Dr Alan Kenneth Head PhD International Research Award 2025

Established by Mrs Gwenneth Head, in memory of her husband Dr Alan Head, who graduated BA/BSc from Melbourne (1946) and PhD from the University of Bristol (1954).

The awards will provide support for establishing international research connections and collaborations.

This scholarship supports PhD students in Physics to establish international research connections and collaborations.

To be eligible for this scholarship, you need to:

• Be a PhD student enrolled in in the School of Physics

Preference will be given to high-achieving domestic students in the second or third year of their PhD.

Please note, as part of the application process you are required to provide a letter of support from your supervisor.  This will be considered as part of the committee's assessment.

Eligible candidates will be ranked based on:

• Academic excellence of the student
• The scientific significance of the project;
• The degree to which international collaboration is fostered
• The potential impact on the student’s progress and research program; and
• Clearly articulated objectives supported by a detailed budget justifying costs for the proposed program to be undertaken.

The awards will provide support for establishing international research connections and collaborations. Ordinarily, this will involve overseas travel for activities such as collecting field data, accessing research materials or facilities unavailable in Australia, working in a laboratory or research institute, meeting researchers overseas or presenting a paper or poster at an overseas conference.

In cases where travel is impractical, activities that foster international connections and collaborations but do not require travel will be eligible for funding. For example, applicants may apply for seed funding to develop a project with an international collaborator, without the need to visit in person, thereby gaining the benefit of establishing a new international link. Such seed funding might include support for the purchase of laboratory supplies or consumables; access to high performance computing facilities; setting up an online symposium; upgrading video conferencing facilities.

All scholarship outcomes will be sent via SmartyGrants.

Please see outcome timing below:

• Round 1 (Jan-March applications): May-July
• Round 2 (June-August applications): September-October

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