PhD & Research Degrees
Our Research Excellence
Macquarie University’s research received top marks in 2011 from the Australian Government’s inaugural Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) initiative. Our research in earth sciences, physical sciences, environmental sciences and biological sciences each received a perfect 5 out of 5 score, rating our research well above world standard.
Our environmental sciences and ecology research is also highly regarded in a listing of the top-ranked institutions in Australia and New Zealand published on the UK site Times Higher Education. In 2011, Macquarie University was placed in the top spot locally for environmental sciences and ecology research and fourteenth in the world.
Higher Degrees by Research
Higher Degrees by research lead to either Masters or Doctoral awards and are designed to assist graduates to investigate and contribute to advanced knowledge in their chosen discipline and to develop proficiency in conducting research.
To be eligible for consideration for admission to the Master of Philosophy (MPhil), an applicant must normally possess a Bachelor degree with first-class or second-class Honours, or other evidence of research ability, from a recognised university or another tertiary institution. To be eligible for admission to a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program a candidate must normally possess either a Bachelor degree with first-class or second-class honours division 1, or a Master degree with a substantial research component from a recognised university or other tertiary institution.
The program of advanced study and research for the degree includes the submission of a thesis embodying the results of the student’s work. The thesis for a PhD must form a distinct contribution to the knowledge of the subject and afford evidence of originality by the discovery of new facts or the exercise of independent critical power. A candidate’s program of study must be supervised by a member of the academic staff of the University, and will normally be carried out within the University.
New PhD Scholarships
New PhD scholarships are available.
Alternative Pathways to a PhD
The Postgraduate Diploma of Research Preparation (Science) and the Postgraduate Certificate of Research Preparation (Science) offer alternative pathways for entry to the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) for those in the science field.
View the video about these alternative pathways to a PhD.
Science academic and PhD candidate recipients of Macquarie University 2011 Research Awards
- Mr Robert James Williams - Advanced Manipulation of the Properties of Point-By-Point Fiber Bragg Gratings
- Professor Mark Patrick Taylor - The Lingering Legacy of Lead in Australian Cities and Environments
- Dr Nemanja Jovanovic - Dragonfly: A Photonic Based Instrument for Studying Exoplanetary Science
- Mr Guanfeng Liu - Trust Propagation in Online Social Networks
- Dr Sandie Suchet-Pearson and Dr Kate Lloyd - Collaborating with Bawaka Cultural Experiences (BCE), North East Arnham Land
- Dr Richard Garner - Category Theory
- Dr Daniel Falster - The Evolution of Forest Diversity
- Dr Culum Brown - Evolution of Hand Preferences in Australian Parrots
- Dr James Rabeau - Twinkle Twinkle Little Diamond
- Ms Supriya Mathew - Promoting Sustainability in Local Governments: A Tool for Climate Adaptation
Our PhD students presenting their research
In 2011 Faculty of Science PhD students were asked to take up the challenge to present their research in 3 minutes as part of the Three Minute Thesis (3MT)™ competition which was developed by the University of Queensland (UQ), Australia, for all HDR candidates. Vince Repaci, a PhD student from the Department of Biological Sciences won the Macquarie University 3MT competition and competed in Perth in the Australian/New Zealand competition.
You can view Vince's presentation here as well as other Science PhD student presentations:
- Vincent Repaci - Species management in fragmented habitats
- Basit Zeb - High speed global connectivity anytime, with anyone ... with any amount of information
- Elyse Schinella - Processes sculpting the surface of venus
- Jana Say - Nanodiamonds
- Jinpeng Lin - The “Sound” of Raman Laser
- Lun-Hsien Chang - Do bigger brains learn better?
- Tarannum Naz - An approach towards drug discovery research in collaboration with Yaegl Aboriginal Community
- Yao Yu - Breathing Earth
Further Information
For further information for prospective students, please see the Macquarie University Higher Degree Research Programs 2012 prospectus, visit the Science Research page, Doctor of Philosophy or Master of Philosophy pages, and research section of New and Current Students page.
You can find out more about our current postgraduate research topics in Research Students' Projects.