phd topics unsw

PhD & Masters by Research Topics

A number of proposed PhD topics are provided below, but you are welcome to also propose and negotiate your own topic with CHeBA staff. See Our Research for more information on our current research areas.

PhD Research Topics by Supervisor

Professor Perminder Sachdev

Scientia Professor of Neuropsychiatry, CHeBA Co-Director and Clinical Director of the Neuropsychiatric Institute

Epidemiology

This work will be based on the three longitudinal studies of cognitive ageing and dementia being conducted at CHeBA – Sydney Memory and Ageing Study (MAS) , Older Australian Twins Study (OATS) and Sydney Centenarian Study (SCS) , and three international consortia of studies – COSMIC , STROKOG and ICC-Dementia . Some examples of the potential topics:

• Ageing and cognitive decline in diverse ethnic and geographical groups
• Differential risk and protective factors for MCI and dementia in diverse international cohorts
• The differential effects of vascular risk factors on cognitive impairment and decline in Eastern and Western countries
• The interaction of genetic and environmental factors in dementia risk
• Examining risk factor models for dementia across international cohorts Longitudinal trajectories of cognitive function and their trajectories

Neuropathology (in collaboration with Dr Claire Shepherd)

• The neuropathological basis of dementia in centenarians

Nanotechnology (in collaboration with the Nanotechnology group)

• Using magnetic nanoparticles as imaging agents for brain disease, both for MRI and Magnetic Particle Imaging

Omics and Neurobiology of Ageing Group

• Plasma biomarkers of ageing, MCI and AD using normal population cohorts Sydney Memory and Ageing Study (MAS)  and Sydney Centenarian Study (SCS)  and specialised cohorts such as the Older Australian Twins Study (OATS) , Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network (DIAN) and Australian Imaging, Biomarker & Lifestyle Study of Ageing (AIBL)
• Proteomic changes in plasma that associate with ageing and health status (frailty, MCI, APOE allele, etc) and disorders such as MCI and dementia.
• Explore novel superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles that can penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and provide a  superparamagnetic signal for amyloid imaging using MRI with limited toxicity
• Promotion of cellular nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) anabolism as a strategy to improve cellular senescence and cognitive function
• In vitro and in vivo studies on polyphenols as an integral strategy in preventing and treating diseases associated with neurodegeneration
• The genetics of exceptional longevity
• CNV, ageing and cognition
• DNA methylation and its relationship to cognitive function
• Rare genetic variants associated with healthy ageing and dementia, using whole genome sequencing
• Gene expression and changes with ageing and dementia
• Cerebral microbleeds and their relationship to AD and SVD pathology and cognition
• Imaging microinfarcts and examining their significance
• The blood-brain barrier (BBB) in vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease

Neuroimaging

• The relative effects of vascular and Alzheimer’s pathology on cognitive impairment in older individuals

Neuropsychology

• Computerised neuropsychological testing – reliability and validity The cognitive profile of exceptionally old individuals
• Specific risk factors
• Homocysteine, brain abnormalities and cognitive impairment
• Diabetes, brain changes and cognitive impairment in diverse settings
• Nutrition and cognition in diverse populations
• The application of new analytical techniques such as machine learning

Further information can be found on the Neuropsychiatry Group page. 

Professor Henry Brodaty

Scientia Professor of Ageing & Mental Health, CHeBA Co-Director and Consultant Old Age Psychiatrist & Head of the Memory Disorders Clinic, Prince of Wales Hospital

Sydney Memory and Ageing Study (MAS)

a) What is the psychological health over time of MAS participants aged 70-90? We have data longitudinally for up to 14 years on depression, anxiety, K10/PHQ9, apathy, positive mental health, satisfaction with life:

• Correlations
• Psychotropics
• Outcomes e.g. association with dementia and death

b) Apathy and MRI

• Apathy vs depression
• Subdomains of apathy vs MRI
• Do inflammatory markers mediate the relationship between apathy and MRI findings?

c) Mild behavioural impairment (MBI) (Ismail Z et al.)

• Does MBI in cognitively normal older people predict cognitive decline over time? Examine data from 1037 MAS participants had Neuropsychiatric Inventory ratings at T1 and have been followed up over 14 years

d) Progression of behavioural symptoms in population of cognitively normal people

• What is the natural history of behaviours and psychological symptoms associated with dementia (BPSD) over 14 years? 

*c) & d) could be separate or combined into one project

COGNISANCE – Codesigning Diagnostic process and post-diagnostic care

a) Interviewing participants (people diagnosed with dementia in last 12 months and their family members) about their experience with receiving the diagnosis and about what advice they had about how to live well with diagnosis

b) Qualitative study of Sydney older people with dementia and their family members and ?their doctors/health care practitioners

Maintain Your Brain

a) Use of medications (generally or specific Rxx e.g. PPIs, vitamins) and cognition

b) Hospitalisations over time (self-report)

c) Qualitative study interviewing people who have participated in MYB to determine:

• Their experience in using online intervention
• What worked and what did not
• What their computer experience was during the trial

Why do this study? Online medicine is increasingly being used. This is a large trial and if successful will be scalable nationally and internationally. The qualitative study will be useful to know what works and does not and how to improve online interventions generally and for cognition specifically. 

Biomarker discovery in autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease using proteomics and metabolomics techniques

The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which currently has no cure. Early diagnosis of AD is still challenging but would allow for therapeutic  intervention before extensive damage to the brain has occurred, resulting in the clinical symptoms of AD. Biomarkers could prove invaluable for assisting with diagnosis  and monitoring the effects of new drugs and therapeutic strategies. Studying the early pathological changes that take place in AD before clinical symptoms are evident is difficult as it cannot be predicted who will develop sporadic late onset AD in the future. By contrast, the rare autosomal dominant form of AD has near absolute certainty of onset in mutation carriers and the age at onset is also predictable based on family history. This enables well-informed prospective studies to identify early changes associated with AD pathology. Furthermore, the relatively young age of these patients minimises age-related changes and comorbidities, which can interfere with biomarker discovery in older adults.

The PhD student working on this project will apply proteomic and metabolomic techniques to plasma samples from people carrying mutations causing the autosomal dominant form of AD to identify proteins and metabolites that could serve as biomarkers for early AD pathology.

Metabolomics for biomarker discovery in neurodegenerative disease

Blood in the form of plasma or serum contains a multitude of low molecular weight metabolites that bear a wealth of information about the physiological state of the  individual. The composition of the metabolome is influenced by disease, drugs, genetics, diet and lifestyle. Hence it is not surprising that metabolite signatures can be used to diagnose diseases or predict progression of a disease. Using NMR-based as well as GC- and LC-MS methods, this project will identify metabolite signatures specific for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease or Vascular dementia.

Validation of protein biomarker candidates for Alzheimer’s disease and their potential role in AD pathology

Using proteomics methods, we have previously identified a number of proteins that are differentially abundant in plasma from patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or mild cognitive impairment, a prodrome of AD, and healthy elderly individuals. These proteins are promising biomarker candidates and we are looking for a PhD student to validate these findings in larger numbers of samples and investigate the potential involvement of these proteins in AD pathology.

Neuroimaging Group

• Connectome of older brains – both structural and functional descriptions
• Longitudinal studies of the brain in older brains – atrophy, connectivity and functionality
• Predicting the brain ageing trajectory using imaging, genetics and clinical data
• Mapping genetic influences on brain structures and functions using the twins design
• Functional and structural connectivity and its cognitive relevance
• Development of computational algorithms to segment brain lesions
• Development of a pipeline for automatic lesion detection and computation
• Construction of a MRI index for measuring cerebrovascular disease (CVD) burden: a computational approach (together with Dr. Anbu Thalamuthu)

Dr Karen Mather

Leader of the Genetics and Epigenomics Group

My research focuses on gaining a better understanding of the genetic and epigenetic factors involved in healthy ageing and age-related decline and disease. These  genetic factors include variation at the nucleotide level, epigenetic variation such as DNA methylation, and the transcriptome including non-coding RNA such as miRNAs, epistasis and gene- environmental interactions. Current research is being undertaken using large population cohorts of older Australians. Potential students are more than welcome to come and discuss possible projects with me. Data available will include whole genome sequencing, gene expression data including RNA sequencing, DNA methylation and genome-wide genotyping. There may be opportunities to work in the laboratory.

Potential projects include:

• The genetics and epigenetics of exceptional longevity
• The relationship of the epigenome, particularly DNA methylation, and non-coding RNAs to cognitive function and dementia, the environment and other age-related phenotypes
• The transcriptome and ageing

Post-Doctoral Fellow

Dr Samtani's research focuses on understanding the psychological, social and biological factors involved in ageing and dementia. Using longitudinal datasets, we can uncover the answers to important questions about healthy ageing. What is the interplay between our lifestyle, physical health, and cognitive processes? Do people have different trajectories depending on their combination of risk factors? What interventions do we need to improve the psychological, social and cognitive health of older adults?

Potential topics:

• Social connections: Which connections are protective for mental, physical and cognitive health in older adults? Which interventions can help older adults to feel more socially connected and less lonely?
• Social determinants of health: What is the link between socioeconomic factors, neighbourhood characteristics and health?
• Social cognition: What are ecologically valid ways to measure social cognitive skills such as reading emotions and responding appropriately in social situations? How can we help preserve or improve social cognition for older adults experiencing changes in their ability to interact with others?
• Mental health of older adults: What are the risk and protective factors associated with anxious and depressive symptoms? What interventions can help improve the mental health of older adults experiencing anxiety or depression?

Dr Anbu Thalamuthu

Statistician, Genetics and Epigenomics Group

Identifying genes and environmental factors responsible for complex traits or disease phenotypes is the focus in human genetics research. The genetic contribution to phenotype variability can be studied based on the data from several types of biological experiments such as DNA, RNA, microRNA and methylation. Environmental factors may include nutrition and behavioural traits. Greater insight and statistical power can be gained though integrated analysis of data from multiple biological experiments together with environmental factors.

Several statistical methodological projects can be developed based on various types of data sets from the genetics and neuroimaging groups in CHeBA.

Some of the potential statistical genetics projects include:

• Integrated analysis of data sets from multiple genomic experiments
• Joint association analysis of multiple phenotypes and multivariate genomic data
• Comparative analysis of Centenarian genomes
• Genetic basis of structural, functional imaging and brain networks: These include heritability, genetic correlations and cluster analysis of structural  and functional brain metrics and networks. Association of analysis of network works modules to multiple age related phenotypes such as memory and cognitive functions
• Statistical methods for copy number variant (CNV) calling using sequence data and tests for CNV associations with multiple age related phenotypes​​​​​

Copyright © 2021 UNSW MEDICINE - Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) Authorised by Co-Directors, CHeBA

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Research Areas

This section of the site introduces you to our main research interests and areas of activity.  

We introduce you to current PhD students and the research with which they are engaged.  Click on the relevant Tab on the right-hand side of the page to see who we supervise and what they are working on.  We have asked them to introduce themselves and their work and from time to time we will bring updates from their work and inform those interested of publications and presentations and their other achievements. In all cases there is a lead supervisor and a co-supervisor - there are also more details on the Faculty and School of Social Sciences websites.  Our PhD students work with us on topics that fit in with our research interests and expertise; at other times students come with a desire to tackle a given issue and if we agree it is important and feel we have the expertise to guide and advise the research, we are happy to be involved.

We also highlight in this section of the site our research theme areas. These are varied and change over time to address emerging and cutting edge issues.  Each of us has particular areas of interest and focus, and these are briefly introduced here.  They are invariably cross-disciplinary and emerge from deep interest in the challenges facing development, development parctitioners, and the communities involved.

Opportunities 

.  One or both may be within the highlight current activities and our students, but also introduce you to work we have done, recently completed PhDs,  students and topics, key Development Studies Themes and related Projects, and current Opportunities.

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Guide for Writing Research Proposals

This guide is for candidates who are enrolled in a higher degree research program (PhD, Masters by Research or Master of Philosophy) and who have been asked to submit a research proposal as part of their Research Progress Review or Confirmation of Candidature.

The aim of the research proposal is to convince your school that:

• there is a need for the research; it is significant and important.
• you are contributing something original to the field.
• the topic is feasible in terms of availability of funding, equipment, supervisors, and data.
• the research can be completed in the expected time period(3-4 years full time for a PhD or 1.5 – 2 years full time for a research Masters).
• ethical issues have been considered and approval has been given for the research by the University Ethics Committee.
• the topic matches your interests and capabilities.

What is the difference between a Masters and a Doctoral research proposal?

As research Masters degrees are shorter than PhDs, the main goals and complexity of your proposed research should align with this shorter timeframe. If you are unsure of what is required, you should seek advice from your supervisor or your School’s Postgraduate Coordinator.

Who is my audience?

Your research proposal is normally assessed during your Research Progress Review by the Review Panel. If you are a PhD candidate, your research proposal will normally be submitted as part of your Confirmation of Candidature Review. Most candidates need to submit a written report and present their proposal during their Review. If you are not sure of the requirements within your School or Faculty, contact your supervisor or your School’s Postgraduate Coordinator.

The research proposal helps you focus your research aims, clarify its importance and the need, describe the methods, predict problems and outcomes, and plan alternatives and interventions. 

Getting it done

Preparing your proposal will be an iterative process. You will most likely need to prepare a number of drafts, improving each one with feedback from your supervisors. You should be writing regularly to have your proposal completed by the due date.

Demonstrating originality

Your work will make a worthwhile contribution to your field if it fulfils one or more of the following: 

• it provides evidence to support or disprove a concept, theory, or model;
• it contributes new data/information, new or improved solution, analysis procedure or a new improved research methodology;
• it results in a new or improved concept, theory or model.

See next: Structuring the proposal

Postgrad research.

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• Structuring the proposal
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Why study with us?

We are one of the world’s top research universities and a member of Australia’s prestigious Group of Eight network and the Association of Pacific Rim Universities.

We're ranked 24th in the world for Arts and Humanities in the 2023 QS World University Rankings by Subject.

Candidates for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) research and write a thesis on an approved topic. It is also possible for candidates to conduct a practice-led PhD with the thesis made up of a written component and substantial creative work. All research is conducted with the support of a supervisory team of academics.

The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Sydney is consistently ranked among the world’s outstanding centres for research in the humanities and social sciences. 

The PhD is offered in disciplines ranging across the visual arts and art history, archaeology and classics, various modern languages and their cultures, economics, English language and literature, ancient, medieval and modern history, philosophy, the global political economy and international governance, sociology and cultural studies, media and communications, education and social work

Subject areas

Shared pool, entry, fees, funding & how to apply, your entry requirements, english language proficiency.

For academic requirements check the ‘Admission requirements’ section on this page.

How to apply

Applications for a PhD in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are assessed in two rounds annually. There are two closing dates per year for applications: 31 March (for admission in July of the same calendar year) and 30 September (for admission in March the following year). You should apply as early as possible. Late or incomplete applications may not be considered in the current round.

Research intakes

Research Period 2: Start date 1 Mar

Research Period 3: Start date 1 Jul

Refer to key research dates on the `How to Apply website.

Refer to  key research dates  on the `How to Apply website.

Research areas

PhD candidates in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences undertake research in over 40 subject areas based in the faculty’s six schools. These are the Schools of Economics; the Languages and Cultures; Art, Communication and English (including Sydney College of the Arts); Humanities; Social and Political Sciences; and the Sydney School of Education and Social Work.

Research may also be undertaken in association with the University of Sydney’s humanities and social sciences research centres or groups.

Applying for admission

To apply for admission follow these steps:

Find a potential supervisor within the University whose academic background aligns with your research. You may visit Research Supervisor Connect [ Research Supervisor Connect ] for help. You can also use the University website to search for a lead supervisor in an appropriate discipline area. If you need assistance finding a supervisor, please contact the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Research Education  Team  Admissions ( [email protected] ).

When contacting your potential supervisor you should describe your academic educational background and research experience, and include an academic transcript and CV (resume). You should also include a research proposal (1500-2000 words); refer to How to write a research proposal for guidance . You should explain why you want to undertake a PhD and how you believe your research topic aligns with the supervisor’s own research. You may be asked to supply a sample of written work. For the practice-led PhD, such as in the Sydney College of the Arts or Creative Writing, you should include a portfolio of recent creative work.

Your potential supervisor may offer you advice on developing a research proposal before you submit your application. You will need to provide a written statement from your potential supervisor that they have agreed to supervise your project.

Obtain two academic referee reports, each one written by a referee who is familiar with your previous academic achievements and research potential. 

If you intend to study part-time towards a PhD (international student visa holders must enrol full-time), you will also need to supply: evidence that shows you will have sufficient time available to plan and carry out the research under the supervision of the University, and complete the course within the maximum period allowed for a part-time PhD enrolment, and a declaration from your employer (if relevant) confirming that you will be permitted to take the time required to effectively pursue your studies.

Applications are made via the University’s online application portal . Submit your application together with:

your research proposal,

your CV (curriculum vitae, resumé), 

two academic referee reports, 

your post-school academic transcripts, 

written statement from your potential supervisor that they have agreed to supervise your project,

if applying for a practice-led PhD, you must supply a portfolio of creative work, 

supporting documents, such as identification and evidence of residency status.

other supporting evidence as required.

When you are ready to apply, select the ‘Apply Now’ button on the right-hand side of this page.

Please confirm all requirements for scholarship applications and note that separate scholarship application deadlines apply.

Completion requirement

To satisfy requirements of the PhD degree candidates must:

complete a probationary year and produce an extended thesis proposal or thesis chapter (10,000 to 12,000 words, or equivalent in a practice-led PhD) at the end of their first year of full-time candidature (or the part-time equivalent) and other required milestones; and,

conduct research on an approved topic; and,

write a thesis of approximately 60,000 to 80,000 words embodying the results of the research, or, in the case of a practice-led PhD submit a substantial piece of creative work and a research component of approximately 40,000 words; for a practice-led PhD in Sydney College of the Arts the creative component will be exhibited. 

Examination is by presentation of the thesis, which is set out in the Thesis and Examination of Higher Degree by Research Policy 2015.

Admission requirement

To be eligible for admission to the Doctor of Philosophy (Arts and Social Sciences), you must have completed the equivalent of one of the following in a subject area related to your proposed research area:

bachelor’s degree with first class or second-class honours or, master’s degree by research; or

master’s degree by coursework with a substantial independent research component such as a thesis, dissertation or research project, with a minimum overall pass average of 75% or above; or

demonstrated appropriate experience and alternative qualifications at a high level of excellence in the proposed field of research.

Applicants who are close to completing an entry requirement, such as honours or a masters degree, may apply and my receive a conditional offer of admission.

Transfer from Master of Philosophy

Outstanding candidates in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences who successfully complete up to one year full-time or equivalent part-time of the Master of Philosophy (Arts and Social Sciences) or Master of Fine Arts may apply for transfer into the Doctor of Philosophy (Arts and Social Sciences) and be granted credit for work already completed. You must provide evidence that your research is of a sufficient scope and depth for a doctoral thesis. This transfer may be applied for with the support of your supervisor, Progress Evaluation panel, and School Postgraduate Coordinator. You must also have met all higher degree by research progression requirements and have completed at least 20,000 words of a thesis (or practice-led equivalent) to the satisfaction of the School Postgraduate Coordinator.

Meeting these minimum requirements for eligibility does not guarantee admission in the PhD, which is always subject to the approval of the Associate Dean (Research Education). The University must certify that there are sufficient supervisory and other resources and facilities available to enable your candidature to be completed successfully.

Course opportunities

The faculty is home to more than 90 research and teaching centres including  the  Sydney Social Sciences and Humanities Advanced Research Centre (SSSHARC) . Along with our world-renowned schools, these provide a great range of PhD research opportunities with academic staff members who are experts and leaders in their fields of research.

Careers & future study

Career pathways, graduate opportunities.

While completing a PhD, students gain deep understanding of one or more subject areas, as well as developing analytical, problem solving, communication and project management skills. These skills are highly valued by prospective employers. Our PhD graduates pursue careers in industry, the public sector, education and research organisations.

Important fee information

Domestic students, international students.

The course information on this website applies only to future students. Current students should refer to faculty handbooks for current or past course information.

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Finding UNSW theses

UNSW PhD or Masters by Research theses can be located via  UNSWorks . For honours theses, contact the UNSW faculty, school or the author directly.

For more information on rights of use and removing material in UNSWorks see  Copyright - UNSWorks .

Finding Australian and international theses

Australian theses.

To find Australian theses, search via:

Library collection To find UNSW Library’s collection of Australian and international theses in print, search  Library collection  for a title or keywords. Refine your results by selecting  Refine my results > Resource types > Dissertations  in the column on the left.

Trove - Australian print and digital theses Trove includes theses at all levels, including PhD, masters and honours. To limit your search to Australian theses only, use  Trove - Research & Reports  search. Tick the  Australian content  box. Next to  Format - select  Thesis  from the drop-down list.

International theses

To find international theses, search via:

BASE BASE academic search engine provides access to the repositories of 8,000 institutions. 60% of the full-text documents are open access.

CORE CORE aggregates open access research outputs from repositories and journals worldwide.

DART-Europe e-theses portal DART-Europe is a partnership of research libraries and library consortia working to improve global access to European research theses.

EBSCO open dissertations Includes the content from American Doctoral Dissertations in addition to theses and dissertations from around the world. Coverage from 1955.

Open access theses and dissertations OATD provides access to open access graduate theses from over 1100 colleges, universities, and research institutions.

Theses Canada Theses and dissertations in the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) collection.

Web of Science The Web of Science ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Citation Index provides the citation information of theses from around the world. To search for thesis citations, change the search from Web of Science Core Collection to ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Citation Index .

Non-UNSW theses

To obtain a thesis that is not available via the resources listed above, contact the library of the holding/publishing institution directly. Conditions of access to a thesis are determined by the author and holding library, and is outside the control of UNSW Library.

Depositing your thesis

How to  deposit  your UNSW thesis.

A dynamic calibration method for injection-dependent charge carrier lifetime measurements

An insight into the cutting-edge projects you could be working on

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Optimal cleaning schedules for PV panels using deep learning

Advanced characterisation methods for investigating silicon surface recombination

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Financial and life cycle assessment of utility-scale PV systems

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Hyperspectral imaging methods for perovskite and tandem solar cells

Machine learning applications for imaging analysis

Smart identification of cloud enhancement and its impact on inverters

New characterisation methods for perovskite and tandem solar cells

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Find a PhD or MPhil project with a scholarship

Scholarship-funded research projects.

Explore our research projects with funded living stipend scholarships. You can filter by program type, research area and scholarship type, or use the keyword search field to find projects that suit your interests.

If you'd rather bring your own project,  explore our scholarships  (including top-up scholarships) and  find a supervisor  to support your project.

Developing a delivery mechanism for anti-methanogenic supplements in grazing livestock

Develop and evaluate a delivery mechanism for anti-methanogenic supplements in grazing beef cattle.

Attitudes, beliefs and behaviours regarding the management of shoulder osteoarthritis

Investigate patient & healthcare practitioner attitudes, beliefs & behaviours regarding the management of shoulder osteoarthritis.

Understanding and optimising recruitment in the FORENSIC low back pain trials (FusiOn veRsus bEst coNServatIve Care)

Provide best evidence regarding the effectiveness of lumbar spine fusion surgery and conservative care treatments for people with persistent, severe, low back pain.

Achieving equity in cancer screening for First Nations peoples

Develop culturally sensitive cancer screening programs for First Nations peoples by exploring their perceptions, trialling interventions, and co-designing strategies.

Big-data challenges in empirical asset pricing

Develop new frameworks to rigorously evaluate multiple hypothesis testing in asset pricing models, provide reliable price-of-risk estimates, and improve related decision-making.

Bio-inspired Nanoparticles for Mechano-Regulation of Stem Cell Fate

Engineer nanostructures to regulate stem cell fate and gain a fundamental understanding of the mechanical properties that affect cell function.

Biology and management of prickly lettuce in the northern grain region of Australia

Investigate the biology and ecology of prickly lettuce and subsequently formulate integrated management solutions for this weed, leveraging the insights gained from this research.

Chemicals in compostable food contact paper packaging materials

Understand the presence of contaminants in compostable food contact materials (FCMs) for better mitigation of humans and environmental risk.

Developing a versatile platform for sensitive detection of small molecules

Develop a versatile platform for small molecules analysis, and valuable intellectual property of commercial interest to provide economic benefit to Australia through technology advancement.

Developing neuro-technologies for decoding and enhancing memory

Develop new techniques to selectively modulate the functional connectivity that underlies memory formation.

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For former, current and future students or staff to discuss UNSW.

I was wondering how busy is someone who is working towards a phD (full time)? Compared to the normal undergrad student would you be expected to do more / less.

Comparably with part time phD (4/6 years) how does this differ?

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Meet our WRC researcher: Dr Andrew Dansie

“The end goal in general has always been: if we can leave the world in a slightly better place than when we stepped into, that would be great.”

It was during his teenage years that the seeds for Dr Andrew Dansie’s future career were first sown.

“I went on exchange to Indonesia in high school where I lived with a family. It was an incredible and eye-opening experience as a 14, 15-year-old,” says Dansie, the UNSW Engineering’s Academic Lead in Humanitarian Engineering and Senior Lecturer in the Water Research Centre.  

“I got the travel bug and later did the whole backpacking thing and just saw how other people lived. I loved building relationships and working with people, and I really enjoy sharing new experiences and sharing culture. That’s where it all began.”

A few science degrees and a couple of environmental science jobs later, Dansie found himself at the UN, first as project officer and then a Project Director and research fellow at the UN University Institute for Water, Environment and Health. He became both an expert in transboundary water projects and a highly connected researcher with international development networks that stretched across the globe. 

He loved seeing the world and meeting people who shared his passion for sustainable development, but as his career progressed, he found himself missing the hands-on science that first lured him into the role.

That’s when the idea of doing a PhD started to take shape.

“I’d been at the UN for almost eight years, and as you get higher and higher, you find yourself managing contracts for interesting projects but paying other people to do the problem-solving work,” he says.

At the outset of his DPhil, in recognition of his academic excellence and impact at the UN, Dansie received Oxford’s prestigious Clarendon scholarship, which provided full fees for his PhD and stipend to complete his research into the role of dust emissions from arid river valleys in fertilising vital marine environments.  

And, as part of the DPhil process, he was reminded that he really — really — loved academic research.

Today, Dansie conducts a broad program of work at the Water Research Centre, working as scientist within the centre’s humanitarian engineering team and as the Academic Lead for Humanitarian Engineering at the Faculty level. His research has an emphasis on water resources, large ecosystem management and nature-based solutions, safe water access, air pollution, and the biogeochemistry of dust.

He is part of the centre’s Odour and Air Quality Lab where he heads up a years-long air pollution monitoring program that’s delivering vital insights into airborne pollution in Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga and the Solomon Islands with partners in each country.

Dansie also continues to work closely with the UN where he has been named a world-class expert in water resources; he is actively engaged with UN FAO, UNESCO, UNDP, as well as other agencies. He has written a series of policy briefs for the Global Environment Facility on topics as varied as fisheries management, coastal hazards and gender mainstreaming.

As in the early days of his career, he remains focused on establishing partnerships, often in the Global South, that enable the bilateral sharing of knowledge between Australia and other countries.

And he’s teaching the next generation of engineering leaders to do the same: as the academic supervisor for the student-led Drought Resistant Uganda program, and as a champion of overseas industrial training as part of degrees, he’s supporting students to gain hands-on humanitarian engineering experience, thereby preparing them the to solve the challenges that really matter.

“Sending students overseas is a big part of teaching them to listen and be effective partners. Student mobility is a big part of the humanitarian work of Water Research Centre and the university more broadly,” Dansie says.