Disrupting Violence Beacon - Intersections of Climate & Violence

We are currently looking for a PhD candidate to investigate the intersections of climate change and gender-based violence (including coercive control), migration (forced and voluntary), human rights violations, technology use and development, justice, and questions of sovereignty. The primary focus of this role is to understand and reframe the intersection between climate change and gender-based violence. This will include ways to disrupt structures and siloed approaches to both climate change and violence by elucidating the intersecting socio-political impacts.

This project includes opportunities to collaborate with international partners, and potentially to conduct field work in Indonesia, Thailand and Sweden. The candidate will be mentored by world-leading experts in law, social work, anthropology and psychology and located within the Griffith University Disrupting Violence Beacon.

Scholarship details

The Disrupting Violence Beacon (DVB) is a strategic Griffith University research initiative focused on understanding and responding to violence in all forms. The DVB aims to help build institutions and systems that improve people’s security and access to justice by focusing on areas where existing research is lacking, including risk and protective factors that assist in understanding violence through the lens of community and inter-generational cycles of violence, which includes addressing risk, causation, resilience, and protective factors; knowledge translation meaning innovative translation of new research into policy, interventions and prevention, with a focus on new solutions involving community implementation; and just responses to violence meaning increasing access to justice while helping build just international and domestic institutions that do not further entrench violence.

The successful candidate will be based at the Griffith University Logan and/or Nathan campuses and may be required to travel to Indonesia, Thailand and Sweden for field work.

The selection of applicants for the award of higher degree research scholarships at Griffith University involves consideration of your academic merit and research background. To be successful within this role, you will be able to critically assess academic literature and possess a willingness to learn more about suitable research methodologies.  You will have evidence of a passion to find innovative solutions to climate change, challenging inequalities and addressing violence. You will also have a strong desire to undertake research to examine the intersection of climate and violence.

  • Expressions of interest are welcome from domestic and international applicants.  If you are an international applicant who is currently offshore please consider the viability of travelling costs before submitting an expression of interest. Please see the FAQs web page for requirements for offshore international applicants.
  • Applicants must have completed, or expect to complete, a bachelors degree with honours equivalent to first class honours or a Masters degree (AQF Level 9) incorporating a significant research component of a standard comparable to a bachelor honours degree or be regarded by Griffith University as having an equivalent level of attainment in accordance with Schedule One of the HDR Scholarship Procedure. For further information on the eligibility requirements for the program refer here.

International applicants should ensure that English Language Proficiency requirements for the program are met before formally applying. Applicants to research programs will need to show they meet:

  1. A minimum overall band score of 6.5 on the IELTS (Academic) with no band score less than 6.0 OR
  2. A minimum score of 575 on the paper-based TOEFL including a score of no less than 5.0 on the TWE OR
  3. A score of 79 on the internet-based (iBT) TOEFL with no sub-score less than 19

The 2023 Griffith University Postgraduate Research Scholarship has an annual stipend of $32,192 (indexed) for a period of up to three years of full-time study. Please see the GUPRS Conditions of Award for more information.

A successful International applicant will also be awarded a Griffith University International Postgraduate Research Scholarship to cover tuition fees for up to three years. Please see the GUIPRS Conditions of Award for more information.

As a scholarship holder, you will study with a University that ranks among the top 2% worldwide and spans across campuses in South East Queensland. At Griffith University, we’ve worked hard to create a culture that will challenge you to be curious, creative and courageous. We also support the professional and personal development of all our HDR candidates and invest in the skills of our people. Griffith University values diversity, inclusion and flexibility and we encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, and people of all backgrounds to apply. Griffith's strategic goals are to also increase the proportion of women in senior academic and administrative roles and in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine (STEMM).

For project related enquiries please contact:

Junna Hayashi


Phone: (07) 3382 1030


Email: dvb@griffith.edu.au

For administration enquiries please contact:

Griffith Graduate Research School

Email: hdr-scholarship@griffith.edu.au

Please do not select the “APPLY” button. All expressions of interest must be submitted to ‘dvb@griffith.edu.au’ containing:

  • Statement addressing your suitability for the project/scholarship
  • Research proposal (500 word limit)
  • Evidence that you have completed a program with the required grades as detailed in the about you section
  • A curriculum vitae (CV) using the Griffith CV template.
  • Names of two referees

The closing date for expressions of interest is:  Friday 03 November 2023

The preferred applicant will then be invited to apply for the program and scholarship on-line