PhD Scholarship – Global Health Economics

PhD Scholarship – Global Health Economics

The Centre for Health Economics at Monash University invites applications from suitably qualified individuals for a PhD scholarship in applied economics, health economics, and climate economics.

The successful candidate will work on the topics within the broad area of “Global Health Economics” supported by CHE's Global and Environmental Health Economics Research Theme.

Potential research areas include:

• Aid effectiveness and locally led development
• Health care financing and universal health coverage
• The economics of developing and procuring medicines and health technologies for LMICs
• Health technology assessment and priority-setting
• Climate change and environmental health economics
• Expanding access to digital health

The successful candidate will receive training in applied microeconometrics, health economics, environmental economics, discrete choice experiments, administrative data analysis, modelling & simulation and policy evaluation.

The candidate will work under the supervision of Associate Professor Rohan Sweeney and Dr. Maame Esi Woode and other researchers at the Centre for Health Economics. The candidate may also have opportunities to collaborate with researchers and policy partners working in development economics, as well as health and environmental economics.

This project is an excellent fit for applicants interested in economic development, applied economics, health economics, climate change, labour markets, and public policy.

The project would suit someone with strong quantitative skills and an interest in using data to answer policy relevant research questions. The successful applicant will work with large administrative and survey datasets and apply modern causal inference methods.

Applicants should have completed an Honours degree, a four-year bachelor's degree, or a master's degree with excellent results and a research component in economics, econometrics, public policy, data science, statistics, psychology, public health, or another relevant quantitative discipline.

A background or strong interest in one or more of the following areas would be valuable:

• Applied microeconometrics
• Health economics
• Environmental economics
• Global health
• Planetary health
• Climate change and public policy
• Labour economics

Experience using statistical software such as Stata or R would be an advantage.

The project is based in the Centre for Health Economics, a large and active economics research group within Monash Business School in Melbourne, Australia.

As a candidate in the Centre for Health Economics Integrated PhD Program, you will receive rigorous training in advanced health economics, econometrics, and related studies.

The Integrated PhD Program starts with one year of advanced coursework and research training, including a minor thesis packaged into a Master of Commerce degree. Provided you meet the agreed requirements, you will then progress to the PhD project component, which involves high quality research training and career development, culminating in a written thesis on the topic outlined above. The PhD research stage will typically take three and a half years to complete.

You will also have opportunities for domestic and international research visits, conference travel, and engagement with policy stakeholders. You will be provided your own laptop and dedicated workspace for the duration of the Integrated program. Students become part of CHE's vibrant research community, engaging in seminars, workshops and collaborating with leading researchers.

Applicants to enter the 4.5 year Integrated PhD Program should have completed an Honours degree, a four-year bachelor's degree, or a master's degree with top marks and a research component in economics, econometrics, or a related quantitative discipline.

A new application round for a February 2027 commencement will open on 1 July 2026 and close on 31 August 2026. When the round is open, applications should follow the Integrated PhD program application process outlined on the Monash Business School website.

If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to review the entry requirements and eligibility information above ahead of the round opening.

The Centre for Health Economics is one of the world's leading research groups in the economic analysis of health and health care. It has the highest concentration of economists working in health in the Asia Pacific region and the largest Health Economics PhD program in Australia.

PhD graduates from the Centre for Health Economics typically find employment as researchers in leading universities, consulting firms, government departments, and international organisations.

Previous graduates have obtained positions at institutions including the London School of Economics, the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, the University of Illinois, the University of York, the University of Melbourne, the Australian National University, Ernst & Young, the World Bank, and government health departments.