phd in psychology melbourne

Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences
Mental Health PhD Program

A multidisciplinary PhD Program in Mental Health

This Program brings together graduate researchers addressing mental health from diverse disciplinary perspectives - psychiatry, psychology, epidemiology and community mental health, history and philosophy of psychiatry, general practice, paediatrics, psychiatric nursing and social work, among others. Launched in March 2018, the Program is a joint initiative of the University of Melbourne's School of Psychological Sciences, Centre for Mental Health and the Department of Psychiatry. These were joined in 2020 by the Centre for Youth Mental Health and the Florey Institute of Neuroscience & Mental Health.

Our goal is to provide all University of Melbourne PhD students researching mental health with a platform to connect, share and discover new disciplines so that they can become fully-rounded researchers who can approach the field of mental health from a multi-disciplinary perspective.

Host departments

The Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences is one of the most highly regarded schools of psychology in Australia. The School attracts some of the best students nationally and internationally to its broad range of APAC-accredited undergraduate, graduate, professional and research programs. The School's teaching is underpinned by excellence in research across a range of fields, including cognitive and behavioural neuroscience, quantitative psychology, social psychology, developmental psychology and clinical science.

The Centre for Mental Health is part of the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health and aims to improve mental health and mitigate the impact of mental illness at a population level. It does this through high-quality, collaborative, interdisciplinary research, academic teaching, professional and community education, and mental health system development. The Centre contributes to evidence-informed mental health policy and practice in Australia and internationally through the work of its three units:

Global and Cultural Mental Health
Mental Health Policy and Practice
Population Mental Health.

The Centre's three units are involved in active and productive collaborations within the University and beyond. These relationships range from not-for-profit agencies like Mind Australia through to international NGOs such as the World Health Organization, and enables the translation of their research into policy and practice.

The Department of Psychiatry is committed to the prevention of mental illness and improved quality of life for individuals affected by mental illness, both nationally and internationally. The Department has unique strengths around biological and translational psychiatry research which are internationally recognised. Together with clinical collaborations and involvement in mental health policy and practice, this provides a stimulating environment for learning and research training programs. Their research is driven by pure and applied questions that require cross-disciplinary approaches and partnerships with diverse community organisations - especially those effected with mental illness. The research informs our teaching and clinical training and engagement with the wider community.

The Centre for Youth Mental Health brings together the experience and expertise of world leaders in the field of youth mental health and has become an internationally renowned research centre in this field. The Centre focuses on understanding the biological, psychological and social factors that influence onset, remission and relapse of mental illnesses in young people. Its research findings are actively translated into improved policy, practice and training that inform the development of better interventions, treatments and service systems for young people at different stages of mental ill-health. The multidisciplinary nature of its research provides a diverse and stimulating environment for students. The local and international collaborations with other universities and research institutes link it with a broader research community, with unique global perspectives and the opportunity for an exciting exchange of ideas.

The Florey Institute of Neuroscience & Mental Health (The Florey) is the largest brain research group in the southern hemisphere and one of the world’s top brain research centres. It is an independent medical research institute with strong connections to other research groups, globally. Our scientists are found at three research facilities, one on the grounds of the University of Melbourne in Parkville, one in the adjacent Royal Melbourne Hospital and the other at Austin Health in Heidelberg.

Research degrees
Your research options

Supplementary PhD Programs

Give yourself an edge. Join a multidisciplinary PhD Program to enrich your graduate research experience. These programs are supplementary learning opportunities in addition to your core PhD studies. They provide the chance to work with others who share a passion for discovering new knowledge in your area of interest.

We currently offer a wide range of multidisciplinary programs with the details below. Each has a different focus, such as mental health, cancer, or infection and immunity. The programs feature a series of activities to enhance your learning experience. You can attend masterclasses, workshops and seminars, delivered by experts in your field. You will keep up to date with research findings and breakthrough discoveries. And you may have opportunities for mentoring and internships.

When you join a PhD Program, you’ll connect with graduate researchers from other disciplines. And you’ll engage with relevant external organisations. By participating, you’ll broaden your networks and improve your career prospects.

Please note, these programs run in addition to your PhD research . If you are looking for information about possible topics for your core PhD research, please explore the breadth of PhD research themes available.

Why join a PhD Program?

By joining a PhD Program, you will set yourself up for success. You'll have extra support and opportunities throughout your research degree. This will enable you to:

Access a breadth of expertise from across the University
Consider your research from the perspective of other disciplines
Place your research in a broader multidisciplinary context
Build multidisciplinary networks that lead to postdoctoral pathways
Develop professional skills to enhance your career prospects
Improve your research and communication skills to become an accomplished graduate researcher.

Are you eligible?

To take part, you must be enrolled in a PhD at the University of Melbourne. Your thesis topic must relate to the PhD Program theme.
When you join a PhD Program, you will remain enrolled in your current department.
You can join a PhD Program at any time during your candidature. You will remain part of the program until you complete your doctoral studies.

Explore the individual PhD Programs

The Biomedical Engineering Innovation PhD Program is a multidisciplinary research training initiative. It is a supplementary learning opportunity that enriches the graduate research experience.

The program brings together people who work on research related to biomedical engineering, including:

PhD students, supervisors and alumni from across the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct
Industry and clinical partners.

The program is facilitated by:

The Graeme Clark Institute
The Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Melbourne.

Find out more

The Child and Adolescent Health PhD Program complements your PhD studies. As a participant, you will join more than 200 graduate researchers at the Melbourne Children’s Campus . This campus is a fully integrated paediatric teaching hospital, University department and research institute. Our research streams include:

Cell biology
Clinical sciences
Population health
Infection and immunity.

We undertake multidisciplinary research in the following areas:

Clinical trials
Stem cell medicine
Global health
Life-course (longitudinal population) studies
Health services research
Digital health
Data science.

The Comprehensive Cancer PhD Program provides specialist cancer research training and support for PhD candidates. It complements your core PhD activities.

The program provides a unique opportunity for PhD candidates researching cancer-related topics to work together. It attracts PhD candidates from a range of disciplines.

To be eligible, you must be enrolled as a PhD student in a partner organisation. Together, these organisations form the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) alliance . Through this program, you will experience clinical and research activities across the alliance.

Upon completion, you will be ready to conduct world-class cancer research. The program will also prepare you for a wide range of career options. It does this by broadening the scope of your research knowledge. And by providing professional development and career training programs.

The Interdisciplinary Graduate Research Program in Indigenous Settler Relations enhances the experience of Masters and PhD students by creating an enriching cohort experience. The program develops an intellectual community and facilitates opportunities for you to deepen your academic knowledge and skills.

The program is open to graduate researchers in any faculty. You must be undertaking graduate research related to Indigenous settler relations in Australia and the world.

As a participant, you will work with others who share a passion for discovering new knowledge about infection and immunity. In this program, you will:

Learn from global leaders in infection and immunity
Access high-calibre scientists and facilities
Work in an environment where discovery research meets diagnosis and surveillance
Work with experts in infectious diseases, epidemiology, genomics and more.

The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity delivers this PhD Program. The institute is a joint venture between the University of Melbourne and the Royal Melbourne Hospital. You may join this program if you are:

A graduate researcher at the Doherty Institute
Enrolled in a PhD at the University of Melbourne.

The Doherty Institute is home to high-quality discovery research. It has large diagnostic operations in virology and bacteriology. So, the institute can provide vast research training opportunities in many areas, including:

Epidemiology
Clinical and translational research
Infectious diseases surveillance
Outbreak investigations.

As a program participant, you will access first-class research training in your primary discipline. And you can supplement this with extra workshops, seminars and potential internships. Our key partners in biopharmaceutical-linked industries provide these extra training opportunities. These connections will assist with future employment opportunities, beyond the pure research environment.

When you join the Medical Biology PhD Program, you will work with others who share a passion for research related to medical biology.

You will learn more about:

Medical biology
Research management
Commercialisation of research
Clinical translation.

The Medical Biology PhD Program is delivered by the Department of Medical Biology at the University of Melbourne. When you join, you will undertake research training at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI).

When you join the Mental Health PhD Program, you’ll feel part of a community. You will work with others who share a passion for discovering new knowledge about mental health. All graduate students from the University of Melbourne working in a mental Health related field are welcome to join any time. We have graduate researchers from a wide range of disciplines spread across at least 15 schools or departments at the University of Melbourne, including:

Epidemiology and community mental health
History and philosophy of psychiatry
Psychiatric nursing
Social work
Linguistics

This interdisciplinary PhD program offers PhD candidates in mental health a unified research training experience. It is a joint initiative of the following schools and departments:

School of Psychological Sciences
Melbourne School for Population and Global Health, Centre for Mental Health
Department of Psychiatry
The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health

The Migration, Statelessness and Refugee Studies PhD Program is delivered by the Melbourne Social Equity Institute at the University of Melbourne.

You will work with others who share a passion for discovering new knowledge in this area. You will engage with researchers from other disciplines across the University. And you will connect with relevant external organisations.

These connections will allow you to:

Consider your research from the perspective of others
Develop your research in reference to current real-world challenges
Enhance your career prospects.

During the program, you will attend masterclasses, workshops and seminars. There will be a focus on ethics and research methods. And you will learn how to communicate your research to diverse audiences.

The Melbourne Neuroscience PhD Program brings together graduate researchers from across disciplines. These researchers share a passion for discovering knowledge in the area of neuroscience. When you join, you will access the best in neuroscience research from across the university. This is a competitive program that complements your core PhD project. You will receive close mentoring from experts in the field of neuroscience. And you will benefit from a broad range of research initiatives.

The Melbourne Neuroscience PhD Program will help you to:

Connect with other researchers from across the University
Build relationships with relevant external organisations
Develop your career path after graduation
Consider your research topic from different perspectives
Contribute to the discovery of new knowledge
Expand your professional and personal networks
Learn how to engage with industry.

All graduate students from the University of Melbourne working in a Neuroscience related field are welcome to join any time, even if it is not their primary discipline. We have graduate researchers from a wide range of disciplines spread over 20+ schools/departments at the University of Melbourne, including:

Anatomy and Neuroscience
Biomedical Engineering
Medicine and Radiology
School of Population and Global Health
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
Royal Melbourne hospital

The Population and Global Health Graduate Research Program provides an engaging and practical skills-based training environment and cohort experience for graduate researchers.

The program enables you to maximise the value of your graduate research experience. It also helps you to make informed choices about your future career path.

It will focus on:

Public health
Health policy
Epidemiology and biostatistics.

First published on 22 February 2022.

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Where your research can take you.

Your degree will prepare you for an academic career in research, but it can also lead to roles in the private sector, small business, government or not-for-profit organisations.