Two funded PhD Positions

The School of Philosophical and Historical studies is offering two PhD scholarship in philosophy for study beginning in 2027.

Space and Time

The first scholarship is funded through a Future Fellowship project held by Professor Sam Baron entitled “New Causal Foundations for Space and Time”, which focuses on the role of causation in metaphysics and physics. The successful applicant will be supervised by Prof. Baron and will have interests in the metaphysics of science, with a particular emphasis on causation, time or physics. The successful applicant will have the opportunity to take part in all activities of the project, which is expected to include one conference each year held in Melbourne focusing on space, time and causation, regular lab meetings with Prof. Baron’s PhD students, and joint reading groups and lab groups with international collaborators. This is an excellent opportunity to join a project that is focused on cutting edge research involving space and time.

Explainable Artificial Intelligence

The second scholarship is funded through a Discovery Project held by Professor Sam Baron entitled “An Interventionist Approach to Explainable AI”. This aims to use tools from interventionist approaches to causation as the basis for developing better approaches to post hoc explainability for AI models. The successful applicant will be primarily supervised by Prof. Baron, with co-supervisors drawn from an interdisciplinary team including philosophy, cognitive science and computer science. The successful applicant will have interests in explanation and AI, with expertise in both philosophy and computer science. They will have the opportunity to take part in all activities of the project, which is expected to include regular conferences, reading groups and seminars in both philosophy and computer science. The successful applicant will also have the opportunity to undertake interdisciplinary collaboration with national and international partners (including the UK and Iceland). This is an excellent opportunity to join a cutting edge project at the interface between philosophy and computer science, and gain expertise in both areas.

Both scholarships include:

• Full fee offset for up to four years for students undertaking a doctoral degree.
• Living allowance of $39,500 per year pro rata (2025 full-time study rate) for up to 3.5 years for students undertaking a doctoral degree. The living allowance may be indexed annually and includes limited paid sick, maternity and parenting leave.
• Relocation grant of $2000 for students moving from States or Territories other than Victoria or $3000 for students moving from outside Australia.
• Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) Single Membership for international students who require a student visa to study in Australia

Scholarships are subject to the graduate research scholarship terms and conditions.

To be considered for this scholarship, you must:

• Have applied for and meet the requirements for a graduate research degree at the University of Melbourne, or
• Be currently enrolled in a graduate research degree at the University of Melbourne

Applicants interested in applying should send an expression of interest to Prof. Baron in the first instance at [email protected], which will include a CV and a short (5000 words maximum) writing sample. Prospective students will then need to apply through the University of Melbourne’s graduate application process.

The successful applicants will join the School of Historical and Philosophical studies, which has a rich tradition in metaphysics and philosophy of science. Further details on the school can be found here.

All eligible applicants are warmly invited to apply, especially those from minority or underrepresented groups including women, members of racialized groups, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, persons of any sexual orientation, and persons of any gender identity or gender expression.

Closing dates for application:

15th August 2026 (International applicants)

15th October 2026 (Domestic applicants)