Green Fellow PhD Scholarship in Comparative Constitutional Law

About us

UNSW Law & Justice is a top-ranking faculty and a global leader in law and criminology education and research, setting the pace in Australia for 50 years.

We ranked 13th globally for law and legal studies in the 2026 QS World University Rankings and 1st in Australia for employer reputation by subject. In the most recent round of research excellence rankings, UNSW received an ERA rating of 5 for law, the highest possible score.

The School of Global and Public Law builds on the faculty’s strengths in international and comparative law and Australian public law. Across our teaching, research and engagement, we combine strong analytical foundations with practical approaches designed to make a real difference in the world.

Purpose

Associate Professor Gautam Bhatia (Green Fellow) invites applications for two PhD positions under his supervision. 

Dr Bhatia’s primary interests lie at the intersection of comparative constitutional law, critical theory, and law and political economy, broadly conceived. He is interested in supervising theses that blend a close reading of comparative doctrine with constitutional and critical theory.

Thematically, Dr Bhatia is specifically interested in work that critically interrogates modern constitutional socio-economic rights doctrine, constitutional design and structure (including issues such as federalism, constitutional pluralism, Indigenous constitutionalism, and Latin American pluri-nationalism), how constitutions function as power-maps, authoritarian constitutionalism, states of exception and emergency powers, the relationship between constitutionalism and extractivism, and the ways in which constitutions deal with questions of political economy.

He has previously worked on, and has specific expertise in, jurisdictions including India, South Africa, Kenya, Jamaica, the broader Anglophone democratic-constitutional world, Latin American constitutionalism, and the United States.

Applicants working on these jurisdictions and themes will be preferred, but applications focusing on other questions and contexts will also be considered. Single-jurisdiction studies are also welcome but should have a substantive critical component. While it is not mandatory, thesis proposals that incorporate political economy into their primary question are especially welcome.

Deadline

Applications are open until midnight on Friday, 21 August 2026, AEST.

Amount

The scholarship stipend will be equivalent to the value of a Research Training Program Scholarship (this rate is $39,206 per annum (2026 rate). These scholarships generally receive favourable tax treatment and enable international candidates to apply for a fee waiver.

Duration

Three and a half (3.5) years, subject to confirmation of candidature and satisfactory progress. It is anticipated that candidates will commence the program in Term 3 2026 (September) or Term 1 2027 (February 2027).

Eligibility 

Applicants may be Australian citizens, permanent residents or international.

The Scholarship is for study on a full-time basis only, unless there are exceptional personal or medical circumstances that would require study on a part-time basis for all or part of the PhD program. This Scholarship is not open to students already enrolled in a PhD program elsewhere. Applicants who currently have an admission application pending with UNSW with a relevant PHD topic may also be considered for this Scholarship.

Residency requirement 

Applicants must pursue their PhD research in Sydney. International applicants are responsible for securing any necessary visas to enable study based in Sydney.

Selection criteria

Applicants must possess:

• excellent academic credentials and a demonstrated interest in studies of law with a focus on comparative constitutional law; and
• an undergraduate degree in Law with a minimum Honours Class II, Division (I) that includes a substantial research component (or equivalent); or
• a postgraduate qualification in Law (including a substantial research component) with an average that equates to a Distinction average at UNSW (80%); or
• equivalent research or professional experience, supported by references and a detailed CV.

Prior study of advanced constitutional law at Master’s level, and completion of a research thesis and/or publications, will be highly valued.

Selection will be based on:

(a) the applicant’s academic qualifications;

(b) their written and oral communication skills;

(c) the quality of their research proposal;

(d) their research experience and potential;

(d) the fit between the applicant’s proposal and the focus areas of the Green Fellow scholarship; and

(e) the applicant’s interest and experience in constitutional law.