Exploring characteristics of children with pre-myopia (MPhil scholarship)

Applications close

1 May 2025

• You will receive a stipend of $35,000 per annum for a maximum duration of 1.75 years while undertaking a QUT MPhil. The duration includes an extension of up to 3 months if approved for your candidature. This is the full-time, tax-exempt rate which will index annually.
• Ideally, you would articulate from an MPhil to a PhD after one year. However, this would be conditional on you obtaining an alternative funding source (e.g., successful application to the 2026 Annual Scholarship Round).
• You will receive a tuition fee offset/sponsorship, covering the cost of your tuition fees for the first two full-time equivalent years of your MPhil studies (this will extend to four full-time equivalent years if you successfully articulate from an MPhil to a PhD after one year and successfully obtained an alternative funding source, as indicated above).
• As the scholarship recipient, you will have the opportunity to work with a team of leading myopia researchers in the Centre for Vision and Eye Research using state-of-the-art ophthalmic equipment, to undertake an exciting project exploring characteristics of children with pre-myopia.

• You need to meet the entry requirements for QUT's Master of Philosophy , including any English language requirements.
• Enrol as a full time, internal student.
• You must commence your degree by 1 September 2025.
• You must apply for the 2026 Annual Scholarship Round (closes on 31 July 2025 for international applicants, 31 August 2025 for domestic applicants and current students).
• You must be eligible to hold a Blue Card for working with children, issued by the Queensland Government, and be willing to undertake research involving children.
• A background in any of these research areas would be advantageous: refractive error development, myopia, visual optics, near work and myopia, myopia control, paediatric vision, ocular biometry, or accommodation.

• Apply for this scholarship at the same time you apply for admission to a QUT Master of Philosophy .
• The first step is to email Dr Rohan Hughes detailing your academic and research background and experience, your motivation to research in this field, your 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 Rohan Hughes as your proposed principal supervisor, and copy the link to this scholarship website into Question 2 of the Financial details section.

The scholarship recipient will have the opportunity to contribute to a project exploring a comprehensive range of factors and their association with eye growth and refractive error development over 12 months in pre-myopic children, a group of children who are most at risk of developing childhood myopia development.

This impactful project will generate fresh insights that may contribute to early and accurate identification of factors that may contribute to rapid eye growth and refractive error change in children and may facilitate an enhanced understanding of strategies to delay or prevent myopia development in children.