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Scam and cybercrime prevention

Project summary

Program
PhD, MPhil
Location
St Lucia
Research area
Commerce, management, tourism and services, Engineering, Human society, Information and computing sciences, Psychology

Project description

This is an interdisciplinary IDCARE-funded PhD/MPhil scholarship, where you will research a topic linked to IDCARE’s research priority.

Examples of research priorities include (but are not limited to) policy studies, victim cyber psychology, scam prevention (e.g. interventions, awareness), payment disruption (e.g. money mule networks), cyber insurance, recovery from ransomware (e.g. ransom payments and sanctions), small-and-medium sized enterprise cybersecurity, organisational readiness for threats from emerging technologies (e.g. AI, Quantum, etc), etc.

There are 2 scholarships available. 

Research environment

You will gain access to state of the art equipment and facilities at the UQ Cyber Research Centre, including the Agile Security Operations Centre, Device Testing Lab, Industry 4.0 Energy TestLab, Cyber War Rooms, and gain access to the IDCARE environment including datasets and operations.

Scholarship

This project is supported by the Research project scholarship.

This scholarship includes:

  • living stipend of $37,500 per annum tax free (2026 rate), indexed annually
  • tuition fees covered.

This scholarship includes:

  • living stipend of $37,500 per annum tax free (2026 rate), indexed annually
  • tuition fees covered
  • single Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC).

Learn more about the Research project scholarship.

Supervisor

Preferred educational background

Your application will be assessed on a competitive basis.

We take into account your:

  • previous academic record
  • publication record
  • honours and awards
  • employment history.

A working knowledge of computer science, IT, software engineering, cyber security, policy advice, GRC, and/or criminology would be of benefit to someone working on this project.

You will demonstrate academic achievement in the fields of computer science, IT, software engineering, cyber security, policy studies, and/or criminology and the potential for scholastic success.

A background or knowledge of criminology, cryptocurrency payment, financial crime disruption and attribution is highly desirable.

How to apply

You must submit an expression of interest (EOI) by 15 July, 2026 15 July, 2026.

Before you apply

  1. Check your eligibility for the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) or Master of Philosophy (MPhil).
  2. Prepare your documentation.
  3. If you have any questions about whether the project is suitable for your research interests, contact Professor Ryan Ko (ryan.ko@uq.edu.au).

When you apply

To apply, submit an expression of interest (EOI) for the program. You don't need to apply separately for the project or scholarship. How to submit an EOI

In your EOI, complete the ‘Scholarship/Sponsorship’ section with the following details:

  1. Are you applying for an advertised project: 'Yes'
  2. Project: 'Research project scholarship'
  3. Scholarship Code Listed in the Advertisement: CYBERCRIME-KO
  4. Link to Scholarship Advertisement: https://study.uq.edu.au/study-options/phd-mphil-professional-doctorate/projects/scam-and-cybercrime-prevention

Submit an EOI

Do you have questions?

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