With the generous support of the Physics Foundation, the School of Physics offers a scholarship that supports PhD students who are undertaking research within the School of Physics at the ±¬ÁÏÍõ.
The Physics Foundation HDR Scholar Scheme was established by Professor Tara Murphy, Head of the School of Physics at the ±¬ÁÏÍõ, to attract outstanding students from Australia and around the world to undertake PhD studies in Physics.​
Funded by the ±¬ÁÏÍõ Physics Foundation, the scheme promotes excellence in higher degree research (HDR) education, strengthens research productivity and develops a cohort of graduates committed to advancing science and society.​
The scholarship provides a full stipend and tuition fee waiver, together with additional funding for conferences and other career development activities, reducing financial pressures and enabling students to focus on research and professional development throughout their studies.​
Since its launch in 2024, the scheme has continued to grow. The inaugural cohort consisted of four scholarship recipients, with a further eight scholarships awarded in round two. Round three saw a further six scholarships awarded. The current cohort includes students from eight countries, reflecting the scheme's success in attracting talented researchers from diverse backgrounds.​
In contrast to other doctoral grants offered to graduate students, the Physics Foundation Scholar Scheme gave me the freedom to undertake research without academic pressure or bias. I've benefited from learning about scientific outreach from some of the best researchers and how to motivate the next generation of scientific leaders.
I am from India and I speak English, Hindi and Urdu. I am 21 years of age. I became interested in physics at the end of secondary school. I am fascinated by astronomy and stargazing and the idea that we could study and describe physical process that lead to the formation of stars and galaxies was very captivating to me. At university I got the chance to work on electronics to read out particle detectors, which combined my interest in electronics design with my passion for physics.
I'm 24 years old and speak French and English. I became interested in Physics in middle school, when my science teacher showed the class videos from Colonel Chris Hadfield, a beloved Canadian astronaut who made educational videos while aboard the International Space Station. ​
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I was initially interested in cosmology and space science, but I soon discovered that I enjoyed doing more hands-on experimental work rather than simulations. Working on detector design allows me to do day-to-day work which can be applied towards studying space science, through Astro-particle physics.
The research focus of my PhD concerns studying how environmental radiation affects errors in superconducting qubits. Quantum computing has the potential to be a disruptive force in many different industries, with applications ranging from cybersecurity to drug discovery. One of the biggest challenges with superconducting microwave qubits right now is that they are very fragile systems, extremely susceptible to changes in the environment and external radiation. By studying how different kinds of radiation can affect and cause errors in these qubits, we hope to find solutions to improve the robustness of superconducting microwave qubits.
The scholarship has allowed me to pursue my passion for experimental particle physics, surrounded by peers who are doing really exciting research on a host of different topics. It has allowed to move to a different country than my own and experience an entirely new culture and community, while also letting me give back to the same community in the form of the research that I get to do.Ìý
During my undergraduate studies, I didn't really know what my initial research interests were. My degree was in both Physics and Astronomy, and there wasn’t a field that really stuck with me. It wasn't until my final year, when I took a course in astronomical instrumentation, that I discovered a field I was truly passionate about. ​
My PhD is on the development of a new device to be used on next generation massive research telescopes. More specifically, my research focuses on Astronomical Instrumentation and developing the first infrared hexabundle, a type of optical fibre-based integral field unit (IFU) device enabling spatially resolved spectroscopic observations. If successful, they would be used by astronomers around the world for leading galaxy evolution and exoplanet studies. ​
The Physics Foundation scholarship has allowed me to start my PhD at the ±¬ÁÏÍõ and move to Australia, giving me opportunities that wouldn't have been possible otherwise. ​
I am 26 years old, I speak Chinese and English. I became interested in astronomy at a young age, first joining an astronomy club and participating in competitions in Grade 4. During high school, I served as president of the astronomy club for three years, which naturally led me to choose astronomy as my undergraduate major. Initially, I didn't feel particularly passionate about research, but everything changed when I began working with my undergraduate supervisor research suddenly became fascinating. ​
Inspired by the opportunity to understand the once inexplicable phenomenon of our universe, I traveled across the world to pursue a career in Physics. Starting in Bolivia, my home country, all the way to Canada, where I completed my undergraduate studies. During these years, I had the opportunity to learn from a diverse group of people at conferences, training camps, and internships, exposing me to the multiple realms of physics.
My PhD focuses on radio stars, an emerging field that observes and studies stars in radio wavelengths comparing to traditional optical bands. This reveals some stellar properties previously hidden from us, like how they generate magnetic fields. ​
During my PhD, I aim to significantly increase the number of discovered radio stars and combine this with my previous stellar research knowledge to explore correlations between radio emission and fundamental stellar parameters. This will greatly benefit future stellar and exoplanet research. ​
The Physics Foundation scholarship has provided me the opportunity to access the world's most advanced radio data and work with leading research teams; I've experienced a completely different atmosphere from China both in culture and research. This has strengthened my confidence in pursuing a longer research career. ​
However, nothing intrigued me more than the field of light manipulation. I was left astonished by how the research done in Optics, particularly in Photonics, has the potential to improve various aspects of our community significantly. This led me to realize that along with my goal of contributing to deepening our understanding of the fundamental laws governing our universe, I also wanted to be able to advance or create instrumentation that has the potential to offer practical benefits to society.​
Receiving the Physics Foundation Scholarship is an honor that has given me the invaluable opportunity to continue my studies as a PhD student and dedicate myself to contributing to the scientific community.​
