If you would like more information or have any questions about this scholarship, please contact the project supervisors.
Heritage and displacement: Intersections of exile, culture and conflict
Applications close 30 June 2026
Supporting a PhD candidate investigating heritage, displacement and lived experiences of exile.
Key details
Project supervisor
Deakin school and faculty
Additional supervisors
Yet to be confirmed
Location
Burwood Campus
Value and duration
This scholarship is available over three years and offers:
- a stipend of $37,450 per annum tax exempt (2026 rate)
- a relocation allowance of $500–1,500 (for single to family) for students moving from interstate
For international students, the awardee will also receive:
- tuition fees offset for the duration of four years
- single Overseas Student Health Cover policy for the duration of the student visa.
Research aim
Two PhD scholarships are offered as part of a broader Australian Research Council Future Fellowship project, entitled 'Heritage and Displacement: Intersections of Exile, Culture and Conflict.' This project aims to investigate the intersections between heritage and displacement, and the differing ways these are understood by displaced people, governments and global agencies. This project expects to generate new knowledge via an innovative interdisciplinary approach that includes developing a novel conceptual framework and conducting interviews.
Expected outcomes of the project include unprecedented empirical insights into how displaced people from the Middle East (Syria, Iraq and Palestine) perceive their heritage, and the extent to which this aligns with the policies of relevant actors. This should provide significant benefits, shaping further intellectual inquiry and the responses of key international agencies to heritage and displacement.
Background information
Each PhD student will undertake an independent research project examining the ways people's connections to heritage has shaped (and been shaped by) their experiences of displacement. The case studies include displaced people from Syria, Iraq and Palestine - including those internally displaced, living as refugees or migrants in the Middle East (Jordan and Lebanon) as well as in the West (Germany, UK, Australia).
The PhD students will be expected to develop a strong proposal that includes a fieldwork dimension. Throughout the project, the two PhD students will also be provided opportunities to co-author high-impact scholarly publications, policy reports and media articles, and to present their work at project-specific workshops. The two PhD students will therefore benefit from their involvement in a project of global scope and significance and will be provided exceptional career advancement opportunities under my mentorship and relative to their career stage.
Am I eligible?
To be eligible you must:
- meet Deakin's PhD entry requirements
- enrol full time
- hold an honours degree (first class) or an equivalent standard masters degree with a substantial research component.
Please refer to the research degree entry pathways page for further information.
Additional requirements:
- all candidates are expected to have exceptional written and verbal communication skills (English)
- although not mandatory, we encourage applications from;
- those with research experience in the field of heritage studies or political science (or related disciplines) in the context of the Middle East
- those with a proven track record of utilising relevant research tools and methods (such as conducting and analysing qualitative interviews) and in publishing outputs (such as in high quality international journals)
Ready to apply?
Please email your CV (including details of previous study, grades, relevant work experience and skills, and any research publications); a cover letter (briefly addressing each of the criteria and outlining your interest); and a PhD project proposal (max 2000 words including title, introduction, research questions, literature review, methodology, fieldwork and feasibility, references) to Prof Benjamin Isakhan.
If successful, you will be invited to submit a formal application.
Research degree entry requirements
Set yourself up for success. Each type of Deakin research degree has specific entry requirements designed to ensure that graduate researchers are well prepared for the challenges of advanced study.
