PhD Scholarship – Gaining a Holistic Understanding of Eating Disorders: Phenotyping and Genotyping Illness Full-time

PhD Scholarship – Gaining a Holistic Understanding of Eating Disorders: Phenotyping and Genotyping Illness

Location: Clayton campus

Employment Type: Full-time

Duration: 3-year fixed-term appointment

Remuneration: The successful applicant will receive a tax-free stipend, at the current value of $36,063 per annum 2025 full-time rate, as per the Monash Research Training Program (RTP) Stipend

About the project

Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses characterised by severe disturbances in eating behaviours, which are particularly difficult to treat, with poor treatment outcomes and high relapse rates. However, current treatments are moderately effective at best. Given available therapies are designed to target known core psychopathological features of the illness, the moderate efficacy of existing treatments suggests we do not yet have a full understanding of what is core to these illnesses, nor how best to heal from them. This PhD aims to obtain a comprehensive, integrated, multi-level understanding of mechanisms and features involved in the development and maintenance of eating disorders.

This PhD scholarship is supported by funding from the Australian Eating Disorders Research and Translation Centre (AEDRTC) and will fund the candidate to work as part of a multidisciplinary team. The candidate will receive training in, and use a range of psychological, cognitive, and behavioural tools and techniques in both clinical trials and longitudinal studies.

This PhD program would suit applications with interests in the intersection of biological, psychological, and social mechanisms underpinning mental illness.

Supervisory team

The principal supervisor will be Professor Antonio Verdejo-Garcia.

Professor Verdejo-Garcia is a Professor of Addiction Studies and holds an NHMRC Leadership Fellow in the School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University. His research focuses on the cognitive and neural mechanisms underpinning executive control and decision-making, and their implications for substance and behavioural addictions, compulsive eating, and obesity.

The student will be co-supervised by Dr Courtney McLean.

Eligibility Requirements

This opportunity is available to domestic students only. The student must:

• Fulfil the Monash University minimum requirements for admission to a PhD
• Meet Monash University English language requirements
• Enrol as a full-time PhD student
• Be able to commence the program in the year of the offer
• Be able to attend project locations, including the Turner Clinics and Monash Biomedical Imaging

How to apply

For general instructions on how to apply for roles at Monash, please refer to 'How to apply for Monash Jobs'.

To express your interest in this scholarship and PhD research opportunity, we request candidates provide:

• A cover letter describing your research interests and why you would like to undertake a PhD (maximum one page)
• A CV, including a list of any published works, conference presentations, and relevant work experience
• A copy of your academic transcript(s)

Expression of interest is assessed by the supervisory team and shortlisted applicants will be interviewed. The supervisory team will nominate the preferred applicant, which will then be assessed by the University against admission criteria.

Enquiries: Professor Antonio Verdejo-Garcia, antonio.verdejo@monash.edu

Supporting a diverse workforce