Graduate research
Graduate research at the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology (FEIT) places you at the centre of Melbourne's research and innovation life, alongside Melbourne Connect and the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct. It also connects you to the world, through long-standing partnerships with government, industry, research centres and academic institutions, locally and globally.
Industry
What's your organisation's research and development challenge?
Whatever its nature or size, we will connect you with the researchers and expertise to address it.
Prospective Students
Considering a PhD or MPhil?
Explore research projects across our departments, discover joint PhD opportunities with our international partners, or find out about research scholarships.
Our research degrees
Our PhD and MPhil candidates develop academic leadership, independence, creativity and innovation through their research. Find out about entry requirements, duration and how to apply.
Doctor of Philosophy – Engineering and IT
Master of Philosophy - Engineering and IT
Scholarship programs
Scholarships are available to high-achieving students undertaking graduate research at the University of Melbourne.
The University of Melbourne:
- Top-ranked university in Australia
- Leader in graduate research training
- Choose your research area expertise
- Be supported and supervised by world leading researchers
- Professional development opportunities
- Generous scholarships available
- Comprehensive support network
Explore the work of our graduate researchers
Developing new technologies to nurture Indigenous knowledge
PhD candidates should not be afraid to pursue topics that “get you out of bed every day,” says Dr Kagonya Awori. From a PhD internship at Microsoft to joining Google as User Experience Research Lead for Search (Sub-Saharan Africa), Dr Awori's passion has shaped her research-driven career in tech.
From a PhD to a job, startup company and Australian citizenship
Dr Martin Reinoso's PhD explored virtual reality and augmented reality as learning tools. Now as Senior Virtual Reality Developer for the not-for-profit organisation Orygen, Dr Reinoso uses the skills and knowledge gained during his PhD to improve the mental health of young people.
Making city planning more sustainable and inclusive
Experienced architect and urban planner Mark Allan embarked on a part-time PhD in Engineering to benefit his career and major projects at the City of Melbourne. His research led to a framework for better urban regeneration projects.
Graduate Research Showcase winners
Join us in celebrating this year's winners of the FEIT PhD Lab to Launch competition and the FEIT Graduate Research Showcase poster competition.
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First place
Xanthe Lowe-Brown, for MoodDJ, an emotion-regulation intervention for music-streaming platforms
Second place
Xiaoyi Hu, for a thermal multispectral sensor system using machine learning to support non-invasive skin cancer detection
Third place
Chia-Chun Pan and Yu-Hsi Chen, for scalable, pixel-level metasurface sensors supporting environmental and health monitoring
Fourth place
Ron Shaharit, for LLM Lab, making GPU-cluster AI model serving accessible without command-line expertise
Fifth place
Qi Kong, for ScholarFlow, an AI-assisted platform for literature discovery and research-gap identification
Sixth place
Tian Li and Qingtan Shen, for process-driven AI-agent development and monitoring
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First place
Nicholas Winterling
Biomedical Engineering
Quantitative Comparison of Cochlear Implant Stimulation Methods using Computational ModelsSecond place
Vito Lokito
Infrastructure Engineering
Mesoscopic Insights on the Variability of Recycled Steel Fibre Reinforced ConcretePeople's choice
Habib Amidu
Chemical Engineering
Enhancing PFAS Enrichment and Recovery in Foam Fractionation through Surface Tension Control and Normalised Foam Harvesting
Work with FEIT Graduate Research
We work with organisations of every size and type, from startup, small and medium-sized enterprises and multinational organisations to government agencies, research institutes and not-for-profits.
Whatever your research goals, we connect you with the expertise, talent and funding to achieve them.
Find the right pathway
Every partnership begins with a challenge. Find the one closest to yours below, or talk to us about what you want to achieve.
Research Internship
A well-defined Research & Development (R&D) challenge, ready to progress now
Engage a PhD candidate for three to six months on a focused project that applies advanced research skills to your challenge.
- Progress a defined R&D project
- Access specialist STEM capability
- Trial a potential longer-term research collaboration
Industry PhD Booklet - An overview of FEIT’s Industry PhD Program, including partnership models, benefits, indicative industry costs and how to establish a PhD research project with the University.
Industry PhD Internships Flyer - A practical guide to hosting a FEIT PhD researcher for a flexible 3–6 month internship to address a defined industry R&D challenge.
Industry PhD
A difficult R&D challenge that requires sustained research
An industry partner, a PhD candidate and academic supervisors investigate a substantial research challenge together over approximately four years.
- Investigate a problem in depth, across all its connected parts
- Develop new knowledge, technology or capability
- Build a pipeline of advanced research talent
Collaborative research project
A complex R&D challenge that requires a co-funded research program
Shape your challenge into a collaborative research project, with your R&D funding leveraged through government grant funding.
- Advance two to four research aims, often through to the development and testing of a prototype
- Access dedicated specialist staff overseen by academic experts, and specialist equipment
- Draw on government funding schemes suited to your technology readiness level
Your organisation provides at least matching funding.
Start a Conversation
You do not need to have a fully developed project. We can help you consider the most suitable engagement pathway and connect you with the right people across FEIT.
Contact the FEIT Graduate Research Industry Team: feit-gr-industry@unimelb.edu.au
The Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology is involved in numerous research projects, listed below by department.
From here you may browse the breadth of research projects currently underway, and go directly to projects that are recruiting graduate researchers in your discipline.
If you are interested in joining a research group, email the Primary Contact directly to discuss your expertise and experience.
Biomedical
Research areas include: biomechanics, biosignals, computational bioinformatics and biocellular systems to address issues such as medical bionics, immune system function, infection, epilepsy and cancer treatment.
Chemical & Biomolecular
Within a diverse research program there is a focus on three themes: materials science, separations technologies, and biomolecular engineering. These themes are targeted at key socioeconomic fields, which include medicine; mining; sustainable energy production; water conservation and re-use; and food processing.
Computing & Information Systems
An international leader in research in Computer Science, Information Systems, and Software Engineering. Research strengths of the department include Business Information Systems, Complex and Intelligent Systems, Distributed and Cloud Computing, Computational Bioinformatics, Health Information Systems, Interaction Design, Knowledge Discovery, Optimisation, and Programming Languages.
Electrical & Electronic
Research is focused in four research labs: control and signal processing; communications and networks; electronics and photonics; and neuroengineering. Topics of interest include: mobile and wireless networks; network design and performance monitoring; optical communication systems; sustainability of growth of the internet; computational neuroscience; neuroimaging and neuroinformatics; audition, speech and bionic ear design; bionic eye design and vision; consciousness and communication; information theory; mathematical systems theory; numerical methods; signal processing and radar tracking; and control systems.
Infrastructure
Areas of research investigation include: structural engineering; geotechnical engineering; project management; energy efficiency in buildings; integrated transport; disaster management; geothermal energy; catchment systems; environmental monitoring and assessment; environmental water management, water resource management; next generation flood prediction; impacts of climate change; indoor and outdoor positioning; land administration and 3D cadastre; sensor networks; mobile mapping; environmental modelling; food production; artificial intelligence; and spatial data infrastructure design and development.
Mechanical
Research addresses major global challenges, including climate change, sustainable development, and improving human health and wellbeing. In mechanical engineering we approach these via research projects in energy and thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, computational mechanics, computational materials, design, manufacturing and industrial systems, biomotion and robotics.
Our joint PhD programs access expertise, resources and world-class training at the University of Melbourne and a leading institution abroad.
The Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology (FEIT) has several graduate research joint PhD initiatives.
Our Australian-German Climate & Energy College offers an interdisciplinary environment for Joint PhD training with one of three German institutions: the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, the University of Bayreuth, and the University of Potsdam.
Our Jülich-University of Melbourne Postgraduate Academy (JUMPA) is a multidisciplinary Joint PhD training program with the Jülich Research Centre, Germany.
Our Melbourne-CNRS Network is a multidisciplinary Joint PhD training program with the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France.
Our Melbourne India Postgraduate Academy (MIPA) is a Joint PhD training program with one of three top Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs): IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, and IIT Kharagpur.
Our Melbourne and Manchester Graduate Research Group is a multidisciplinary Joint PhD training program with the University of Manchester, United Kingdom.
Our Priestley Scholarships are offered in conjunction with University of Birmingham.
For further information and how to apply, visit the University’s Study website:
There has never been a more exciting time to join us at the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology (FEIT). Backed by our ten-year FEIT 2035 strategy, we are transforming the future of engineering and information technology at the University of Melbourne.
Scholarships are available to high-achieving students undertaking graduate research at the University of Melbourne.
Scholarships available to international applicants:
Melbourne Research Scholarship (MRS)
Melbourne Social Equity Institute
Scholarships available to local applicants:
Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarships (RTP)
Melbourne Research Scholarship (MRS)
Melbourne Social Equity Institute
Please see here for other available scholarships:
Find a scholarship | University of Melbourne
Further information – Graduate Research Stipend Scholarships
FEIT manages the award of stipend scholarships alongside offers of admission. You will automatically be considered for a Graduate Research Scholarship (such as the RTP or MRS) when you apply for a research degree in the faculty.
These scholarships are offered only to prospective graduate research students at admission, enrolled and deferring students are not eligible to re-apply. If you have already received an offer for a scholarship and wish to defer your enrolment, please check with the FEIT Graduate Research Team to confirm whether your scholarship can be deferred.
For questions relating to applications, scholarships and admissions please contact: