A multidisciplinary PhD Program in Mental Health
This Program brings together graduate researchers addressing mental health from diverse disciplinary perspectives - psychiatry, psychology, epidemiology and community mental health, history and philosophy of psychiatry, general practice, paediatrics, psychiatric nursing and social work, among others. Launched in March 2018, the Program is a joint initiative of the University of Melbourne's School of Psychological Sciences, Centre for Mental Health and the Department of Psychiatry. These were joined in 2020 by the Centre for Youth Mental Health and the Florey Institute of Neuroscience & Mental Health.
Our vision
Our goal is to provide all University of Melbourne PhD students researching mental health with a platform to connect, share and discover new disciplines so that they can become fully-rounded researchers who can approach the field of mental health from a multi-disciplinary perspective.
Host departments
The Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences is one of the most highly regarded schools of psychology in Australia. The School attracts some of the best students nationally and internationally to its broad range of APAC-accredited undergraduate, graduate, professional and research programs. The School's teaching is underpinned by excellence in research across a range of fields, including cognitive and behavioural neuroscience, quantitative psychology, social psychology, developmental psychology and clinical science.
The Centre for Mental Health is part of the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health and aims to improve mental health and mitigate the impact of mental illness at a population level. It does this through high-quality, collaborative, interdisciplinary research, academic teaching, professional and community education, and mental health system development. The Centre contributes to evidence-informed mental health policy and practice in Australia and internationally through the work of its three units:
- Global and Cultural Mental Health
- Mental Health Policy and Practice
- Population Mental Health.
The Centre's three units are involved in active and productive collaborations within the University and beyond. These relationships range from not-for-profit agencies like Mind Australia through to international NGOs such as the World Health Organization, and enables the translation of their research into policy and practice.
The Department of Psychiatry is committed to the prevention of mental illness and improved quality of life for individuals affected by mental illness, both nationally and internationally. The Department has unique strengths around biological and translational psychiatry research which are internationally recognised. Together with clinical collaborations and involvement in mental health policy and practice, this provides a stimulating environment for learning and research training programs. Their research is driven by pure and applied questions that require cross-disciplinary approaches and partnerships with diverse community organisations - especially those effected with mental illness. The research informs our teaching and clinical training and engagement with the wider community.
The Centre for Youth Mental Health brings together the experience and expertise of world leaders in the field of youth mental health and has become an internationally renowned research centre in this field. The Centre focuses on understanding the biological, psychological and social factors that influence onset, remission and relapse of mental illnesses in young people. Its research findings are actively translated into improved policy, practice and training that inform the development of better interventions, treatments and service systems for young people at different stages of mental ill-health. The multidisciplinary nature of its research provides a diverse and stimulating environment for students. The local and international collaborations with other universities and research institutes link it with a broader research community, with unique global perspectives and the opportunity for an exciting exchange of ideas.
The Florey Institute of Neuroscience & Mental Health (The Florey) is the largest brain research group in the southern hemisphere and one of the world’s top brain research centres. It is an independent medical research institute with strong connections to other research groups, globally. Our scientists are found at three research facilities, one on the grounds of the University of Melbourne in Parkville, one in the adjacent Royal Melbourne Hospital and the other at Austin Health in Heidelberg.
Program activities
Mental health is a multidisciplinary, complex and rapidly growing research domain. Your years as a graduate researcher at the University of Melbourne are the perfect time for you to broaden your skill set, build your network and expand your understanding of this dynamic field. At the moment we have over 70 graduate researchers in our community who come from over a dozen different Centres and Schools within the University and we would love for you to join us!
Our online platform
In order for you to get to know others and learn from the MHPP community's wide variety of disciplines and expertise, we have an online platform with different channels offering a host of opportunities:
- PhD Progress and Professional Development Channel: Ask any questions you might have about all aspects of your PhD, get peer support and develop your research skills by making the most of professional development opportunities such as online workshops and skills training.
- MHPP Events Channel: Find information here about the events organised by the Program, including social get-togethers, webinars and workshops.
- Members and Alumni Channel: Connect with your fellow PhD students across the many different institutes and schools represented in the Program, learn from alumni and build your research network.
- Items of Interest Channel: Be kept up to date about University of Melbourne events related to mental health and get invited to attend colloquium talks by local and visiting experts across the different academic host units, offering unparalleled access to cutting-edge research in mental health.
And more…
In addition, you can also use the MHPP as a unique opportunity to expand your CV by working on your transferable skills and help run an event or become a Mental Health PhD Program Event Coordinator (not mandatory).
Program structure
MHPP Co-Directors Team
- Professor Nick Haslam
Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences
“This PhD Program provides currently enrolled University of Melbourne PhD students working within the domain of mental health with the opportunity to become accomplished graduate researchers who are not only prepared to engage with their own discipline, but are equipped with the capacity to place their work in a broader multidisciplinary context within mental health.”
- Professor Jane Pirkis
Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health
“A PhD position is a big commitment and this program creates a platform to support a true cohort experience and provide a network of support, aimed to help PhD candidates working within the mental health domain through their doctorate and beyond.”
- Professor Sarah Whittle
Department of Psychiatry, Melbourne Medical School
“Undertaking a PhD can be one of the most rewarding experiences in your life, yet sometimes, as one buries deeper into their topic, there is risk of feeling quite isolated and disconnected. The Mental Health PhD Program provides a wonderful opportunity to share the journey, connect with others with similar interests, and gain exposure to the broader mental health research landscape.”
- Associate Professor Kelly Allott
Centre for Youth Mental Health
“The Mental Health PhD Program is a vibrant community of post-graduate students who share a common passion and interest in creating new knowledge in the field of mental health, but who come at this through different disciplines, lenses and research methodologies. This program provides a wonderful and unique opportunity for exposure to different ways of thinking about similar problems in a supportive, collaborative and engaging way.”
- Associate Professor Jess Nithianantharajah
Florey Institute of Neuroscience & Mental Health
“To transform our understandings into mental health and metal ill-health, we really need multifaceted complimentary approaches that span preclinical tools to clinical approaches and services. This PhD Program provides a unique opportunity for students to be exposed to this breadth of multidisciplinary research that is available within Parkville and the University of Melbourne, and to share their PhD journey with a diverse cohort that will get them thinking about all the levels at which we need to tackle research in the mental health field.”
MHPP Operations Manager
The Mental Health PhD Program now has a wonderful Operations Manager: Brendan Pearl (Department of Psychiatry). Brendan is involved in the organisation, coordination and promotion of many of our great events.
MHPP Event Coordinators
The Mental Health PhD Program has a new online platform with a team of Event Coordinators. This is a team of current MHPP PhD students who help organise events and provide a true cohort experience. The invaluable contributions of these wonderful MHPP members is what makes the Program truly great!
It is also a great way for members to work on their transferable skills, expand their CVs and create a vast multidisciplinary network with the University of Melbourne. If you would like to join the MHPP and are perhaps interested in taking on the role of Event Coordinator for some time during your PhD journey then please visit the application tab here. We would love to hear from you!
Eva Guerrero HreinsFlorey Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health
Tessa CutlerCentre for Mental Health
Amy CoeDepartment of General Practice
Annai CharltonFlorey Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health
Jesse TseMelbourne School of Psychological Sciences
Rebecca CooperMelbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry
Madeleine ConnollyMelbourne School of Psychological Sciences
Krista Fisher Centre for Youth Mental Health
Lucy ZhangDepartment of Psychiatry
Please find below testimonials from some of our current graduate researchers about their experience of the Mental Health PhD Program.
If you are a mental health graduate researcher, this program is a fundamental building block to understanding how dynamic, complex, inspirational, positive and exciting the field of mental health can be.
“The MHPP has inspired and scaffolded me throughout my graduate research journey. Without the MHPP, I would not have been able to take part in as many aspects of the PhD and my research project would not have the same level of depth, breadth and cohesion. As a member of the MHPP you will have the privilege of belonging to a multidisciplinary research community with a unique team spirit that will become instrumental to your development as a researcher in the field of mental health. Your participation in the MHPP will facilitate you to connect with researchers in new ways and to recognise how multi-dimensional mental health is, by collaborating together and having the courage to engage in all that the MHPP has to offer. ”
Tam Dennis - Graduate Researcher at the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences
I am very fortunate to be a part of this amazing community and highly recommend it for any PhD student in the area of mental health!
“The MHPP has been incredibly helpful for me in making the transition to a PhD. It has provided me with an incredible community of PhD students with diverse backgrounds but with a similar passion for mental health. It has also been a great resource to become aware of the numerous opportunities available for us PhD students to help us develop academically, professionally and personally. Lastly, it has clearly been designed for research students, as it is very flexible and open to your input and responsive to your questions and interest.”
Kavisha Fernando - Graduate Researcher at the Department of Psychiatry
The Mental Health PhD Program (MHPP) is a wonderful program which promotes learning and professional development during your PhD journey.
"The content of the events are based on the needs and interests of the community and the MHPP members form a great network of support. Throughout my involvement with the program I have developed public speaking skills, learnt from renowned guest speakers, helped organise events and workshops on member requested topics, and embraced the multidisciplinary lens with which we can research mental health. Our multidisciplinary community promotes academically invigorating and open-minded discussions in a supportive environment. I highly recommend the MHPP for students at any stage of their candidature researching any aspect of mental health (right from a pre-clinical and molecular level to those with a clinical and translational focus) - come for the amazing professional development opportunities, stay for the supportive spirit of likeminded researchers."
Carra Simpson - Graduate Researcher at the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences
What I like about the MHPP is that it provides a platform which is graduate-researcher driven and truly multidisciplinary; it provides opportunities for developing skills which we identify as useful and are above and beyond the scope of our individual departments.
“Also as a part-time and off-campus student, I use the MHPP as a place where I can stay in contact with other PhD candidates in mental health related fields, who all have different ways of approaching what we call “mental health”. Even if I were on-campus, the MHPP provides ways and means for exchanging ideas about how we can come to understand such a broad topic from very diverse backgrounds.”
Brendan Pearl - Graduate Researcher at the Department of Psychiatry
I recommend all students with a project related to mental health join the program, get involved and reap the benefits!
“The Mental Health PhD Program has given me the opportunity to consider the context of my PhD project and to see where my research fits along the spectrum of mental health. Connecting me with students that study mental health from the cell level and animal models all the way to population level studies, the program has given me an appreciation for the various approaches we all use to achieve our collective goal; to better understand and improve the lives of people living with mental ill health. The countless opportunities to engage in thought provoking discussions and more general PhD-related chats with peers and mentoring senior academics, has added immeasurably to my PhD experience.”
Hannah Savage -Graduate Researcher at the Department of Psychiatry
I highly recommend this program to any PhD students in the field of mental health research.
"Working at the Royal Children’s Hospital and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute you meet people from a diverse array of fields, but it is equally vital to connect with people from within the field of mental health. With a network of students across many university departments and centres, the Mental Health PhD program allows you to both learn about a variety of mental health topics that you would not have otherwise been exposed to, and the opportunity to step back from your research and place it in the context of the wider research field. The Mental Health PhD Program has also allowed me to form strong bonds with other PhD students and meet eminent researchers in the mental health field."
Phoebe Thomson - Graduate Researcher at the Department of Paediatrics
The Mental Health PhD Program creates an inspiring and supportive community of researchers who are united by a common passion for improving mental health and well-being.
"It is the community that makes this program so special, fostering connections between individuals from diverse disciplines and backgrounds, each bringing a unique perspective. I am incredibly grateful for the shared dialogues, brainstorming, networking, and ongoing support, which have been invaluable during my PhD candidature. The program also provides tailored professional development opportunities, including webinars and Q&A sessions with mental health professionals and academics, networking events, skill-based workshops, and individual consultations – all of which have helped with my current research and guided my future directions.”
Annai Charlton - Graduate Researcher at The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health
The Mental Health PhD Program provides me with lots of different opportunities; networking, career development and the opportunity to ask experts from interdisciplinary fields for advice.
"The MHPP has helped me develop skills that I otherwise wouldn’t have developed, such as being able to communicate about research to people who work in related fields but use very different research techniques (animal work or qualitative research). It’s also a very social program, and I’ve met a lot of other very friendly PhD students. Being an off-campus PhD student, I sometimes felt a bit disconnected from the university, but this program has helped alleviate this feeling. The new online Teams platform is great, I get to check it whenever I want and there are optional events to join. I’ve found lots of them very useful and I ended spending about 1.5 hours a fortnight engaged with the program (5 minutes a day reading updates and chatting to other students and 1 hour attending an event such as an expert discussion, watching an interview or a coffee moment). I’m hoping to meet you soon and feel free to contact me if you have any questions!"
Yara Toenders - Graduate Researcher at the Centre for Youth Mental Health
Being a part of the MHPP community has been one of the best parts of my PhD.
"The MHPP offers a unique opportunity to interact with like-minded researchers from across the university, and to learn about the broad array of mental health research happening within the university. The program facilitates multidisciplinary collaborations, and broadens perspectives on mental health research. Perhaps most importantly, the MHPP lends itself to developing friendships that provide some of the necessary support to help during the PhD. Learning from the experience of other students in the program has been invaluable in learning what to expect along the way in your own PhD journey as well as learning how to ride out the bumpy times. Being a part of the MHPP has been one of the best parts of my PhD experience, from the numerous professional development opportunities on offer, to the wonderful researchers I have got to meet by being a part of the group, and I would highly recommend this program to anyone who is eligible to apply!”
Anna Ross, Graduate Researcher at the Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health
How to apply?
The Mental Health PhD Program is offered by the University's School of Psychological Sciences, the Centre for Mental Health, the Department of Psychiatry, the Centre for Youth Mental Health and the Florey Institute of Neuroscience & Mental Health.
Graduate researchers at any stage of their PhD candidature and in any Department, Centre or School at the University of Melbourne are eligible to participate.
The Mental Health PhD Program is intended to be a supplement to the training graduate researchers receive in their home department. Program participants will remain enrolled in their current faculties and departments.
Eligibility
To be eligible, graduate researchers must be currently enrolled in a PhD, have their primary supervisor based at the University of Melbourne and be undertaking doctoral research on a topic related to mental health.
Prospective graduate researchers
If you are not currently enrolled, you will need to apply separately for entry to a PhD in a relevant field. This will generally involve finding an appropriate supervisor in a suitable academic Department, School or Faculty. Once you have commenced your mental health-related PhD course, you can then register to join the Mental Health PhD Program.
Check that you meet the University's eligibility and entry requirements to undertake a PhD, and find instructions on how to apply on MDHS' Graduate Research pages. You can also read more general information about the MDHS PhD course.
Applications
Applications to join the Program can be submitted throughout the year and graduate researchers can join the Program at any time during their candidature.
If you meet the eligibility criteria and you are interested in meeting your peers from throughout the University of Melbourne and creating a more multidisciplinary understanding of mental health research then please apply below. We look forward to welcoming you to our community!
Apply for the Program
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Frequently Asked Questions
What will I get out of the program?
It has never been more important for PhD students to be strategic about career moves, build broad networks and master the right skills to get into their career of choice. The Mental Health PhD Program offers you a platform to:
- Increase your understanding of the multidisciplinary field of mental health
- Save you time finding support and learning about events and resources at the University of Melbourne
- Engage in professional development opportunities specific to the domain of mental health
- Expand your CV
- Present your work, to practice your conference talks or poster presentations
- Get access to extra professional development opportunities workshops, lectures and events that are organised within the University of Melbourne PhD Program Network and only advertised to PhD students who are enrolled in one of the University of Melbourne PhD Programs
- Socialise, share, reflect and learn with and from your peers.
What will the time investment be?
We understand that as a PhD student you have a busy schedule and often competing demands, so we have created an online platform that you can access when and where you like. As a member of the MHPP, we kindly ask you to meet the following time commitment of around three hours per month:
- A weekly active contribution to the online platform. This can be done by posting a question, sharing a tip with your peers, replying to a question posted by another member, liking a post, etc (5-10 minutes per week).
- Join our bi-weekly online events. We really encourage you to attend these live online events so you can ask any questions or join the discussion and share your expertise. That way we really can learn with and from each other. However, we understand you might not always be able to make it so we record most of our events so you can access them at a later point (one hour fortnightly).
- Read any emails you get from the MHPP carefully and reply promptly when needed.
Do I need formal approval from my supervisor to be part of the Mental Health PhD Program?
As of 2020, the Mental Health PhD Program has a new model and formal proof of approval from your Primary Supervisor is no longer required. However, we strongly encourage you to discuss your enrolment into this specific program, as well as your professional development in general, with your supervisor before signing up.
Does the Mental Health PhD Program offer PhD positions?
This multidisciplinary PhD Program is an academic and professional development initiative for currently-enrolled PhD students who are researching a topic within Mental Health. Therefore, this program does not directly enrol students.
Eligible students will need to apply separately for entry to a PhD in a relevant field. This will typically involve finding an appropriate supervisor in a suitable academic Department, School or Faculty. Once students have commenced their mental health-related PhD course, they can register to join the Mental Health PhD Program, which is intended to be a supplement to the training that students receive in their home department.
How can I unsubscribe?
If you need to terminate your enrolment you can do so by unsubscribing from the Mental Health PhD Program Newsletter.
Where can I go for further information?
Please email Anna Schroeder at a.schroeder@unimelb.edu.au with any questions or feedback. I’d love to hear from you.
