Theory and modelling of action plots (PhD scholarship)

Applications close

31 March 2026

• You'll receive a stipend of $37,010 per annum for a maximum duration of 3.5 years while undertaking a QUT PhD. The duration includes an extension of up to six months (PhD) if approved for your candidature. This is the full-time, tax exempt rate which will index annually.
• You will receive a tuition fee offset/sponsorship, covering the cost of your tuition fees for the first four full-time equivalent years of your doctoral studies.
• As the scholarship recipient, you will have the opportunity to work with a team of leading researchers, to undertake your own innovative research in and across the field.

You must:

• meet the entry requirements for QUT's Doctor of Philosophy , including any English language requirements
• enrol as a full-time, internal student (unless approval for part-time and/or external study is obtained)
• possess a Master of Science or a Bachelor of Science with honours, with a demonstrated passion for addressing challenges in multidisciplinary research areas
• have a background in computational/theoretical chemistry, computational condensed-matter physics, or a closely related field.

Apply for this scholarship at the same time you apply for admission to QUT's Doctor of Philosophy.

• The first step is to email Dr Xiuwen Zhou detailing your academic and research background, your motivation to research in this field and interest in this scholarship, and include your CV.
• If supported to apply, you will then submit an expression of interest (EOI) following the advice at how to apply for a research degree .
• In your EOI, nominate Dr. Xiuwen Zhou as your proposed principal supervisor, and copy the link to this scholarship website into question two of the financial details section.

You will work on the research of theory and modelling in photochemistry to understand the fundamental mismatch between photochemical reactivity and molecular absorptivity , which is an exciting and unexpected phenomenon that has the potential to shift an established photochemical paradigm. The research will involve a range of computer modelling methods and techniques in the areas of theoretical and computational chemistry such as molecular dynamics, density-functional theory and multi-scale modelling. You will work under the supervision of Dr Xiuwen Zhou and Dr Joshua Carroll in the School of Chemistry and Physics. The PhD scholarship is part of an Australian Research Council (ARC) led by Distinguished Professor Christopher Barner-Kowollik with whom you will be collaborating in a team with Dr Zhou and Dr Carroll.