ARC Grant Teen-informed strategies to counter sexual image abuse and sextortion 2025

Based at the new ECU City Campus, in a productive research-intensive team tied to a national Australian government grant, your PhD project will address a research question linked to image-based sexual harassment and abuse, sextortion, sexualised deepfake porn, AI companions and/or AI sex chatbots. You may also address social dynamics where teens worry that reporting abuse might see them, as victim, accused of creating child exploitation material (the initiating sext). Project outcomes align with a Rights of the Child approach and aim to mitigate risk, reducing harm while supporting vulnerable young people. Your thesis will contribute to understanding at least one aspect of Australian teen behaviour regarding the sharing of intimate images and/or other technologically facilitated intimacies.

Table of Content

• Summary
• Requirments
• Interview Process
• Application Deadline
• How To Apply

Summary

• Application DeadlineAugust 28, 2025
• Study LevelPhD
• SponsorAustralian Government
• City to studyWestern Australia
• School to studyEdith Cowan University
• Eligible CountryAll Countries

Requirements

To be eligible for this scholarship applicants must:

• Completed an Honours or Masters degree.
• Well-developed understandings of ethical research.
• Confidence in interviewing high school students and/or their parents about complex personal matters which may include areas of embarrassment or discomfort (eg. Consumption of adult content by teenagers).
• Demonstrated research skills in a field relevant to this project.

Terms and conditions

• Candidates should be available for interview on Friday 12 September. In addition to the interview there will be a 45-minute (written) aptitude test. These can be done remotely.

Selection Process

• Evidence of ability to work in and contribute to a busy research team. (The scholarship holder is expected to live in, or move to, WA.)
• Undergraduate degree in a relevant subject, with evidence of success in an Honours or other graduate program.
• An interest in and, ideally, evidence of interview-based research and/or focus-group based projects.
• Capacity to analyse information and see its relevance to an overarching research question.
• Commitment to the public communication of research outcomes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Application Deadline

How To Apply

• Please send a covering letter, plus a 2-4 page CV, and a statement of no more that 3 pages addressing both the eligibility guidelines and the selection criteria to  [email protected].

Questions about this scholarship can be directed to [email protected]

For more information, kindly visit Edith Cowan university scholarship webpage.