Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia, is offering a funded PhD scholarship in source imaging for drug-resistant epilepsy. The Swinburne PhD scholarship pays a stipend of AUD 42,440 a year for 3.5 years, full time, at the Hawthorn campus in the Centre for Mental Health and Brain Sciences. Applications close at 11:00pm on Sunday 22 November 2026, and you apply through Swinburne’s jobs portal with a CV and a cover letter that addresses the key selection criteria.
The project uses high-density EEG and magnetoencephalography (MEG) to find where seizures start in the brain, so that surgeons can pick the right patients for epilepsy surgery. It suits graduates in neuroscience, psychology, biomedical engineering, computer science, medical physics and related fields. The advert does not say directly whether international applicants can take the scholarship, so that is the first thing to check. Here is the full breakdown.
Swinburne epilepsy PhD scholarship at a glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Title | PhD Scholarship, Source Imaging for Drug Resistant Epilepsy |
| University | Swinburne University of Technology |
| Research centre | Centre for Mental Health and Brain Sciences |
| Location | Hawthorn campus, Melbourne |
| Stipend | AUD 42,440 a year |
| Duration | 3.5 years, full time, fixed term |
| Funding source | Linked to a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Ideas Grant |
| Start date | Not stated |
| Supervisors | Not named in the advert |
| International eligibility | Not stated for this scholarship |
| Check required | Working with Children Check |
| Deadline | 11:00pm, Sunday 22 November 2026 |
What the PhD project is about
In drug-resistant epilepsy, seizures continue despite medication. For some of them, surgery to remove the part of the brain where seizures begin can stop the seizures, but only if doctors can locate that area precisely. Today that often needs invasive recordings with electrodes placed inside the skull.
This PhD is tied to an NHMRC Ideas Grant on non-invasive dynamic 3D phase-velocity field imaging (PVFI). In plain terms, the project tracks how abnormal electrical activity moves through the brain, using recordings from outside the head. You would develop, validate and translate source imaging and 3D PVFI methods using high-density EEG and MEG. The goal is better localisation of the epileptogenic zone and better choice of who should have surgery.
The work crosses neuroscience, neuroimaging, computational modelling and clinical translation. Expect a mix of signal processing, modelling, statistics and work with clinical data.
Who leads this research at Swinburne
The advert does not name supervisors. In December 2024 Swinburne announced a $1.35 million NHMRC grant led by Professor Chris Plummer to build three-dimensional maps of the electrical activity behind epilepsy, as a safer, non-invasive way to plan surgery. The aims match this PhD closely, but Swinburne’s news release calls that award a Project Grant while the advert says Ideas Grant. Ask the talent acquisition team to confirm the supervisor and grant before you write your cover letter.
Stipend and what it covers
| Item | Amount or status |
|---|---|
| This scholarship’s stipend | AUD 42,440 a year for 3.5 years |
| Swinburne’s standard 2026 RTP stipend, for comparison | AUD 35,500 a year (full time) |
| Tuition fees | Not stated in the advert |
| Swinburne relocation allowance (standard RTP, 2026) | AUD 505 individual; AUD 1,455 family |
| PhD thesis allowance (standard RTP, 2026) | AUD 840 |
The stipend on this project is about AUD 6,900 a year above Swinburne’s standard 2026 research stipend. The relocation and thesis allowances in the table are Swinburne’s standard rates for its own stipend scholarships. The advert does not say whether they apply to this project scholarship, so treat them as context.
Tuition fees for international students
The advert does not say whether tuition fees are covered. Australian and New Zealand citizens and permanent residents usually have PhD fees covered through the government’s Research Training Program. International students pay fees unless they hold a fee scholarship. Swinburne runs a Research Training Program Fee-Offset (International) that covers tuition for up to four years plus Overseas Student Health Cover, for applicants with First Class Honours or equivalent who meet the PhD entry rules. When we checked, that page said applications were closed. If you are an international applicant, ask Swinburne in writing whether a fee offset comes with this scholarship. Without one, the stipend would not cover international tuition fees.
Eligibility and selection criteria
| What the advert asks for | Notes |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate degree in science, psychology, neuroimaging, computational neuroscience or a related discipline | Swinburne’s PhD entry rules also apply; most research doctorates expect honours, a research masters or equivalent research experience |
| Relevant backgrounds | Epilepsy research, neuroimaging, statistical analysis, computational neuroscience, biomedical engineering, computer science, medical physics |
| Working with Children Check | Appointment depends on passing it |
| Key selection criteria | Listed in the Position Description PDF linked from the advert |
Read the Position Description before you write anything. The advert asks you to address its key selection criteria directly, and the scoring panel will work from that list.
Eligibility for international students
The advert says Swinburne welcomes applications from international graduates under Victoria’s Commitment to Action, but that statement sits in the general part of the advert and isn’t specific to this scholarship. My reading: international applicants are not excluded, but tuition and visa costs are the real hurdle. Get written answers on fees and eligibility from talentacquisition@swin.edu.au before you invest time.
How to apply for the Swinburne PhD scholarship
- Download the Position Description: it is linked from the advert and holds the key selection criteria.
- Confirm eligibility and fees: email talentacquisition@swin.edu.au if you are an international applicant.
- Prepare your CV: degrees with grades, research projects, technical skills (EEG, MEG, MRI, programming languages, statistics) and any publications.
- Write a cover letter: address each key selection criterion and explain your fit for the project.
- Apply on Swinburne’s jobs portal: use the “Apply on website” link on the Times Higher Education advert, click “begin”, then log in or create an account.
- Submit before 11:00pm on Sunday 22 November 2026.
For technical problems or reasonable adjustments, contact talentacquisition@swin.edu.au. The phone line +61 3 9214 3550 is for disability and reasonable adjustment enquiries only.
Melbourne time
The advert gives 11:00pm on Sunday 22 November 2026 without a time zone. In Melbourne that would be AEDT (GMT+11), which is 12:00 noon GMT and 1:00pm in Lagos on the same Sunday. Submit by the Friday before to be safe.
Getting this scholarship is a job-style selection. You still need to be admitted to Swinburne’s PhD programme, and international students need a student visa. Ask the centre how admission and the scholarship offer are linked.
How to write the cover letter
A PhD scholarship cover letter tied to a funded project is closer to a job application than a personal statement. Address the selection criteria, show you understand the project, and prove you can do the technical work.
- Opening: your degree, your strongest relevant experience and the project title.
- Fit to the project: one paragraph on why non-invasive source imaging for epilepsy surgery interests you, showing you understand the clinical problem.
- Criteria, one by one: take each key selection criterion from the Position Description and answer it with a concrete example.
- Technical skills: signal processing, MATLAB or Python, statistics, EEG or MEG experience, any work with patient data.
- Research experience: honours or masters thesis, its methods and results.
- Close: availability to start, and for international applicants, your visa and funding position.
Sample opening line, for illustration only: “My honours thesis used high-density EEG to localise interictal spikes in twelve patients with focal epilepsy, and I am applying to extend that work with 3D phase-velocity field imaging at Swinburne.” Use your own project and numbers.
What happens after you apply
The advert does not set out the stages. For funded project scholarships in Australia, the usual pattern is a shortlist by the supervisory team, an interview (often online for overseas applicants), referee checks, then a formal PhD admission and scholarship offer through the graduate research office. The Working with Children Check comes before appointment. Treat this as general practice, not Swinburne’s published timeline.
Common mistakes
- Sending a general personal statement instead of addressing the key selection criteria.
- Not reading the Position Description.
- Assuming international tuition is covered without confirming it.
- Listing skills without evidence, such as “familiar with EEG” with no project behind it.
- Missing the Sunday night deadline because of time zones.
Who should apply and who shouldn’t
Apply if you have a degree in neuroscience, psychology, biomedical engineering, computer science, medical physics or a related field, ideally with honours or masters research involving brain signals, imaging or computational analysis. Medical graduates interested in epilepsy or neurology research also fit well, especially those with programming skills.
Don’t apply if you have no quantitative or research background, or if you are an international applicant who cannot cover tuition fees and Swinburne confirms none are included. For broader Australian funding routes, see our guides to Deakin University scholarships and the La Trobe humanitarian scholarship.
Similar funded PhD positions
| Position | Institution | Funding | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| PhD Scholarship in Multimodal Imaging for Epilepsy Surgery Assessment | Swinburne University of Technology | AUD 42,440 a year stipend | 22 November 2026 |
| Doctoral Researcher in Computational Genomics for Predictive Medicine | University of Helsinki | EUR 2,600 to 2,850 a month | 19 November 2026 |
| Fully Funded PhD in Structural Biology of Eukaryotic Translation Control | Masaryk University | From CZK 30,000 net a month | 8 January 2027 |
| University Assistant Predoctoral, Computer Science | University of Vienna | EUR 3,776.10 gross a month | 30 November 2026 |
Swinburne epilepsy PhD scholarship: FAQs
How much is the Swinburne PhD scholarship stipend?
AUD 42,440 a year for 3.5 years, full time. That is above Swinburne’s standard 2026 research stipend of AUD 35,500.
Can international students apply for this Swinburne PhD scholarship?
The advert does not say directly. Swinburne welcomes international graduates in general, but ask talentacquisition@swin.edu.au whether international tuition fees are covered.
What is the deadline for the Swinburne epilepsy PhD scholarship?
11:00pm on Sunday 22 November 2026. Apply through Swinburne’s jobs portal.
What documents do I need?
A CV and a cover letter addressing the key selection criteria in the Position Description. You must also pass a Working with Children Check before appointment.
Sources and updates
Checked on 29 October 2026 against the Times Higher Education Unijobs listing for this scholarship (listing 416388) and its linked Position Description, Swinburne’s 2026 stipend rates, its Research Training Program Stipend page, its Research Training Program Fee-Offset (International) page, and Swinburne’s December 2024 news release on NHMRC funding for epilepsy research. We will update this page if Swinburne confirms the supervisor, start date or international eligibility.
I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.
