The Centre for Law as Protection has openings for several funded (full time, on campus) and unfunded (part-time, flexible modes) PhD positions!
We are keen to work with students who are passionate about legal research, care about vulnerable communities and beings (human and non-human), and are eager to develop creative legal tools to solve real-world problems.
Working with our top researchers, you will undertake exciting research that aims to protect people, animals, or the environment, using legal tools. You will carve your own path with the guidance and supervision of our experts, making an impact and transforming our future.
The Centre offers a vibrant research environment, with many exciting colleagues, mentors, and international visitors. You will have the opportunity to engage with scholars from law and other disciplines, join and organise events, and be eligible to apply for our competitive seed grants.
Here is more information about some of our supervisors:
Interested in drone warfare and surveillance studies? Come work with Professor Shiri Krebs on topics related to her ARC grant on surveillance technologies and counterterrorism, or her drone warfare study (funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation), studying the effects of drone technologies on compliance with international law in recent and current armed conflicts. Professor Krebs also supervises PhD theses in a range of international law areas, including international humanitarian law, international organisations, and behavioural and critical approaches to international law.
If you are interested in international refugee law or human rights law, you can also complete a PhD under the supervision of Associate Professor Maria O’Sullivan. Maria is particularly seeking candidates interested in answering complex, contemporary legal problems such as the law relating to protest, the regulation of mis/disinformation, freedom of speech issues and the use of AI in decision-making.
Interested in feminist and queer theory and how it shapes how we examine the law? Or maybe how law gets used in maritime and security domains? Or possibly how literature can inform our understanding of the law? Come do your PhD under the supervision of Dr Tamsin Phillipa Paige. If you are passionate about animal wellbeing, Associate Professor Jane Kotzmann is available to supervise research in animal law, including relating to animal welfare laws, animal rights law, or other laws that directly impact on animals. Associate Professor Vicki Huang is available to supervise research in intellectual property law, including patents, trademarks, copyright and designs.
Interested in consumer protection in financial services or recent developments on corporate law and directors’ oversight duties? Dr. Zehra G Kavame Eroglu could be your PhD supervisor and mentor. Professor Patrick Emerton is accepting candidates in the areas of legal and political theory, constitutional law and theory, public law theory, international justice, just war theory, and human rights law and theory.
To be eligible for a scholarship, students must have completed a research project in a related area, including a thesis that is equivalent to at least 25% of a year’s full-time study at Level 8 or 9 of the Australian Qualifications Framework, with achievement of a grade equivalent to a Deakin grade of H1 (80%) OR a Masters’ Degree (Research) in a related area.
Please note that our scholarships for 2025 are currently available for domestic candidates who are Australian residents.
For any queries, please contact us at law-as-protection@deakin.edu.au
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