PhD Scholarship: Tackling the consumption of sexual violence on screen

We are seeking an outstanding candidate for a PhD project as part of a larger Australian Research Council DECRA Fellowship entitled ‘Tackling the consumption of sexual violence on screen’, led by Assoc. Prof. Claire Henry.

The larger project looks at the regulation of sexual violence in screen media (film, television and video games) and how this has translated to online content. The project will contribute to research and policy addressing the escalating issue of the consumption of image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) and child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) online.

The project is based at Flinders University (principal supervisor Assoc. Prof. Claire Henry) and associate supervision will be provided by fellow academics in Screen or other discipline(s) as appropriate to the PhD project.

The full-time PhD candidate may be based in Adelaide or elsewhere in Australia – relocation to Adelaide is not required. The project will involve some domestic and international travel.

This scholarship is for a candidate wishing to pursue a PhD in Screen, with a relevant Honours or Masters degree in Screen or other applicable discipline for the project (such as women’s and gender studies, media or cultural studies, sociology, criminology, psychology, or law). The candidate is expected to have excellent research and writing skills, and relevant professional experience will also be highly regarded.

The scholarship opportunity is to conduct a PhD project that either:

• examines how classification bodies have historically grappled with sexual violence in a particular media form or genre (e.g. pornography; video games) and what we can learn from this to address image-based sexual violence more effectively in the contemporary media landscape; or
• examines the relationship between industry and regulatory institutions, particularly models of self-regulation and/or co-regulation, and their efficacy in addressing the consumption of sexually violent screen content.

The project must contribute to the overarching goals of the DECRA Fellowship. The recipient of this scholarship will be able to design the scope of their project within this framework and applicants’ innovative proposals are welcomed. 

The three-year full-time scholarship includes:

• a stipend valued at $35,010.00 (2025 rate) tax free;
• a Research Training Program Fee Offset Scholarship to cover tuition fees for Australian Citizens, NZ Citizens and Permanent Residents; and
• travel funding for project fieldwork and workshops within Australia and overseas.

To be eligible for the award of this scholarship a student must:

• Be an Australian citizen; or New Zealand citizen; or have been granted permanent resident status; and
• meet PhD admission requirements including: have an Australian Honours degree Class 1 or 2A or equivalent qualification (at least AQF Level 8), including a research component of at least 6 months’ full-time study achieving Distinction (75%) OR including evidence of equivalent research experience, such as a substantial first-author refereed publication or track record as an investigator on a competitive grant; and
• be available to commence as a full-time PhD student at Flinders University in semester 2, 2025.

International applicants who do not meet the above eligibility criteria cannot be considered.