Precision Mental Health for Youth
Building Precision Mental Health for Children and Adolescents with Anxiety Disorders
Published on the 08 October 2026 by UNSW Scientia PhD Project
This project is part of the UNSW Scientia PhD Scholarship Scheme
Successful applicants will receive an annual stipend and a one-off Global Mobility Grant to conduct international engagement activities.
Anxiety disorders affect millions of children and adolescents worldwide and are a leading cause of disability and reduced quality of life. Despite the availability of effective treatments, substantial variation exists in treatment response, highlighting the need for personalised care. This PhD project will advance precision mental health by using the PADDY (Platform for Anxiety Disorder Data in Youth) repository, a unique global resource that integrates individual participant data, treatment protocol information, and study-level metadata from clinical trials of youth anxiety interventions.
The candidate will identify which treatment approaches work best for which children and develop data-driven models to inform personalised intervention strategies. Through collaboration with international research partners, the project will provide advanced training in clinical psychology, data science, and global mental health research. The findings will support more effective, targeted care for young people with anxiety disorders, improving long-term mental health outcomes and contributing to healthier, more resilient communities.
The project also involves collaboration with other key universities: Yale University (USA), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Netherlands), University of Oxford (UK)
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- Residency: Domestic applicants only.
- Degree program: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
You must meet the minimum requirements below to apply:
- An appropriate Bachelor degree with first or upper second class Honours from UNSW: OR
- A completed Master by Research, with a substantial research component and demonstrated capacity for timely completion of a high-quality research thesis; OR
- a qualification from another tertiary institution at a level considered equivalent by the Faculty Higher Degree Committee (HDC)
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Eligible applicants must contact the Primary Supervisor, Jennie Hudson - z3533180@ad.unsw.edu.au. If she agrees to supervise you, you will be invited to submit a formal application to UNSW.
Your email should include:
- CV
- Official academic transcripts
- A brief introduction about you and why you are qualified for this project.
- What interests you about this project and the supervisor(s) expertise.
Research project overview
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Scholarship value
$39,991 per annum (2027 rate) stipend for 3.5 years
$25,000 Global Mobility Grant (one-off) -
Supervisory team
Professor Jennie Hudson (UNSW, Black Dog Institute, Primary Supervisor)
Dr Lizel Bertie (UNSW, Black Dog Institute, Co-Supervisor)
Professor Maaike Nauta (University of Groningen, Netherlands, Co-Supervisor)
Professor Wendy Silverman (Yale University, Co-Supervisor)
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Global research partner
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Candidate residency
Domestic
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Degree program
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
UNSW School | Research area
Faculty of Medicine & Health | Black Dog Institute
Impact focus area
Pillar 8: Enable healthy lives
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Impact focus area
Pillar 9: Strengthen societal resilience, security and cohesion
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Primary Supervisor
Do you have questions?
The UNSW Graduate Research School manages all postgraduate research applications and scholarships. Get in touch with our team to discuss your research interests and the next steps.