Reid, E. R., & Kelestyn, B. (2022). Problem representations of employability in higher education: Using design thinking and critical analysis as tools for social justice in careers education. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 50 (4), 631–646. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2022.2054943

Rogers, B., & Swain, K. (2022). Teaching academics in higher education: Resisting teaching at the expense of research. The Australian Educational Researcher, 49 (5), 1045–1061. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-021-00465-5

Rossier, J., Cardoso, P. M., & Duarte, M. E. (2021). The narrative turn in career development theories: An integrative perspective. In P. J. Robertson, T. Hooley, & P. McCash (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Career Development , 169–180. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190069704.013.13

Ryan, S., Connell, J., & Burgess, J. (2017). Casual academics: A new public management paradox. Labour & Industry, 27 (1), 56–72. https://doi.org/10.1080/10301763.2017.1317707

Sfard, A., & Prusak, A. (2005). Telling identities: In search of an analytic tool for investigating learning as a culturally shaped activity. Educational Researcher, 34 (4), 14–22. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X034004014

Shaw, R. (2023). A changing world needs arts and social science graduates more than ever – Just ask business leaders. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/a-changing-world-needs-arts-and-social-science-graduates-more-than-ever-just-ask-business-leaders-210194

Spina, N., Smithers, K., Harris, J., & Mewburn, I. (2022). Back to zero? Precarious employment in academia amongst ‘older’ early career researchers, a life-course approach. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 43 (4), 534–549. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2022.2057925

Stokoe, E., & Edwards, D. (2006). Story formulations in talk-in-interaction. Narrative Inquiry, 16 (1), 56–65. https://doi.org/10.1075/ni.16.1.09sto

Sultana, R. G. (2022). Four ‘dirty words’ in career guidance: From common sense to good sense. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance , 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-022-09550-2

Suomi, K., Kuoppakangas, P., Kivistö, J., Stenvall, J., & Pekkola, E. (2020). Exploring doctorate holders’ perceptions of the non-academic labour market and reputational problems they relate to their employment. Tertiary Education and Management, 26 , 397–414. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11233-020-09061-1

Szelényi, K., & Denson, N. (2019). Personal and institutional predictors of work-life balance among women and men faculty of color. The Review of Higher Education , 43 (2), 633–665. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/743033

Ta, B. T., & Filipi, A. (2020). Storytelling as a resource for pursuing understanding and agreement in doctoral research supervision meetings. Journal of Pragmatics, 165 , 4–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2020.03.008

Ta, B. T. (2022). Giving advice through telling hypothetical stories in doctoral supervision meetings. In A. Filipi, B. T. Ta, & M. Theobald (Eds.), Storytelling Practices in Home and Educational Contexts: Perspectives from Conversation Analysis (pp. 311–334). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-9955-9_16

Tao, J., & Gao, X. S. (2021). Language teacher agency . Cambridge University Press.

Thomas, L. D. (2014). Identity-trajectory as a theoretical framework in engineering education research. 2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition. https://peer.asee.org/identity-trajectory-as-a-theoretical-framework-in-engineering-education-research

Universities Australia. (2013). A smarter Australia: An agenda for Australian higher education 2013–2016 . https://apo.org.au/node/32987 .

Van Benthem, K., Adi, M. N., Corkery, C. T., Inoue, J., & Jadavji, N. M. (2020). The changing postdoc and key predictors of satisfaction with professional training. Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education, 11 (1), 123–142. https://doi.org/10.1108/SGPE-06-2019-0055

Waaijer, C. J. F. (2017). Perceived career prospects and their influence on the sector of employment of recent PhD graduates. Science and Public Policy, 44 (1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1093/scipol/scw007

Warren, S. (2017). Struggling for visibility in higher education: Caught between neoliberalism ‘out there’and ‘in here’–an autoethnographic account. Journal of Education Policy, 32 (2), 127–140. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680939.2016.1252062

Wells, K. (2011). Narrative inquiry . Oxford University Press.

Download references

Open Access funding enabled and organized by CAUL and its Member Institutions.

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Faculty of Medicine Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Australia

CIRES, Mitchell Institute, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia

Cuong Hoang

Faculty of Foreign Languages, Ho Chi Minh City Open University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Faculty of Education, Monash University, Clayton, Australia

Hang Khong & Trang Dang

Graduate School, Ho Chi Minh City Open University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Binh Ta .

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest.

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher's note.

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ .

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Ta, B., Hoang, C., Khong, H. et al. Australian PhD graduates’ agency in navigating their career pathways: stories from social sciences. High Educ (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-024-01181-6

Download citation

Accepted : 12 January 2024

Published : 26 January 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-024-01181-6

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Doctoral Education
• Employment outcome
• Academic career
• Humanities Arts and Social Sciences
• Find a journal
• Publish with us
• Track your research

PHD Australia wins McCain

PHD Melbourne’s remit to include media strategy, media planning and buying across all channels.

PHD Australia has won McCain and been appointed as the media agency of record for the frozen food company, following a competitive pitch late last year.

The account, which will be run out of PHD Melbourne’s office, began work on the account in Q4 last year. PHD Melbourne’s remit to include media strategy, media planning and buying across all channels

McCain is one of Australia’s most recognisable food brands and competes in frozen potato, frozen pizza, frozen vegetables and frozen meal categories.

Simon Lawson , PHD Melbourne managing director, celebrated the new business win and said: “It feels like a great match and we’re looking forward to helping to grow McCain brands for many years to come.”

The win for PHD comes after the agency announced its partnership with  Beatgrid , the single-source cross-media audience measurement solution, last year.

The partnership comes in response to the growing need for single-source cross-platform measurement.

Beatgrid addresses one of the most pressing concerns for global brands and marketers, the accurate measurement for attribution of advertising investments. The partnership will empower PHD in its efforts to address the global push from brands and leading national advertiser associations to expedite the implementation of a new wave of cross-media measurement solutions.

The adtech and ad effectiveness startup provides PHD and its clients with accurate, cross-media measurement tools and technology, that provide single-source online and offline measurement using first-party opt-in panel data, positioning the media group ever further ahead of the competition in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

Lillian Zrim , PHD’s head of research, said of the partnership: “This gives us and our clients the most complete view of campaign measurement in order to understand the nuances of specific media channels and how they contribute to campaign success.”

See also: PHD Australia announces partnership with Beatgrid to bolster cross-media measurement capabilities

• Twitter (X)

Doctor of Philosophy

As a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) candidate, you’ll complete a substantial program of independent and original research in your chosen field of study. A PhD prepares you for a range of careers - from academic to industry and is the highest degree qualification available. 

• 3–4 years (full time) minimum commitment of 35 – 40 hours per week or
• 6–8 years (part time) minimum commitment of 15 hours per week.
• Offered in all Faculties
• A thesis of no more than 100,000 words.

Entry requirements

Future careers.

• Fees & costs

UNSW undertakes world-class research that tackles some of the greatest challenges facing society today. When you join the UNSW research community, you join a passionate collective of people who are using research to transform minds, transform lives, and transform the world.

UNSW will support you to develop the skills and expertise you need to make a difference in your field. We are committed to providing you with an unmatched PhD experience that includes outstanding research training and mentorship, world-class supervision, and access to research environments defined by excellence and collaboration.

You will receive advanced specialist research training and produce a thesis that provides evidence for independent thought, critical analysis, and expert knowledge of the discipline in an international context. In some disciplines, creative work may form part of the thesis.

Find information about individual PhD programs and codes on the UNSW Handbook .

Learn about the graduate attributes and learning outcomes for UNSW higher degree research programs here . 

The minimum requirement for admission to a PhD is:

• A UNSW Bachelor degree with first or upper second class Honours from UNSW; or
• a completed Master by Research from UNSW with a substantial research component and demonstrated capacity for timely completion of a high quality research thesis; or
• an equivalent qualification from a tertiary institution as determined by the Faculty Higher Degree Committee (HDC)

The minimum requirement for UNSW Scholarship with admission to a PhD is:

• a four year Bachelor degree with first or upper second class Honours from an Australian institution or equivalent research qualification as above.

You may think of yourself as a student, but we think of you as a professional researcher in the early stages of a long and vibrant career.

UNSW will provide you with the skills and expertise to pursue a range of career pathways after you graduate, from academia to industry.

As a PhD candidate, you’ll have access to a wealth of opportunities to work with and alongside industry through industry PhD programs to internships and mentorships .

You’ll also have access to the most comprehensive student entrepreneurship program in Australia, that can help you develop your ideas, raise capital and launch a startup.

Fees and costs

The costs associated with enrolment in a research higher degree program vary depending on whether you are a domestic or international candidate. Learn more about the fees and costs here .

Have questions? Contact us

+61 2 9385 5500

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

• Enquire Now
• About SI-Australia
• SI-Australia Office
• SI-Australia Osaka
• All Global Offices
• Course Search
• Application Services
• Free Service
• Top Universities Service
• Visa Service
• PhD Service
• Australia Application Process
• Australian Education System
• Australia University Rankings 2024
• All Australia Study Information
• University Profiles
• College Profiles
• University Subject Guides
• Study Options
• Study Blogs
• Study English

Book your Free Consultation

A member of the SI-Australia team will be in touch within 24 hours to arrange your initial consultation with one of our education experts.

• Australia Study Options
• PhD Degrees

PhD Degrees in Australia

A PhD is the highest degree awarded at global universities. PhD study is based on a substantial research project in an area of academic interest, typically up to 100,000 words in length, written as a thesis which must be defended in an oral examination at the end of the program. All PhD students are assigned a supervisor, and the duration of a PhD is typically three years full-time and six years part-time.

Very few research degrees feature taught modules, and as such a, student is expected to take more responsibility for their work and schedule. Universities in Australia are known for their academic excellence and state-of-the-art research infrastructure, along with their support for enterprise partnerships.  

PhD Entry Requirements

Australian institutions are free to admit anyone to a PhD program, with admission generally conditional on the prospective student having completed an undergraduate degree with at least upper second-class honours, as well as a master's degree . English language ability proof is a must, and a minimum IELTS score of 6.5 is generally required. There is usually a first-year assessment of the remaining study, and the thesis is submitted at the end of the completed program.

Once you have decided on an area of research and have looked into how you will fund your study, there are a number of documents required when submitting your application. They include:

• Academic transcripts
• Academic references
• Personal statement
• Research proposal

- PhD Research Proposal

A research proposal is required by all students when applying to study for a PhD. The proposal should address the research you wish to undertake, how you will do it, and why it is important. A panel of experts must accept the proposal before your program can begin.

How much does a PhD cost in Australia?

Funding and researching a PhD can be expensive. In Australia, candidates can expect to pay 40,000 AUD- 60,000 AUD. Dedicated scholarships can help support your PhD, and it is rare for a PhD student not to be supported by some form of bursary, grant or scholarship .

Study a PhD in Australia

If you are interested in studying for a research degree in Australia, arrange a free consultation with SI-Australia today.

Increase your chances of success when applying

SI-Australia specialises in selecting the right Australia university or college for international students by reviewing your academic background, discussing your career goals and helping you apply. Our application services can help you achieve your dream of studying in Australia.

06 December 2023

14 november 2023, 18 october 2023, 17 may 2024, study in australia blog, studying in australia, top 10 australian universities that promote sustainability.

• Top 10 Young Universities in Australia 2024
• 10 Reasons to Study in Australia

Australia Degrees

Best australian universities for accounting and finance.

• Best Architecture Degrees in Australia
• Top Five Australian Universities for Computer Science

Australia Universities

Affordable australian universities for international students.

• Six Reasons to Choose Australian National University

" SI-Australia helped me successfully apply to study business in Australia and I cannot thank them enough for their support. They assisted me with each step, ensuring I was aware of all my options in terms of program and university selection, making the process totally stress free. "

Isabella Ramos Business and Management

Leading Universities in Australia

©2024 SI-Australia | All rights reserved | Privacy Policy

David Yurman Names PHD Global Media Agency of Record

Msix&partners (now t&pm) previously held the jeweler's account.

Don't miss ADWEEK House at Cannes , June 16-19. Join us as we celebrate our 45th anniversary and explore the industry's now and next. RSVP .

The David Yurman Company has wrapped up a four-month-long traditional and digital media review led by the media consultancy ID Comms. The business includes four markets—the U.S. and Canada in the Americas and France and the U.K. in Europe. The luxury jewelry brand operates 49 retail stores globally, and at more than 300 authorized locations worldwide.

The brand’s 2024 billings are estimated to be between $50 million and $60 million total, according to an anonymous source familiar with the pitch. COMvergence estimates David Yurman spent $35 million on U.S media in 2023.

PHD attracted the luxury retailer by displaying a “singular understanding” of its brand and audiences, according to a statement shared with ADWEEK. Omnicom Media Group (OMG) and its agency brands last year embraced an agency as a platform (AaaP) model. The concept centers the group’s Omni software, a global operating system that allows OMG agencies to scale their operations in various geographies.

“In searching for a media partner, we wanted a group that deeply values the brand’s heritage and vision, understands how to reflect our creativity, advances our spirit of innovation across data and media platforms, and ensures our investment is effective and efficient. PHD clearly met the brief with a unique balance of art and science, and a strong focus on collaboration and partnership to fuel continued growth for David Yurman,” CMO Carolyn Dawkins said in a statement.

Omnicom Media Group Leaders Explain New Agency-as-a-Platform Model

The allure of PHD’s agency as a platform model

The AaaP operating model offers David Yurman a tool to centralize its global media planning, without ignoring insights from local marketplaces.

“What’s unique about it is it was a mix of brand and performance,” said Yasmena Depko, the ID Comms consultant who led the review. Depko noted the Omni platform ‘s functionality and interface, telling ADWEEK that when demoed during the pitch, the system felt “usable.”

PHD’s expertise with luxury brands was another driving factor. It won the Chanel business in October 2021.

The brand invited mSix&Partners to defend the business, according to a source with knowledge of the review, but the incumbent declined. Last month, mSix merged with its former partner, another WPP-backed agency The&Partnership. The combined shops now make up one agency brand called T&Pm.

“We were honored to have had the opportunity to partner with David Yurman over the past eight years, working together to drive impressive growth for the business. While we have valued our partnership, we chose not to participate in the recent review process. We wish them the best as they move forward,” Kim Sivillo, CEO, Media, T&Pm wrote to ADWEEK.

David Yurman also invited the media agencies Havas, IPG and PMG to participate, a source confirmed.

“From our first meeting, the David Yurman team made it clear that they were looking for a true collaboration between agency and marketer, equally focused on long-term gains as short-term performance wins,” said PHD U.S. CEO Michael Solomon in a statement.

The win comes at the end of Solomon’s first year helming PHD, and as the agency has realized a new degree of success.

PHD, which ADWEEK recognized earlier this year as its 2024 Global Media Agency of the Year , employs 6,500 employees across 81 offices and 74 countries. Last year it won Uber’s $500 million global business, and media duties for the global leader in baked goods manufacturing Grupo Bimbo. Just this week it announced winning media duties for Firehouse Subs, a Restaurant Brands International (RBI) portfolio brand.

PHD Is Adweek’s Global Media Agency of the Year

Olivia Morley

• @_oliviamorley
• [email protected]

Olivia is Adweek's senior reporter specializing in media agencies.

• Small Business

‘Kind of hilarious’: Australia Post printing error wipes key detail from product

Australia Post “had one job” and “they messed it up”, but this Aussie small business owner could still see the funny side.

Aussie petrol prices hit all-time high

Friday set to be year’s top “sickie” day

Home builder collapses after 60 years

A small but vital detail managed to disappear from an Australia Post product, earning the agency a ribbing from one affected business owner.

Not just the domain of your nanna and nostalgic collectors, many Australians still use stamps.

On April 3 this year, the price of an ordinary small letter stamp went up 30 cents to $1.50.

Australian online collectibles trader David likes adding the personal touch of custom-made stamps bearing his company logo.

But he got a shock when the 2000 custom-made stamps he ordered came without the actual dollar sign printed on them.

David, who spoke with 9 News, said he didn’t even notice the misprint at first and started sending them out.

But Australia Post emailed him, saying the missing dollar sign made the stamps invalid, an oversight David found “kind of hilarious”.

“I was waiting eagerly for them to come up with the new pricing, and then I ordered them the next day,” David said.

“They had one job, to change the two to a five, and they messed it up,” he said.

“You would think that after so many years of having these stamps that there would be quality control and yet this slipped through for almost a month – it’s kind of crazy.

“Everyone makes mistakes but it’s a bit embarrassing for them.”

Australia Post told 9 News a printing error was to blame.

“A printing error resulted in a small number of personalised stamps being misprinted,” an Australia Post spokesperson said.

The postal agency has apologised and provided refunds, but a stamp without a dollar sign is non-compliant.

Major cities across Australia have notched record high fuel prices this week, amid a worrying cost-of-living crisis.

With a working day sandwiched between the weekend and a public holiday, Friday is expected to be the most popular day to “chuck a sickie” this year.

A massive residential builder has gone into liquidation after 60 years in business.

Australia's Horton says anti-doping system failed athletes amid China furore

• Medium Text

Sign up here.

Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Michael Perry

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. New Tab , opens new tab

Sports Chevron

Trailing 3-0, the Washington Capitals face long odds to win their Eastern Conference first-round series with the New York Rangers.

The Nashville Predators came away from Game 3 of their Western Conference first-round series against the Vancouver Canucks mostly pleased with their efforts, despite the 2-1 loss to fall behind by the same result in the series.

Suggestions or feedback?

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Machine learning
• Social justice
• Black holes
• Classes and programs

Departments

• Aeronautics and Astronautics
• Brain and Cognitive Sciences
• Architecture
• Political Science
• Mechanical Engineering

Centers, Labs, & Programs

• Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)
• Picower Institute for Learning and Memory
• Lincoln Laboratory
• School of Architecture + Planning
• School of Engineering
• School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
• Sloan School of Management
• School of Science
• MIT Schwarzman College of Computing

Bringing an investigator’s eye to complex social challenges

Press contact :.

Previous image Next image

Anna Russo likes puzzles. They require patience, organization, and a view of the big picture. She brings an investigator’s eye to big institutional and societal challenges whose solutions can have wide-ranging, long-term impacts.

Russo’s path to MIT began with questions. She didn’t have the whole picture yet. “I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life,” says Russo, who is completing her PhD in economics in 2024. “I was good at math and science and thought I wanted to be a doctor.”

While completing her undergraduate studies at Yale University, where she double majored in economics and applied math, Russo discovered a passion for problem-solving, where she could apply an analytical lens to answering the kinds of thorny questions whose solutions could improve policy. “Empirical research is fun and exciting,” Russo says.

After Yale, Russo considered what to do next. She worked as a full-time research assistant with MIT economist Amy Finkelstein . Russo’s work with Finkelstein led her toward identifying, studying, and developing answers to complex questions. 

“My research combines ideas from two fields of economic inquiry — public finance and industrial organization — and applies them to questions about the design of environmental and health care policy,” Russo says. “I like the way economists think analytically about social problems.”

Narrowing her focus

Studying with and being advised by renowned economists as both an undergraduate and a doctoral student helped Russo narrow her research focus, fitting more pieces into the puzzle. “What drew me to MIT was its investment in its graduate students,” Russo says.

Economic research meant digging into policy questions, identifying market failures, and proposing solutions. Doctoral study allowed Russo to assemble data to rigorously follow each line of inquiry.

“Doctoral study means you get to write about something you’re really interested in,” Russo notes. This led her to study policy responses to climate change adaptation and mitigation. 

“In my first year, I worked on a project exploring the notion that floodplain regulation design doesn’t do a good job of incentivizing the right level of development in flood-prone areas,” she says. “How can economists help governments convince people to act in society’s best interest?”

It’s important to understand institutional details, Russo adds, which can help investigators identify and implement solutions. 

“Feedback, advice, and support from faculty were crucial as I grew as a researcher at MIT,” she says. Beyond her two main MIT advisors, Finkelstein and economist Nikhil Agarwal — educators she describes as “phenomenal, dedicated advisors and mentors” — Russo interacted regularly with faculty across the department. 

Russo later discovered another challenge she hoped to solve: inefficiencies in conservation and carbon offset programs. She set her sights on the United States Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Reserve Program because she believes it and programs like it can be improved. 

The CRP is a land conservation plan administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency. In exchange for a yearly rental payment, farmers enrolled in the program agree to remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and plant species that will improve environmental health and quality.

“I think we can tweak the program’s design to improve cost-effectiveness,” Russo says. “There’s a trove of data available.” The data include information like auction participants’ bids in response to well-specified auction rules, which Russo links to satellite data measuring land use outcomes. Understanding how landowners bid in CRP auctions can help identify and improve the program’s function. 

“We may be able to improve targeting and achieve more cost-effective conservation by adjusting the CRP’s scoring system,” Russo argues. Opportunities may exist to scale the incremental changes under study for other conservation programs and carbon offset markets more generally.  

Economics, Russo believes, can help us conceptualize problems and recommend effective alternative solutions.

The next puzzle

Russo wants to find her next challenge while continuing her research. She plans to continue her work as a junior fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows, after which she’ll join the Harvard Department of Economics as an assistant professor. Russo also plans to continue helping other budding economists since she believes in the importance of supporting other students.   

Russo’s advisors are some of her biggest supporters. 

Finklestein emphasizes Russo’s curiosity, enthusiasm, and energy as key drivers in her success. “Her genuine curiosity and interest in getting to the bottom of a problem with the data — with an econometric analysis, with a modeling issue — is the best antidote for [the stress that can be associated with research],” Finklestein says. “It's a key ingredient in her ability to produce important and credible work.”

“She's also incredibly generous with her time and advice,” Finklestein continues, “whether it's helping an undergraduate research assistant with her senior thesis, or helping an advisor such as myself navigate a data access process she's previously been through.”

“Instead of an advisor-advisee relationship, working with her on a thesis felt more like a collaboration between equals,” Agarwal adds. “[She] has the maturity and smarts to produce pathbreaking research.

“Doctoral study is an opportunity for students to find their paths collaboratively,” Russo says. “If I can help someone else solve a small piece of their puzzle, that’s a huge positive. Research is a series of many, many small steps forward.” 

Identifying important causes for further investigation and study will always be important to Russo. “I also want to dig into some other market that’s not working well and figure out how to make it better,” she says. “Right now I’m really excited about understanding California wildfire mitigation.” 

Puzzles are made to be solved, after all.

Share this news article on:

Related links.

• Video: "MIT SHASS Student Profiles: Economics PhD Student Anna Russo"
• Amy Finklestein
• Nikhil Agarwal
• Department of Economics

Related Topics

• Graduate, postdoctoral
• Climate change
• Agriculture
• Health care
• School of Humanities Arts and Social Sciences

Related Articles

A new vision for US health care

Optimizing kidney donation and other markets without money

Measuring health care

Previous item Next item

More MIT News

Three from MIT awarded 2024 Guggenheim Fellowships

Read full story →

A musical life: Carlos Prieto ’59 in conversation and concert

Two from MIT awarded 2024 Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans

MIT Emerging Talent opens pathways for underserved global learners

The MIT Edgerton Center’s third annual showcase dazzles onlookers

3 Questions: A shared vocabulary for how infectious diseases spread

• More news on MIT News homepage →

Massachusetts Institute of Technology 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, USA

• Map (opens in new window)
• Events (opens in new window)
• People (opens in new window)
• Careers (opens in new window)
• Accessibility
• Social Media Hub
• MIT on Facebook
• MIT on YouTube
• MIT on Instagram

• India Today
• Business Today
• Reader’s Digest
• Harper's Bazaar
• Brides Today
• Cosmopolitan
• Aaj Tak Campus
• India Today Hindi

JNU to accept NET score instead of entrance exams for PhD programmes

The move to use national eligibility test (net) scores for phd admissions replaces the entrance test previously conducted by the national testing agency (nta)..

Listen to Story

• JNU switches to NET scores for PhD admissions, replacing NTA entrance test
• JNUSU raises concerns over new PhD admission criteria, demands JNUEE
• UGC allows universities to use NET scores for PhD admissions, JNU follows suit

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has announced a change in its selection process for admission to its Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programmes. Starting from the current academic year, JNU will accept the National Eligibility Test (NET) score instead of conducting its own entrance test, in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. This decision comes after the University Grants Commission (UGC) issued a directive allowing universities to use the NET scores for PhD admissions, as stated in a notice released by JNU on Saturday.

The move to use NET scores for PhD admissions replaces the entrance test previously conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). According to the notice, JNU will implement this change for the academic session 2024-25.

However, this decision has sparked concerns among some students. The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) expressed apprehensions that replacing PhD entrance exams with NET scores could disadvantage students from marginalised backgrounds, leading to fewer opportunities for them to pursue research. Following a protest at the UGC Headquarters, the JNUSU met with a UGC Joint Secretary, highlighting their concerns. The UGC Joint Secretary assured them that the matter would be discussed internally and reiterated that universities have the autonomy to conduct their entrance exams.

In response to these developments, JNUSU is scheduled to meet with the Director of Admissions on April 29 to demand that the PhD entrance exam for this year and future years be conducted through JNUEE, the university's own entrance examination.

• Français ( French )
• Deutsch ( German )
• Italiano ( Italian )
• Español ( Spanish )
• Publications
• Perspectives

The secret of getting ahead is getting started

Contact details

General enquiries melbourne, new business enquiries.

UNRWA report finds Palestinian aid group has robust neutrality framework, no evidence for Israeli claims of terrorist infiltration

An independent review of the neutrality of the UN agency helping Palestinian refugees has found that Israel has provided no evidence that a "significant number" of staff were involved in terrorist organisations, despite receiving a staff list annually since 2011. 

The 48-page report, released on Monday, also found the agency had robust structures in place to ensure compliance with humanitarian neutrality principles, although issues remain. 

The United Nations appointed former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna to lead the UNRWA neutrality review in February after Israel alleged that 12 UNRWA staff took part in the Hamas-led October 7 attacks, which triggered the Gaza war.

Israel stepped up its accusations in March, saying more than 450 UNRWA staff were military operatives in Gaza terrorist groups.

In a separate investigation, a UN oversight body is looking into the Israeli allegations against the 12 UNRWA staff.

Reuters reviewed a copy of the Colonna review's final report before it was made public.

The report said Israel had made public claims based on a UNRWA staff list provided to it in March that "a significant number" of UNRWA staff were members of "terrorist organisations".

"However, Israel has yet to provide supporting evidence of this," it said.

Israel's allegations against the dozen UNRWA staff led 16 states including Australia to pause or suspend funding of $700 million to UNRWA, a blow to an agency grappling with the humanitarian crisis that has swept Gaza since Israel launched its offensive there.

Israel has long complained about the agency, founded in 1949 to care for Palestinian refugees.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for UNRWA to be shut down.

UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini in March warned of "a deliberate and concerted campaign" to end its operations.

Contracts terminated after alleged October 7 involvement

Israel launched its assault in Gaza after Hamas fighters rampaged through Israeli towns on October 7, killing 1,200 people according to Israeli tallies. Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed more than 34,000 people, according to Gaza health authorities.

UNRWA says it terminated the contracts of 10 of the 12 staff accused by Israel of involvement in the October 7 attacks, and that the other two are dead.

The agency employs 32,000 people across its area of operations, 13,000 of them in Gaza, and has reported 178 fatalities among staff since the start of hostilities, as of April 17.

UNRWA shares staff lists annually with Lebanon, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, Syria and Israel, the review said, but also noted that Israeli officials never expressed concern and informed panel members it did not consider the list "a screening or vetting process" but rather a procedure to register diplomats.

The report also said the Israeli Foreign Ministry had informed the panel that until March 2024, the staff lists did not include Palestinian identification numbers.

The report noted that UNRWA has "a more developed approach" to neutrality than other similar UN or aid groups.

"Despite this robust framework, neutrality-related issues persist," it found.

It said these included some staff publicly expressing political views, textbooks with problematic content being used in some UNRWA schools, and politicised staff unions making threats against UNRWA management and disrupting operations.

In Gaza, UNRWA's neutrality challenges included the size of the operation, with most personnel being locally recruited and also recipients of UNRWA services, the review said.

From 2017 to 2022, the report said the annual number of allegations of neutrality being breached at UNRWA ranged from seven to 55.

But between January 2022 and February 2024, UN investigators received 151 allegations, most related to social media posts "made public by external sources," it said.

Israel dismisses report, repeats claims of 'enormous' Hamas infiltration

Israel's Foreign Ministry on Monday called on donor countries to avoid sending money to the organisation.

"The Colonna report ignores the severity of the problem, and offers cosmetic solutions that do not deal with the enormous scope of Hamas's infiltration of UNRWA," ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein said.

"This is not what a genuine and thorough review looks like. This is what an effort to avoid the problem and not address it head-on looks like."

Ms Colonna, speaking at the United Nations as the report was released, said the panel had been well received by Israelis while conducting its review and she urged the Israeli government not to discount it.

"Of course, you will find it is insufficient, but please take it on board. Whatever we recommend, if implemented, will bring good."

The report stresses the critical importance of UNRWA, calling it "irreplaceable and indispensable to Palestinians' human and economic development" in the absence of a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and "pivotal in providing life-saving humanitarian aid and essential social services, particularly in health and education, to Palestinian refugees in Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank".

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric welcomed this commitment to UNRWA and said the report "lays out clear recommendations, which the secretary-general accepts".

Speaking to the ABC, Human Rights Watch UN director Louis Charbonneau said the report made clear the burden of proof was on Israel to show that UNRWA staff were involved with terrorist agencies.

He also said the UN had taken the allegations seriously, launching two investigations and firing the 10 surviving staff members accused by Israel, so there had never been any need for countries to suspend funding to the agency.

"It is time for all those governments that suspended their funding … to resume," he said.

"This agency is a lifeline for Palestinians. Not only Gaza, but in other areas of the Middle East where there are refugees."

UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini said last week he accepted all recommendations.

As Israel has called for the break-up of the agency, Mr Lazzarini told the UN Security Council that dismantling UNRWA would deepen Gaza's humanitarian crisis and speed up the onset of famine.

International experts have warned of imminent famine in northern Gaza and said half the territory's 2.3 million people could be pushed to the brink of starvation if the Israeli-Hamas war intensifies.

Some states had resumed UNRWA funding but had requested a reinforcement of existing neutrality mechanisms and procedures.

Following the Israeli allegations against UNRWA staff, the United States, UNRWA's biggest donor at $US300 million-$US400 million ($465 million-$620 million) a year, paused funding, then the US Congress suspended contributions until at least March 2025.

Australia paused funding in late January , soon after announcing that UNRWA would receive $6 million out of $21.5 million in humanitarian support, but resumed in March .

• X (formerly Twitter)

Related Stories

Australia to resume funding to un palestinian aid agency unrwa.

'I have carried that black day with me ever since': Israeli military intelligence chief resigns over October 7 attack

• Disaster Relief
• Foreign Affairs
• Palestinian Territories
• World Politics

Sign in Create Account

TOP STORIES

Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel struck unbeaten half-centuries to power Rajasthan Royals to an emphatic seven-wicket victory against Lucknow Super Giants.

Congress wants to change the Constitution and rob Dalits, OBCs of quota benefits for religion-based reservation, Modi said.

'The present case is a classic case of how the ruling party led central government has misused the central agency- Enforcement Directorate and its wide powers under PMLA to crush its biggest political opponent -Aam Aadmi Party and its...

The matter come to light when Divyanshu Singh, a former student of the university, sought information under the Right to Information Act after coming to know about some students of first and second semester of the D Pharma course were...

Kharge claimed that though the BJP says the corrupt must be put in jails, when leaders facing corruption charges join the saffron party, they are "put on the lap" and sent to Rajya Sabha or assembly.