Higher Degree by Research Application Portal

Mandate Evaluation (MandEval) is a large-scale, interdisciplinary research program exploring the impact of government COVID-19 vaccine mandates in Australia and internationally. The results of this research will inform recommendations for the decision-making around vaccine mandates in future global pandemics. As part of this project, a fully-funded PhD position is currently available in Political Science and International Relations at the University of Western Australia  

MandEval investigates COVID-19 vaccination mandates in Australia, with some work also conducted in Italy, France, the UK, and California. MandEval explores (1) publics’ and workforces’ attitudes towards vaccination mandates, (2) how mandates influence vaccination behaviour and other decision-making, and (3) perspectives on government communications about policy implementation, enforcement, and removal. 

PhD candidates will help us to develop in-depth understanding of public and policymaker perspectives regarding mandate communication, implementation, and enforcement; impact on work/life/family; and subsequent attitudes regarding COVID-19 and other vaccines, using qualitative research methods. 

Potential Topics of Research: 

We are presently recruiting for one PhD candidate who will work in one of the following areas: 

(1) Investigating how political actors justified the use of vaccine mandates (and their removal) in public discourse. 

(2)  Analysing how mandates impacted individuals in the community and/or in their employment, and how policymaker decisions around community/public space mandates were formed and implemented.

Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) of Australia

Email: Katie Attwell (katie.attwell@uwa.edu.au)

Applicants must possess either:

(a) a four-year undergraduate degree which includes a thesis component (equivalent to an Australian Honours degree), or

(b) a Master’s degree,
in Political Science or an adjacent field.

Applicants are expected to have performed at a level equivalent to an Australian award of First Class Honours, or Master’s with Distinction. Preference will be given to those with some demonstrated research experience and expertise in qualitative or mixed-methods approaches.

The PhD is fully funded and expected to be completed “by publication”, rather than as a monograph. We seek high-performing, independent scholars who are eager to be part of and collaborate with a broad, interdisciplinary team across the world. Research training is provided. The candidates are situated in the VaxPol Lab, a research collective based at UWA and led by Associate Professor Dr Katie Attwell, which explores vaccine policy, regulation, and social science. Successful applicants will work with A/Prof Attwell and a dynamic team of postdoctoral researchers. 

 Applicants should send a short letter of application (<1 page) to mandeval@uwa.edu.au along with a C.V., academic transcripts, and copies of relevant dissertations or publications, by the advertised deadline or sooner if possible. Applicants should advise whether they want to work on one of the specific PhD projects proposed, or – if open to both – rank them in order of preference. Applications will be reviewed by the MandEval team, and suitable candidates will be invited to proceed to full application to the University.

We will review applications as they come in and we encourage candidates to apply early.