Expression of Interest - PhD Student, Faculty of Society & Design

About the position

PhD Scholarship Opportunity

Project: Digital Monitoring and Psychosocial Outcomes of Cognitive Health in Ageing

The School of Psychology at Bond University invites applications for a fully funded PhD scholarship to work on an international research project investigating digital tools for monitoring and supporting cognitive health in the community.

The PhD student will join a multidisciplinary research program led by Dr Victor Schinazi and embedded within the Future Health Technologies initiative, an international collaboration between Bond University, the Singapore-ETH Centre, the National University of Singapore (NUS), and Nanyang Technological University (NTU). The PhD student will be co-supervised by Dr Peter Norton, who will contribute clinical expertise on psychosocial and mental health aspects of the project

The project focuses ondeveloping and validating an AI-enabled mobile platform designed to monitor cognitive health in everyday environments and support the early detection of cognitive impairment. While parallel teams in Singapore focus on biomarkers, neuroimaging, and computational modelling, the Bond-based PhD will examine the psychosocial and clinical outcomes of long-term platform use in community-dwelling older adults.

Research Focus

The PhD will investigate whether sustained engagement with the platform is associated with measurable improvements in psychosocial health, including:

• Social isolation and social engagement

• Depression and anxiety

• Well-being and functional independence

• Behavioural markers of cognitive risk

A central aim of the project is to establish clinical ground truth measures against which the digital measures captured by the platform can be validated. The student will contribute to study design, participant testing, and the interpretation of behavioural and clinical outcomes.

Large-scale deployments in Singapore (with parallel Australian cohorts planned) are expected to begin in 2027, providing a rare opportunity to work with real-world ageing populations in a translational digital health study rather than a purely laboratory-based PhD.

About the person

We are seeking a highly motivated and independent student with strong interpersonal skills and an interest in ageing, mental health, or cognitive health.

Applicants should have:

• Honours degree (First Class or equivalent) or Master’s in Psychology or a closely related field (e.g., cognitive science, neuroscience, health science, public health, gerontology, or human factors)

• Demonstrated and genuine interest in ageing, mental health, or clinical research, ideally with a clear motivation to work on real-world cognitive health and dementia risk

• Strong quantitative research skills, including experience with statistical analysis (R, SPSS, or similar) and handling behavioural or longitudinal datasets

• Experience conducting human participant research (e.g., behavioural testing, questionnaires, interviews, or assessments)

• Strong communication and organisational skills, particularly when working with research participants

• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a multidisciplinary research team 

The project involves regular interaction with older adult participants and clinical collaborators, so confidence in participant engagement and professional maturity is essential.

Experience with any of the following will be considered highly advantageous:

• Clinical or counselling assessment experience

• Longitudinal, community, or cohort-based research

• Digital mental health, mobile health, or behavioural intervention tools

• Involvement in developing, testing, or deploying digital platforms or research technologies

• Comfort collaborating with engineers, computer scientists, or data scientists in interdisciplinary projects

Salary details

Scholarship Overview

• Tuition Fee Waiver: 100% fee waiver for the duration of the PhD (4 years EFTSL),
• Stipend: $34,315 per annum, tax-free, indexed annually, and offered for 3 years (for a full-time candidature).
• Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC): Single cover for international candidates.
• HDR Project Budget: Bond-funded scholarships include $12,000 for a high-cost PhD project.

The student will be based on campus at Bond University on the Gold Coast, Australia, and will work closely with an international team of postdoctoral researchers, clinicians, neuroscientists, and computer scientists in Singapore.

The successful candidate will commence in the September 2026 semester at Bond University.

Application and submission details

Applications close on Friday 31st July 2026 by 5pm, (but will be reviewed on a rolling basis starting on 15 May 2026).

How to Apply

Interested applicants should send initial applications to:

• CV

• Academic transcripts

• A cover letter detailing research interests and motivation

• Name and contact details of three referees

to:

Dr Victor R. Schinazi

School of Psychology, Bond University

vschinaz@bond.edu.au