Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia, is offering a PhD scholarship in Multimodal Imaging for Epilepsy Surgery Assessment. The scholarship pays a stipend of $42,440 a year for 3.5 years of full-time study at the Hawthorn campus, within Swinburne’s Centre for Mental Health and Brain Sciences. The project is linked to a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Ideas Grant and uses fMRI, high-density EEG, MEG and structural MRI to find the brain regions that cause seizures. Applications for the Swinburne PhD scholarship in multimodal imaging close at 11:00pm on Sunday 22 November 2026, Melbourne time.
Swinburne says it welcomes applications from international graduates. The essential requirement is an undergraduate degree in science, psychology, neuroimaging, computational neuroscience or a related field. You apply on the Swinburne jobs site with a CV and a cover letter that addresses the Key Selection Criteria. Below I cover the project, eligibility, what the stipend does and doesn’t cover, the application steps, how to write the cover letter, and how this compares with other funded PhDs open now.
Swinburne epilepsy imaging PhD scholarship: key facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Institution | Swinburne University of Technology |
| Centre | Centre for Mental Health and Brain Sciences |
| Location | Hawthorn campus, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Award | PhD scholarship, full time, fixed term |
| Stipend | $42,440 a year (Australian dollars) |
| Duration | 3.5 years |
| Funding source | Linked to an NHMRC Ideas Grant |
| Methods | fMRI, high-density EEG, MEG, structural MRI |
| Essential | Undergraduate degree in science, psychology, neuroimaging, computational neuroscience or a related field |
| International applicants | Welcomed |
| Condition | Passing a Working with Children Check |
| How to apply | CV and cover letter addressing the Key Selection Criteria, via the Swinburne jobs site |
| Enquiries | talentacquisition@swin.edu.au |
| Closing date | 11:00pm, Sunday 22 November 2026 |
Time zone
The 11:00pm closing time is Melbourne time. Victoria is on daylight saving (AEDT, GMT+11) in November, so the portal closes at 12:00 noon GMT on Sunday 22 November 2026. That is 1:00pm in Lagos and 5:30pm in New Delhi.
The research project
About a third of people with epilepsy keep having seizures despite medication. For some of them, surgery to remove or disconnect the part of the brain where seizures start can stop them. The hard part is finding that region precisely and safely before an operation.
This PhD sits inside an NHMRC Ideas Grant on improving who is chosen for epilepsy surgery and how they do afterwards, using non-invasive brain imaging. Your job would be to help locate the brain regions responsible for seizures. The main goal is to build integrated pipelines that collect, process and analyse data from several imaging methods together, so they can feed into surgical planning.
| Method | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Structural MRI | The brain’s anatomy, including lesions that may cause seizures |
| fMRI | Brain activity through changes in blood oxygen |
| High-density EEG | Electrical activity from many scalp electrodes, with very fine timing |
| MEG | Magnetic fields from brain activity, useful for locating sources |
You would be trained in all four, with access to Swinburne’s research facilities and colleagues from several disciplines. The advert does not name the supervisors. Ask the Talent Acquisition team or check the position description for the contact academic.
Swinburne is also advertising a sister scholarship on source imaging for drug-resistant epilepsy, with the same stipend and closing date. If your background fits both, consider applying to each, with a separate cover letter tailored to each project.
Who can apply
- Essential: an undergraduate degree in science, psychology, neuroimaging, computational neuroscience or a related field.
- Desirable backgrounds: neuroimaging, computational neuroscience, biomedical engineering, computer science, epilepsy research, medical physics, data science, or a related health, science or engineering field.
- Desirable skills: imaging analysis, signal processing, programming, machine learning or quantitative research methods.
- International graduates: Swinburne says it welcomes them.
- Working with Children Check: the appointment depends on passing one.
The advert asks only for an undergraduate degree, but Swinburne’s general PhD admission rules still apply. Australian universities usually expect an honours degree or a master’s with a research component for PhD entry. If you have a three-year bachelor’s degree without research, check with Swinburne before you spend time on the application. Medical graduates (MBBS and similar) with research experience in neurology, and engineers with signal processing skills, are both good fits.
What the stipend covers, and what it doesn’t
The stipend is $42,440 a year, paid for 3.5 years. The advert does not say:
- whether international tuition fees are waived or covered;
- whether Overseas Student Health Cover (compulsory for international students in Australia) is paid;
- whether there is any relocation or travel allowance.
For an international student, tuition fees matter a great deal, because PhD fees in Australia are high if not waived. Email talentacquisition@swin.edu.au and ask directly before you accept any offer. Domestic PhD students in Australia usually have their tuition covered by the Research Training Program, so this question mainly affects international applicants.
For context, $42,440 a year works out to about $3,537 a month before any tax. Australian PhD stipends of this kind are usually tax free, but confirm this for your case. Melbourne is an expensive city for rent. Hawthorn is an inner-east suburb on the train line, and many students share houses to keep costs down.
Visa for international students
International PhD students in Australia need a Student visa (subclass 500). You apply for it after you accept an offer and receive a Confirmation of Enrolment from the university. The visa process includes evidence of funds, health insurance, English language results and a health check. Check current requirements on the Australian Department of Home Affairs website, because the financial capacity amounts change.
How to apply for the Swinburne epilepsy imaging PhD scholarship
- Read the position description: it is linked from the advert and lists the Key Selection Criteria. Your cover letter must address each one.
2. Update your CV: put your degree(s), grades, research projects, programming languages and any imaging or signal processing experience near the top.
3. Write the cover letter: address the Key Selection Criteria one by one (see below).
4. Apply on the Swinburne jobs site: click “Apply” on the THE Unijobs listing (job 416392), which takes you to Swinburne’s recruitment portal. You can preview the application form there first.
5. Submit before 11:00pm Sunday 22 November 2026, Melbourne time: technical issues go to talentacquisition@swin.edu.au. Disability and reasonable adjustment enquiries go to +61 3 9214 3550.
How to write the cover letter
Selection panels in Australia score the letter against the Key Selection Criteria, so structure it that way:
- Opening: the scholarship you are applying for, your degree, and one sentence on why epilepsy imaging.
2. One short section per criterion: use each criterion as a heading and give evidence: a project, a result, a tool you used.
3. Technical skills: name the software and languages you know (for example Python, MATLAB, FSL, MNE-Python, SPM). Only list what you have actually used.
4. Research experience: your thesis or project, what you did yourself and what you found.
5. Fit: why this NHMRC project and a 3.5-year PhD suit your plans.
A sample opening, for illustration only: “I am applying for the PhD Scholarship in Multimodal Imaging for Epilepsy Surgery Assessment; my honours project used EEG source analysis in Python, and I want to build on it to help identify seizure onset zones for surgical planning.”
What happens after you apply
Swinburne has not published the selection timeline. For project-linked scholarships the usual sequence is a shortlist after the closing date, an online interview with the project team, then an offer of the scholarship together with a formal PhD admission application. International applicants then apply for the Student visa. The advert does not give a start date, so ask at interview.
Common mistakes
- Ignoring the Key Selection Criteria: a general cover letter scores poorly.
- Assuming fees are covered: the advert mentions only the stipend.
- Missing the time zone: the portal closes at noon GMT, not midnight in your country.
- Listing skills you can’t show: the interview will test them.
- Forgetting the Working with Children Check: it is a condition of appointment.
Who should apply and who shouldn’t
You should apply if you have a strong degree in a science, engineering, psychology or health field, some hands-on experience with imaging, signals or programming, and a real interest in clinical neuroscience. Graduates from Nigeria, India, Iran, Pakistan and elsewhere with honours or a research master’s have a fair chance, as long as tuition is confirmed.
You probably shouldn’t apply if you have no research or programming experience at all, or if you cannot fund tuition fees yourself should they turn out not to be covered. For other routes into Australian research degrees, see our guide to Deakin University scholarships, and for referee letters, our recommendation letter guide.
How this compares with other funded PhD positions
| PhD position | University | Funding as advertised | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source Imaging for Drug Resistant Epilepsy | Swinburne, Australia | $42,440 a year | 22 November 2026 |
| University Assistant Predoctoral, Computer Science | University of Vienna, Austria | EUR 3,776.10 gross a month (full time) | 30 November 2026 |
| Structural Biology of Eukaryotic Translation Control | Masaryk University, Czech Republic | From CZK 30,000 net a month | 8 January 2027 |
| Doctoral Researcher, Computational Genomics | University of Helsinki, Finland | EUR 2,600 to 2,850 a month | 19 November 2026 |
The European posts in Vienna and Helsinki are employment contracts with a salary, while the Swinburne award is a scholarship stipend. Compare what each covers before you choose.
FAQs about the Swinburne epilepsy imaging PhD scholarship
How much is the Swinburne PhD scholarship stipend?
$42,440 a year for 3.5 years of full-time study. The advert does not say whether international tuition fees are covered.
Can international students apply for this Swinburne PhD scholarship?
Yes. Swinburne says it welcomes applications from international graduates. You would need an Australian Student visa (subclass 500).
What is the deadline for the Swinburne multimodal imaging scholarship?
11:00pm on Sunday 22 November 2026, Melbourne time (12:00 noon GMT).
Do I need a master’s degree to apply?
The advert asks for an undergraduate degree in a relevant field. Swinburne’s normal PhD entry rules still apply, so confirm that your degree qualifies.
Sources and updates
I checked this post on 29 October 2026 against the Times Higher Education Unijobs listing, which links to Swinburne’s position description and application portal. The position description and Swinburne’s own jobs pages could not be opened for an independent check, so the Key Selection Criteria, supervisors and tuition arrangements are not confirmed here. Visa information is general guidance; check the Australian Department of Home Affairs for current rules. I will update this page if Swinburne confirms the fee arrangements or changes the deadline.
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.
