University of Canberra Deliberative Democracy PhD Scholarship 2026

Join the world-leading Centre for Deliberative Democracy at the University of Canberra as a PhD Candidate!

Table of Content

• Summary
• Benefits
• Requirements
• Interview Process
• Application Documents
• Application Deadline
• How To Apply

Summary

• Application DeadlineAugust 10, 2026
• Study LevelPhD
• SponsorUniversity of Canberra (UC)
• School to studyUniversity of Canberra (UC)
• Eligible CountryAll Countries

Benefits

• AUD 40,000 per annum, indexed annually.
• International scholarship recipients will receive an additional relocation allowance to move to Canberra.

Requirements

• Application is open to both domestic applicants (Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens, and Australian permanent residents) and international applicants eligible to study in Australia on an international student visa.
• Applicants must hold a Bachelor degree with First or Upper Second Class Honours, or a Master degree with a substantial research component, or an equivalent qualification recognised by the University of Canberra as meeting the requirements for admission to a PhD.

Selection Process

• Interested applicants should consult the Centre’s website and staff’s recent publications for a sense of the kinds of research undertaken in the Centre, and whether their project might fit: https://www.canberra.edu.au/research/centres/cdd
• The successful applicant will be matched with an appropriate supervisory team based on the proposed project. Potential primary supervisors are A/Prof Hans Asenbaum, Prof Selen Ercan, Dr Adele Webb and Prof Simon Niemeyer.
• The research topic of PhD projects will fall broadly within the field of deliberative and participatory democracy. Possible topics include, but are not limited to, the crisis of democracy, democratic resilience, deliberative reasoning, democratic innovations, deliberative systems, environmental politics, nonhuman participation, inclusion, identity, gender, feminist research, AI and digital politics.
• Projects may be theoretical or empirical and may employ qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, interdisciplinary, or participatory approaches.
• The scholarship will be awarded through a merit-based selection process.

Application Documents

1. PhD proposal (up to 3 pages) outlining clearly the topic and its relevance, research question(s), theories or theoretical framework and methods. The proposal should demonstrate a clear connection to, and contribution towards deliberative and participatory democracy scholarship.
2. CV
3. Academic transcripts for all completed tertiary qualifications
4. Writing sample of published or unpublished work (e.g. thesis, essay, journal article) of up to 30 pages
5. Letter of recommendation, to be sent directly by the referee to [email protected].
6. Names and contact details (email and phone) of two referees who can comment on the applicant's academic abilities, research potential, and suitability for doctoral study (one of the referees may be the author of the letter of recommendation)

Application Deadline

How To Apply

• To apply, please submit your complete application documents by 12:00 pm (AEST), 10 August 2026 to [email protected].

For more information, kindly visit the UC scholarship webpage.