Higher Degree by Research Application Portal

The University of Western Australia (UWA) Business School and School of Psychological Sciences invites exceptional domestic or international candidates to apply for a PhD position in Organisational Behaviour or Organisational Psychology with a focus on mental labour (or “the mental load”), gender, and leadership. This project is part of an Australian Research Council (ARC) discovery grant aimed at understanding and addressing mental labour and leadership gender gaps. It also aims to develop scientifically informed interventions and policy change aimed at increasing gender equity in mental labour and closing the leadership gender gap. 

This PhD project will take an organisational psychology perspective to examine mental labour, gender and leadership. Some illustrative ideas are provided below. The list is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather as a starting point to help ground proposal ideas. Applicants are encouraged to consider how their particular areas of research and expertise may be applicable to mental labour and the leadership gender gap.  

Examples include: 

• Investigating the experience and distribution of mental labour in female-dominated industries such as education and healthcare  
• The impact of flexible work arrangements on mental labour and leadership emergence  
• Organisational interventions to distribute mental labour equitably 
• Mental labour and its impact on mental health, burnout, and leadership
• Understanding mental labour as a leadership capability 

This project is part of an Australian Research Council (ARC) discovery grant. Funding is available to support research activities (e.g., data collection), but no stipend or tuition scholarship is provided. Applicants must independently secure a scholarship with the support of the supervisory team. Details on the scholarship process are outlined in the attached document.

Interested candidates are encouraged to: 

1. Review the eligibility criteria above. Please ensure you meet the minimum requirements. 

2. Prepare a short research proposal (1–2 pages double spaced) outlining how your interests align with the project theme. Please be specific and demonstrate your own area of interest and how it aligns with the project theme and the supervisory team. The research proposal must make a clear link between the supervisory team and the theme.  

3. Email Emma Stephenson (emma.stephenson@uwa.edu.au) and CC Gillian Yeo (gillian.yeo@uwa.edu.au) and Serena Wee (serena.wee@uwa.edu.au). Your email should include the following:  

• A cover email introducing yourself, your motivation to apply for this project and a statement regarding your eligibility (referring to the 3 [or 4 for international applicants] points above).  
• A 1 – 2 page (double spaced) short research proposal as per above.
• A copy of your CV.
• A copy of your full academic transcript(s). If the results are not in English, a valid translation is required. 

•  [International only] A copy of your English proficiency scores. If the results are not in English, a valid translation is required.  

Hold a bachelor's degree with honours or a master’s degree in Organisational Behaviour, Industrial/Organisational Psychology, Applied Psychology, or a related discipline.

Have completed a research thesis equivalent to at least 25% of their degree with a final grade on said thesis of at least 80%.

Achieve a Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of 80+ (or equivalent). Details on how to calculate your WAM are available through the UWA graduate research school website.

[International only] Meet English language proficiency requirements (IELTS 7.0+ in all components). English tests must have been completed within six months.

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is a program of independent, supervised research that is assessed solely on the basis of a thesis, sometimes including a creative work component, that is examined externally. The work presented for a PhD must be a substantial and original contribution to scholarship, demonstrating mastery of the subject of interest as well as an advance in that field of knowledge. 

Visit the course webpage for full details of this course including admission requirements, course rules and the relevant CRICOS code/s.