Resilient Societies in the Indo-Pacific
Resilient Societies in the Indo-Pacific: Building National Preparedness
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.
How do nations build resilience against conflict, foreign interference, disasters and an increasingly uncertain strategic environment? Across the Indo-Pacific, governments are rethinking national security through whole-of-society approaches that integrate defence, government, industry and communities.
This interdisciplinary PhD project examines the legal, institutional and policy foundations of national resilience, exploring how governments prepare societies for contemporary security challenges. Drawing on Australia's evolving national security architecture, Singapore's Total Defence framework and comparative approaches across the Indo-Pacific, the research will investigate the relationship between law, governance, civil preparedness and national security.
Particular attention will be given to how legal frameworks enable cooperation between government, defence, industry and civil society, and how institutional trust contributes to effective crisis response.
Working with researchers at UNSW Canberra and the National University of Singapore, the successful candidate will generate practical policy recommendations for strengthening national resilience, advancing scholarship in security law, governance and strategic studies.
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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, Samuel White - samuel.white@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
Dr Samuel White (UNSW Canberra, Primary Supervisor)
Dr Andrew Maher (UNSW Canberra, Co-Supervisor)
Dr Giacomo Biggie (National University of Singapore, 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
UNSW Canberra | School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Impact focus area
Pillar 9: Strengthen societal resilience, security and cohesion
Learn more
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.