Registry of Senior Australians (ROSA) PhD Scholarship Opportunities

We are seeking outstanding candidates for fully funded PhD Scholarship opportunities working jointly at Flinders University Caring Futures Institute and the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI). Working with data from the unique Registry of Senior Australians (ROSA), the candidates will use analytical/statistical methodologies to produce the evidence necessary to improve the consistency and quality of care provided to older Australians receiving aged care services.

ROSA (https://rosaresearch.org/, https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/11/e066390) monitors the health, service utilisation, medication use, mortality, and other outcomes of people receiving aged care services. ROSA’s efficient model leverages existing information, bringing together diverse datasets collected by different organisations throughout the country, to provide us with a whole picture of the ageing pathway. ROSA produces evidence to guide decision-making for quality, coordinated, efficient, innovative and age-friendly services and practices.

The PhD will provide the candidate with skills in epidemiology, big data analytics, health services research, and knowledge translation. It will provide skill development in conducting research to influence policy and practice change within a multidisciplinary team. Candidates with a background in public health, epidemiology, health services research, biostatistics, and/or data analytics are encouraged to apply. Previous experience working with big data in R, SAS or STATA are preferred but professional development can be provided where necessary.

The successful candidates will work under the supervision of Professors Maria Inacio (https://research.sahmri.org.au/en/persons/maria-inacio) and Gillian Caughey (https://research.sahmri.org.au/en/persons/gillian-caughey), and Associate Professor Stephanie Harrison (https://sahmri.org.au/people/stephanie-harrison-3) at SAHMRI. The successful candidates must be able to work independently as well as a member of a team. The successful candidates must demonstrate excellent oral and written communication skills as well as interpersonal skills towards staff, students, and collaborators.

The scholarship includes:

• A stipend and top-up scholarship valued at $40,000 p.a. tax free
• The scholarship will be awarded for 3.5 years
• A Research Training Program Fee Offset Scholarship to cover tuition fees for Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens and permanent residents. 

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

Candidates could begin their full-time PhD in Semester 1, 2026, but there is opportunity for later start dates.