PhD Scholarship Faculty of Business and Economics

PhD Scholarship inApplied Economics on Firm ClosuresLayoffs and Their Impacts on Workers and
Families (Melbourne Australia)

Job No:688623

Location:Caulfield campus

Employment Type:Full-time

Duration:4.5-year fixed-term appointment

Remuneration:A generous scholarship covering tuitionfees and a tax-free stipend at current value of $39000 AUD per annum (up to$49000 AUD per annum for outstanding students).

Additional financial support is available through research and teachingassistance work.

The Opportunity

This PhD offers the opportunity to work on a project at the intersection oflabour economics health economics industrial organisation and publicpolicy. When firms close or downsize the economic shock extends farbeyond the workplace affecting workers mental health financial securityfamily relationships and childrens long-term outcomes. Yet despite therising frequency of economic shocks from natural disasters and monetarytightening to trade disruptions and geopolitical tensions we still knowsurprisingly little about how firms adapt how their decisions cascadethrough households and communities and which policies can buffer project addresses that gap. It will generate the first comprehensivepopulation-level evidence on how firms manage periods of economic crisisand how their responses shape health employment and wellbeingoutcomes for individuals and families.

The successful candidate will join a highly collaborative research teamusing linked employeremployee administrative data including healthcareuse data and state-of-the-art econometric methods to generate causalevidence on these issues. Your work will produce insights directly relevantto labour-market policy family services and social protection systems. Thisis an opportunity to influence national policy debates while advancingacademic knowledge in applied microeconomics and labour health andindustrial economics. You will work closely under the PhD supervision ofAssociate Professor Sonja de New and Professor Dennis Petrie. You willalso have the opportunity to work with other leading Professors from theUniversity of Melbourne University of Michigan and Free University of
Amsterdam who are collaborators on this project.

Who were looking for

This project is an excellent fit for researchers who want to apply rigorousempirical methods to questions of real social importance. It will suitsomeone with strong empirical skills who enjoys working with largedatasets engaging deeply with research design and collaborating withinan interdisciplinary team.

Applicants should have completed an Honours degree a four-yearbachelors degree or a masters degree with excellent results and a
research component in economics or econometrics. A background orstrong interest in applied economics microeconometrics labour
economics industrial organisation health economics or public policy willbe valuable.

We also welcome applicants from other quantitative disciplines such asdata science mathematical statistics actuarial science public health orpsychology who have strong quantitative skills and an interest in causalinference.

PhD Program

The project is based in the Centre for Health Economics a large and activeeconomics research group within the Monash Business School inMelbourne Australia.

As a candidate in theCHE Integrated PhD Program you will receiverigorous training in advanced health economics econometrics and relatedstudies.

The Integrated Program starts with 1 year of advanced coursework andresearch training including a minor thesis packaged into a Master ofCommerce (MCom) degree. Provided you meet the agreed requirementsyou will then progress to the PhD project component which involves highquality research training and career development culminating in a writtenthesis on the topic outlined above. The PhD research stage will typicallytake three and a half years to complete. You will also enjoy opportunitiesfor domestic and international research visits and conference travel.

PhD Program entry requirements and scholarship eligibility

Applicants to enter the 4.5-year Integrated PhD program should havecompleted an Honours degree a 4-year Bachelors degree or a Mastersdegree with top marks and a research component in EconomicsEconometrics or a related quantitative discipline as outlined above.

You can check your eligibility with the PhD readiness tool.

For full information on eligibility and English language requirements pleasevisit the Monash Business School Integrated PhD Program page.

Applications

Before applying note the following:

When prompted select Health Economics as your area of specialisation

To apply please follow the Integrated PhD Program application process.

All eligible applications will be assessed and shortlisted candidates will becontacted to meet with the supervisory team and discuss mutual fit for theproject.

Application dates for the commencement of the Integrated PhDprogram in July/August 2026:

Application round is currently open.

Applications Close: Sunday 1 February 2026 11:55 pm AEDT

About Monash and the Centre for Health Economics

The Centre for Health Economics is one of the worlds leading researchgroups in the economic analysis of health and health care. We have thehighest concentration of economists working in health in the Asia-Pacificregion and the largest Health Economics PhD program in Australiareflecting the reputation of our researchers and the quality of theirmentorship.

Monash is one of the top 50 universities in the world ranked top in healtheconomics in the Asia-Pacific region. As a PhD student of the Centre youwill be part of a team of researchers at the cutting edge ofimpactfulinternational researchacross research themes including:disadvantage andhealth;global and environmental health economics;economic behaviour incentives and preferences in health; andeconomic modelling of healthpolicies and technologies.

Employment prospects

PhD graduatesfrom the Centre for Health Economics typically findemployment as researchers in leading universities and consulting firms
around the world. For instance ourprevious graduateshave beensuccessful in gaining positions at the London School of Economics the
University of Cambridge the University of Oxford the University of Illinoisthe University of York the University of Melbourne Australian NationalUniversity Ernst & Young the World Bank and government healthdepartments.

Enquiries

For questions related to the application procedure please contact buseco-.

For questions about the project or to discuss whether the project is a goodfit for you please contact:

Associate Professor Sonja de New at

Supporting a diverse workforce

Monash University recognises that its Australian campuses are located on he unceded lands of the people of the Kulin nations and pays its respectsto their elders past and present.

Supporting a diverse workforce