2021 SQA PhD Scholarships

SQA PhD Scholarship candidates will undertake their PhD studies at one of the SQA partner universities: Macquarie University, UNSW Sydney, the University of Sydney, and University of Technology Sydney.

The SQA PhD Scholarship program is funded by the New South Wales Government and our four partner universities. 

There are 4 streams of SQA PhD Scholarships.

The SQA Primary Scholarship

• A stipend worth AU$35,000 per annum (pro rata) for the period of the recipient’s PhD candidature, for a maximum of 4 years (full-time equivalent).  
• International tuition fees waived for international recipients. Other fees for international recipients, such as visas costs or overseas health cover, may also be covered at the discretion of the University and will be advised at the time of offer.
• Entry to the SQA PhD Experience Program. Completion of the program is required.  
• Access to SQA career development funding.

The SQA Supplementary Scholarship 

• A stipend top-up worth the difference of the recipient’s primary PhD stipend and AU$35,000 per annum (pro rata) for the period of their primary PhD stipend.  
• International tuition fees waived or covered for international recipients for any period not covered by their primary PhD stipend scholarship. Other fees for international recipients, such as visas costs or overseas health cover, may also be covered at the discretion of the University and will be advised at the time of offer.
• A stipend extension worth AU$35,000 per annum (pro rata) for the period of the recipient’s PhD candidature that is not covered by their primary PhD stipend. 
• Entry to the SQA PhD Experience Program. Completion of the program is required. 
• Access to SQA career development funding.

The SQA Supplementary Extension Scholarship

• A stipend extension worth AU$35,000 per annum (pro rata) for the period of the recipient’s PhD candidature that is not covered by their primary PhD stipend. 
• International tuition fees waived or covered for international recipients for any period not covered by their primary PhD stipend scholarship. Other fees for international recipients, such as visas costs or overseas health cover, may also be covered at the discretion of the University and will be advised at the time of offer.
• Entry to the SQA PhD Experience Program. Completion of the program is required.  
• Access to SQA career development funding.

The SQA PhD Experience Scholarship

• Entry to the SQA PhD Experience Program.
• Access to SQA career development funding.

For all SQA Scholarships: 

• Scholarships are open to Australian citizens, permanent residents, and international applicants. 
• You are expected to apply for or be enrolled in a full-time PhD program at an SQA partner university. PhD projects must be in a field related to quantum technology. Please note you will not be offered an SQA PhD scholarship unless you have a PhD offer of admission. Find out how to apply for a quantum PhD in Sydney
• You must have the support of an academic staff member at one of the partner universities. To assist you in your application, potential supervisors can be searched on our Sydney Quantum Experts directory. Browse here 

For the SQA Primary Scholarship: 

• You must not hold another primary PhD stipend scholarship (for example, a Research Training Program (RTP) or equivalent scholarship). 
• You must be a student who has commenced or is due to commence your PhD studies in 2021. International students may also commence in the first half of 2022. Students who commenced in 2020 or prior are not eligible. 

 For the SQA Supplementary Scholarship: 

• You must hold, or have an offer to hold, a primary PhD stipend scholarship (for example, a Research Training Program (RTP) or equivalent scholarship). 
• The combined scholarship value of your primary PhD stipend (and any additional scholarship) must not exceed the value of AU$33,000 per annum.  
• You must be a student who has commenced or is due to commence your PhD studies in 2021. International students may also commence in the first half of 2022. Students who commenced in 2020 or prior are not eligible.  

 For the SQA Supplementary Extension Scholarship: 

• You must hold, or have an offer to hold, a primary PhD stipend scholarship (for example, a Research Training Program (RTP) or equivalent scholarship).  
• Your primary PhD stipend scholarship must be of a length less than 4 years (full-time equivalent). 
• The combined scholarship value of your primary PhD stipend (and any additional scholarship) may exceed the value of AU$33,000 per annum.  
• You must be a student who has commenced or is due to commence your PhD studies in 2021. International students may also commence in the first half of 2022. Current students who commenced in 2020 or prior may be considered at the discretion of the applicant’s university. 

 For the SQA PhD Experience Program Scholarship: 

• You can be a student at any stage of your PhD at an SQA partner university. 

We encourage applicants based overseas to apply. If you are based overseas, and not currently an Australian resident or holder of a permanent resident visa, your application will be considered. However, any offer will be dependent on the border restrictions in place by the Australian Government in response to COVID-19. You may be able to commence your studies overseas if you have support from your supervisor and university, however, you may not be able to start receiving scholarship payments until you arrive in Australia. Please check with your university for further information on offshore commencement.  

To be considered, please upload the following documents with your application. This supporting documentation must be contained in a single pdf (not a portfolio).

• Project proposal
• Academic transcript(s)
• CV
• Any other information supporting your application

Please read the SQA PhD Scholarship Application Guidelines and SQA PhD Scholarship Conditions of Award carefully before applying.

Please note: Failure to follow the guidelines will lead to your application not being considered.

Applications will be assessed based on:

• Candidate experience including academic merit, experience in quantum technology and / or any professional expertise
• Quality of the proposed project including relevance to quantum technology and / or alignment to the research strengths of the proposed partner institution
• Alignment of the application to SQA objectives including industry engagement, cross-institutional supervision and / or the potential to contribute to the growth of Sydney’s quantum ecosystem.

Consideration will also be given to supervisor capacity, diversity of applicants and the diversity of the proposed supervisors (early to mid-career supervisors and supervisors who identify as women).

The SQA encourages applications from women, Indigenous Australians, applicants with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, people with disability, and from those who identify as LGBTIQ. We welcome applicants to include this information as part of their applications.

Applications will be assessed by researchers and academics within the four partner universities through a competitive assessment process. You should ensure that all information conveyed in your application can be understood by someone within and outside your sub-discipline.

Please read the SQA PhD Scholarship Conditions of Award before submitting your application.

Apply now via the application form

The SQA PhD Scholarship program is funded by the New South Wales Government and our four partner universities.