The PhD will be housed within Griffith University’s Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Arts, Education and Law group and the Department of Tourism and Marketing, Griffith Business School.

We expect the successful candidate will have expertise across one or more fields including, sociology, sport studies, violence prevention, critical psychology, decolonial, disability, queer and gender/feminist studies.

The Griffith University based PhD candidate will be supervised by Chief Investigator Professor Simone Fullagar along with another member of the project team - Associate Professor Kirsty Forsdike (grant lead, La Trobe University); Professor Alexandra Parker; Dr Mary Woessner; Professor Leesa Hooker; Professor Sylvie Parent; Professor Emma Kavanaugh and Dr Samantha Marshall (Research Fellow).

The successful candidate will develop skills in research design and project implementation, and will receive opportunities to work as part of a high-performing research team delivering cutting edge research about gender based violence and sport. The successful candidate will have access to research training opportunities provided through the Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, and the broader Griffith University Researcher Education and Development suite of training courses.

There is some flexibility as to the precise focus of the PhD thesis, and the supervisory team will work with the successful candidate to finalise the focus.

Possible research topics could include but are not limited to:

*          rural and regional experiences of GBV across sport

*          priority populations’ experiences of GBV in sport, including people with disabilities, or LGBTQI+ communities, First Nations, culturally and linguistically diverse communities (as well as taking an intersectional approach to experience)

*          place based interventions to address GBV in sport

Candidates are encouraged to propose their own project within these or related themes, identifying gaps in academic literature and defining their research scope.

The successful candidate will be based at the Gold Coast campus and will take part in a dynamic and thriving research culture in the Sport and Gender Equity research hub within the Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research and Department of Tourism and Marketing (sport management discipline). As Griffith is a multi-site University you may be required to work across other locations. https://www.griffith.edu.au/griffith-business-school/department-of-tourism-and-marketing/research/sage-at-griffith

Griffith University’s sites are located on the lands of the Yugarabul, Yuggera, Jagera, Turrbal, Yugambeh and Kombumerri peoples.

We are delighted to announce a PhD Scholarship opportunity working as part of our ARC Discovery project Creating Safer Sport Communities from Rural to Urban Australia  https://www.latrobe.edu.au/research/violetmarshman/research/regen/regen-research-and-projects/rrpv

We are offering a 3-year scholarship to a PhD candidate to undertake research as part of the Australian Research Council-funded project, Creating Safer Sport Communities from Rural to Urban Australia. The primary focus of this role is to undertake a 3-year doctorate, comprising a stand-alone project that feeds into the broader ‘Safer Sport’ research agenda.  The scholarship includes a stipend  (detailed below) as part of the Discovery Project.

The Safer Sport project aims to examine and address gender-based violence across Australian sports communities. The project expects to develop an in-depth understanding of the gendered nature of violence in this context and how communities can address such violence. Using an interdisciplinary approach, mixed methods and collaborative co-design, the project’s expected outcomes include a new evidence base, enhanced international interdisciplinary collaborations, and practice guides to improve the capacity and response of sport communities across Australia to address gender-based violence.

The selection of applicants for the award of higher degree research scholarships at Griffith University involves consideration of your academic merit and research background. To be successful within this role, you will be able to work with a team of supervisors to develop a strong research proposal complementary to the broader work within the Safer Sport project. You will also have the ability to work with supervisors to design research methods and carry out relevant fieldwork. You will be able to work as part of a team of enthusiastic and research-active colleagues. You will have evidence of a passion for violence prevention in sport, with a strong desire to  contribute a deeper understanding of intersectional experiences (culture/race, gender identity, sexuality, disability, class and rural/urban location).

Expressions of interest are welcome from domestic applicants.

Applicants must have completed, or expect to complete, a bachelors degree with honours equivalent to second class (division A) honours or a Masters degree (AQF Level 9) incorporating a significant research component of a standard comparable to a bachelor honours degree or be regarded by Griffith University as having an equivalent level of attainment in accordance with Schedule One of the HDR Scholarship Procedure.  For further information on the eligibility requirements for the program refer here.

About the scholarship
The 2026 Griffith University Postgraduate Research Scholarship (GUPRS) has an annual stipend of $35,656 (indexed) for a period of up to three years of full-time study. Please see the GUPRS Conditions of Award for more information.

What Griffith offers
As a scholarship holder, you will study with a University that ranks among the top 2% worldwide and spans across locations in South East Queensland. At Griffith University, we’ve worked hard to create a culture that will challenge you to be curious, creative and courageous. We also support the professional and personal development of all our HDR candidates and invest in the skills of our people. Griffith University values diversity, inclusion and flexibility and we encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, and people of all backgrounds to apply. Griffith's strategic goals are to also increase the proportion of women in senior academic and administrative roles and in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine (STEMM).

EOI Process
Please do not select the “APPLY” button. All expressions of interest must be submitted to [email protected] containing:

One page outlining your research interests (topic, methodology and theoretical approach) in relation to the Safer Sport project.

Evidence that you have completed a program with the required grades as detailed in the about you section, including a copy of your academic transcript

A curriculum vitae (CV) using the Griffith CV template.

Closing date for expressions of interest is: Thursday 30 April 2026 at 5pm AEST

The preferred applicant will then be invited to apply for the program and scholarship on-line.

For project related enquiries please contact:
Professor Simone Fullagar
[email protected]

For administration enquiries please contact:
Griffith Graduate Research School
Phone: (07) 3735 3817
Email: [email protected]