NHMRC PhD Grant: Using consumer sleep technology to better manage insomnia

Description

We are seeking an outstanding PhD candidate to undertake a program of research within a broader NHMRC Investigator Grant entitled: Using Sleep Technologies to Better Define and Manage Insomnia. This exciting project is supported by a large, multidisciplinary team from the Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute: Sleep Health (Flinders University) and the Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health Clinic.

The overall project will use consumer sleep technologies to generate new knowledge about the underlying pathophysiology of insomnia, and refine the deployable tools needed to practically phenotype this heterogenous sleep disorder. We will use these novel sleep technologies to deliver targeted treatments that are more effective at treating the underlying pathophysiology than current one-size-fits-all clinical practice. The expected outcomes of this research program are proof-of-concept for a new model for insomnia precision diagnostics and the targeted therapeutic approaches to better treat this disorder; all made possible using practical, inexpensive, deployable sleep technologies. This project aims to solve one of the biggest ongoing clinical problems in sleep medicine – being that the best insomnia treatments are almost entirely inaccessible – and could also revolutionise how we diagnose the condition.

This PhD scholarship is based at the Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute: Sleep Health (Flinders University) in Adelaide and your primary supervisor will be Dr Hannah Scott. There is scope to refine your specific PhD research project to your research interests. If you are interested in this, please discuss this option with Dr Scott prior to applying for this scholarship.

Benefits

The scholarship includes a stipend valued at $35,010 p.a. tax free (2025 full-time rate indexed annually). Recipients who are Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens, or hold Australian Permanent Residency status will be provided a RTP fee Offset which covers tuition fees charged by the university for up to four years.

A fee waiver scholarship may be available for International students. International students who are not in receipt of a fee waiver scholarship will be required to pay the normal tuition fees.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the award of this scholarship a student must:

• Be an Australian citizen; or New Zealand citizen; or have been granted permanent resident status; and
• meet PhD admission requirements including: have an Australian Honours degree Class 1 or 2A or equivalent qualification (at least AQF Level 8), including a research component of at least 6 months' full-time study achieving Distinction (75%) OR including evidence of equivalent research experience, such as a substantial first-author refereed publication or track record as an investigator on a competitive grant; and
• Are enrolling as a full-time PhD student and  will be available to commence at Flinders University during semester 1 2026;
• Have had their candidature accepted in the area in which they propose to undertake their studies.

It is desirable for applicants to have:

• Disciplinary background in Psychology, Physiology and other health fields, Engineering, or Data Analytics.
• Experience in sleep and/or circadian rhythm research.

ADMISSION to HDR

Those who apply for the scholarship opportunity that have not already applied for admission to a relevant HDR must also apply.  Instructions on how to apply for admission can be found here:

By lodging this separate application, applicants acknowledge the 'Supervisor confirmation' must refer to the application for this scholarship

APPLICATION

Prior to applying for the scholarship, prospective applicants are advised to contact the Project Lead Investigator, Dr Hannah Scott ), to discuss your interest and eligibility for the opportunity.  In your email, please provide your CV together with a covering letter outlining your relevant qualifications, experience, research experience and reasons for applying for the scholarship.