Graduate Research Opportunities
The Melbourne School of Engineering welcomes engineering researchers from around the globe.
We provide an environment of excellence: preparing of engineers with skills, knowledge and expertise that will match future technological needs.
By selecting Melbourne, you are choosing to pursue ideas and technologies that enhance the way we live, while enjoying the camaraderie of top performing peers.
Scholarships
Finding a Project and a Supervisor
Before applying for a research degree it is your responsibility to find a supervisor who agrees to support a research project.
Before pursuing a research program think about the project you want to investigate and who in the School will be able to guide you through it. This will be your supervisor — here is how to get started:
- Look through the list of research projects below.
- Use the University’s Find an Expert database of researchers.
- Contact the supervisor to ask if they would be willing to supervise you on a current project, or on your own project.
Available Research Projects By Department
This page lists PhD and other research scholarships associated with individual research projects.
Please note:
- Application closing dates for these projects are not aligned with the standard Scholarship closing dates.
Applications are accepted at any time, but scholarship application deadlines should be noted:
- Local applicants — October 31
- International applicants — August 31.
- To enquire about a research opportunity, email the ‘Primary contact’ listed on the project page.
Research Programs
MPhil and PhD programs are available in all disciplines at the Melbourne School of Engineering.
Master of Philosophy in Engineering (MPhil)
The Master of Philosophy is an internationally recognised masters by research program that provides students with the opportunity to carry out an independent and sustained research project under supervision, throughout which they will develop advanced research skills and techniques, and present findings in a documented, scholarly format.
PhD in Engineering
The PhD is designed for graduates to demonstrate academic leadership, independence, creativity and innovation in their research work. In addition, professional doctoral studies provide advanced training designed to build expertise in a specialist area, while encouraging the acquisition of a wide range of advanced and transferable skills.
The PhD thesis demonstrates authority and contributes to knowledge in the candidate’s field. The PhD thesis is deeper and more comprehensive in scope than the Master’s thesis.
Ready to Apply
Biomedical Engineering
- A computational model for the evaluation of shoulder muscle and joint-contact loading in vivo
- Biomechanical evaluation of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair techniques and tendon-transfer surgery
- Cancer data analysis with new generation sequencing technologies
- Development and evaluation of a novel temporomandibular joint replacement
- High-speed x-ray fluoroscopy for the evaluation of dynamic shoulder function in vivo
- Neuromuscular control of shoulder joint motion: an EMG-driven modelling approach
- Non-invasive methods for localising epileptic brain activity
- Pattern recognition in data generated by metabolite imaging of biological tissue sections
- Recognition of pathological gait using machine learning
- System identification of microstructure in the brain using magnetic resonance imaging
Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
- Application of bacteriophages for reduction of foaming in wastewater treatment
- Biological function of food protein structures
- Combining centrifugation and filtration to minimise cake cracking
- Engineering nanosheet-based novel structures
- Environmental biosensors: Putting synthetic biology to work
- Low-CO2 concretes via geopolymer technology
- Polymeric scaffolds for soft tissue engineering
- Probing dynamic interactions in soft matter using nanofabrication methods
- Redefining the shear rheology of concentrated suspensions
- The role of shear and compression in the flow of particulate suspensions
Computing and Information Systems
- Cancer data analysis with new generation sequencing technologies
- Computational Genomics
- FaceSpace: Using social networking to promote safer sex to higher risk groups
- Foundations of human-agent collaboration: situation-relevant information sharing
- Growing old and staying connected: Touch screen technology for ameliorating older people’s experience of social isolation
- Information Security Management
- Integration of social web services with Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) for healthcare management and health literacy
- Language preservation 2.0: Crowdsourcing oral language documentation using mobile devices
- Mobile augmented reality information, interfaces and interactions in healthcare and biomedical environments
- Prosodic systems in New Guinea: Integrating computational and typological approaches to linguistic analysis
Electrical & Electronic Engineering
- Achieving cost effective abatement from Australian electricity generation
- Codes over rings
- Gigabit wireless access using millimeter-wave over optical fiber systems
- Gigabit wireless: setting the standard for tomorrow's broadband
- Harnessing the capacity of optical fibres via few-mode transmission
- Internet Measurement
- Network Timing System
- Network Tomography
- Non-invasive methods for localising epileptic brain activity
- Precision Timekeeping Infrastructure: bridging the hardware/software divide
- Wireless sensor networks
Infrastructure Engineering
- 3-D computer simulation of the engineering geology of Melbourne
- Detailed 3D computer simulation of direct geothermal ground heat exchangers
- Geophysics: from theory to practice
- Geotechnical design of energy foundations
- Gippsland climate change adaptation study
- International field validation of a new IPCC “Tier IV” inventory model for landfill methane (CH4) emissions
- Porous media research laboratory
- Reservoir design for enhanced geothermal systems
- Sustainable use of stabilised biosolids as an engineering fill in embankments
Mechanical Engineering
- A computational model for the evaluation of shoulder muscle and joint-contact loading in vivo
- A novel surface preparation for manipulation of turbulent boundary layers.
- Achieving cost effective abatement from Australian electricity generation
- Advancing a first-principles basis for the prediction and manipulation of turbulent wall-flow transport
- Biomechanical evaluation of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair techniques and tendon-transfer surgery
- Development and evaluation of a novel temporomandibular joint replacement
- High-speed x-ray fluoroscopy for the evaluation of dynamic shoulder function in vivo
- May the best optimisation algorithm stand up?
- Neuromuscular control of shoulder joint motion: an EMG-driven modelling approach
- Operational optimisation of smart grid
- Optimal design of controlled aerodynamic bodies : From concept to prototype
- Optimising flex fuel engine performance
- TRIGEN: A holistic approach for optimised usage of heating, cooling and electricity for bulk energy consumers
- Wireless sensor networks