Before starting your studies
Weeks prior to your candidature
HDR support contacts
UOW offers high levels of support and guidance to HDR candidates. Many staff members, from across the university, can offer specialist advice. With this wide variety of specialised staff, HDR candidates are often uncertain who to contact to resolve various matters. This contact list is designed to help you identify the most helpful people to contact in various circumstances.
The benefits of this list
To inspire you to inspect this contact list closely, one of the contacts is actually fictitious. If you can identify the fictitious contact and then press the corresponding link, you can access a document called the best tips on how to complete your research degree.
Using the contact list
Hopefully this contact list is intuitive. The contacts are grouped by stages of candidature. To identify the relevant contacts, you could:
- Enter relevant keywords, like “scholarship”, in your word processor's search function, or
- skim this list to identify contacts you might need later.
If you feel the contact list is deficient and could be improved, send your feedback to simon_moss@uow.edu.au.
Contacting staff
Occasionally, you might contact the wrong person by mistake. The only drawbacks are:
- this person might inadvertently convey information that is not entirely accurate, or
- this person is likely to refer you to someone, potentially wasting some time.
Before starting your studies
Commencing your studies
First few weeks of your candidature
Accessing resources
All throughout your studies
Developing your research proposal
First few months of your studies
Managing your degree
At any time during your degree
Dealing with complaints and conflicts
Anytime when things need to be addressed
Prioritising your wellbeing throughout your studies
You can seek urgent mental health advice and support through The UOW Student Wellbeing Support Line.
Phone: 1300 036 149
Text: 0488 884 164
Counselling services
Seek support when you or someone important to you feels upset or distressed.
The Workplace Health and Safety Unit
Report a safety incident.
Student Accessibility & Inclusion Team
Receive personalised assistance regarding living with a disability.
Before starting your studies
- Needing a supervisor
- Admissions and applications
- Tuition fees and other fees
- Childcare
- Overseas health cover
- Course or subjects enrolment
- Confirmation of Enrolment
- Student visa
Utilise the UOW Scholars page and then contact the relevant Head of Postgraduate Studies in your discipline.
The Admissions Team advises on:
- HDR course admission criteria and entry pathways
-
HDR application:
- the information to be included
- closing dates
- application status
- how to accept, clarify, or defer the offer.
Email: futurestudents@uow.edu.au
Telephone: + 61 24221 3218
The Fees team can advise on tuition fees and other fees including:
- financial assistance
- payment options.
Email: student-fees@uow.edu.au
Childcare in Wollongong is accessible by HDR candidates.
- Visit Kids’Uni website to learn about the childcare offered at UOW,
- Apply by complete the Application for Waiting List Form as soon as you know you will be studying in Wollongong, because waiting lists are long,
- When prompted to choose one of the four centres, you may decide to select “North” or “South” if studying on the main campus, “Innovation campus” if studying on innovation campus, or “CBD” if living near the CBD,
- You should also search other childcare services in the region.
In Australia, childcare costs can be very expensive, often ranging from about $130 to $140 a day.
- Domestic candidates can usually receive a Child-Care Subsidy from the Commonwealth Government. This subsidy can significantly diminish the costs of childcare. To estimate the likely subsidy, use this calculator.
- In exceptional circumstances, such as if your spouse becomes unemployed, the childcare service at UOW may offer a discount to some international HDR candidates. If you believe you warrant this discount, email the Dean of Graduate Research at dean-gradresearch@uow.edu.au who can request a discount on your behalf.
See how to apply Bupa overseas health cover
When you need advice on how enrol in your course or subjects, contact a Candidate Liaison Officer (Commencement) at the Graduate Research School:
Kate Kang: (02) 4298 1272
Lauren Milner: (02) 4221 5764
Our Compliance Team can advise on how to apply for a Confirmation of Enrolment (COE).
Email: esos-enquiries@uow.edu.au
The Department of Home Affairs can advise you on your student visa such as:
- student visa conditions
- changes in enrolment that could affect a visa
Commencing your studies
- Commencement of Candidature
- Parking
- Scholarship concerns and contracts
- Responsible research practices
- Cryptocurrency and NFTs
- Training and development
A Candidate Liaison Officer (Commencement) at the Graduate Research School can assist you with how to complete or submit the Commencement of Candidature form.
Kate Kang: (02) 4298 1272
Lauren Milner: (02) 4221 5764
The Candidate Liaison Officer (Project Support) at the Graduate Research School can assist with organising your parking:
Mia Fedele: (02) 4221 4693
Email: graduate-research-school@uow.edu.au
The Scholarship Officers at the Graduate Research School can help you through issues with your scholarship such as:
- problems with payments
- other changes to scholarships
Kirsty Greatz: (02) 4221 5780
Lara Duggan: (02) 42215109
Anastasia Korlimbinis: (02) 4221 3848
The Scholarships and Progression Coordinator at the Graduate Research School can advise on scholarship contracts.
Erin Smith: (02) 4221 4323
For information about responsible research practices—such as data management and authorship agreements—see the Research Integrity resources page or contact a Research Integrity Advisor (PDF: 567 KB).
Training and development opportunities are available for HDR candidates with the Training and Development Team at the Graduate Research School.
Developing your research proposal
Library support staff are available to assist you with:
- searching for relevant publications, including theses & grey literature
- working with references and store data.
Phone: (02) 4221 3548
Email: uow-library@uow.edu.au
The Learning Development Unit provides free resources, seminars and personalised consultations to HDR candidates seeking to improve their research and writing skills.
The Candidate Liaison Officer (Mid-Candidature) at the Graduate Research School can advise on your research prosposal administration and deadlines around milestones including:
- research proposal review (RPR)
- annual progress report (APR).
Catherine Brown: (02) 4221 5922
Accessing resources
- Resources, equipment and facilities
- Private study spaces
- Information technology (IT) services
- Careers & employability services
- Woolyungah Indigenous Centre
Your School's Head of Postgraduate Studies can guide you to obtain/ access resources, equipment and facilities.
Facilities Management Division (FMD) can assist with matters regarding:
- office spaces
- access cards
- security
- parking
- other facilities.
Phone: (02) 4221 3217
Email: fm-space@uow.ed.au
Security: (02) 4221 4555
As a student, you can arrange a private space to study such as the postgraduate space in the Wollongong Campus library or a study room at the Wollongong or Shoalhaven Campus libraries.
To access the postgraduate space, contact library staff
To book a study room for up to two hours a day, select a time slot online.
Information Management and Technology Services (IMTS) can assist you to access services or advice around IT such as:
- equipment loans
- assistance with passwords and accounts
Access the IT Service Portal to log issues, access live chat, or search for answers.
During opening hours
- Phone: 4221 3000
- Building 17, Level 1
Access free Career Chats with our experienced staff to answer your career and employability questions. Careers Central have a range of resources and support. See also
Email: careers@uow.edu.au
WIC provide programs, services and facilities that encourage and support Indigenous Australians from entry to University, through to successful completion.
Managing your degree
- Changing course or course status
- Changing personal details
- Enquiring about internships
- Joint PhD Program
- Thesis submission and examination process
- Seeking approval to conduct fieldwork
The Candidate Liaison Officer (Mid-Candidature) at the Graduate Research School can assist you with changing your course or status including:
- changing to part-time study
- seeking a leave of absence
- transferring to another course
- changing a subject
- changing your thesis title
- changing your supervision panel
- withdrawing
Catherine Brown: (02) 4221 5922
As a student, you can update personal information recorded on official enrolment records at UOW.
The Internships Officer at the Graduate Research School can advise you on internships.
Anastasia Korlimbinis: (02) 4221 3848
The Candidate Liaison Coordinator can advise you about the administration of a joint PhD program.
Bo Zheng: (02) 4221 5452
The Thesis Examination Officer at the Graduate Research School can advise on the thesis submission and examination process.
Francine Cox
Phone: (02) 4239 4429
Email: francine_cox@uow.edu.au
Please visit UOW’s Fieldwork webpage for fieldwork FAQs, fieldwork risk assessment, guidelines and forms.
Dealing with complaints and conflicts
- Concerns or changes with your principal supervisor or supervision team
- Appealing a decision
- Seeking support regarding safety, bullying or discrimination
- Concerns about HDR rules, procedures, or practices
- Seeking support about concerns around responsible research practice
- Sharing concerns and feedback about HDR studies, staff, or processes
- General complaints
- HDR anonymous feedback
To address concerns with your principal supervisor or arrange changes in your supervision team, contact your Head of Postgraduate Studies. If unsure how to contact this person, speak to your other supervisors.
If unsatisfied with a decision that could affect progress and wellbeing, you can challenge or appeal this determination.
You can appeal if you feel that:
- university rules, policies, or procedures were not followed correctly,
- relevant circumstances were overlooked, or,
- the decision was biased.
To challenge or appeal a decision:
- seek advice from a supervisor, the HPS, Associate Dean - HDR, or Dean of Graduate Research in that order,
- within 20 work days, email your concerns in writing to the individual who communicated the unsatisfactory decision.
If unsatisfied with the response to this appeal, you may submit a complaint in response to the HDR Complaint Management Procedures.
To express or address concerns about sexual harm, harassment, domestic violence, bullying, or discrimination reach out to safe and respectful communities by email: uow-sarc@uow.edu.au or by phone: (02) 4221 3344.
To express or address concerns about HDR rules, procedures, or practices in general, reach out to the Dean of Graduate Research.
For information or independent advice on concerns about responsible research practice, contact any one of the Research Integrity Advisors (PDF: 567 KB).
To express or address concerns about how staff, academic and administrative concerns or complaints, see our Student Advocacy Service or email: student-advocacy@uow.edu.au, Hotline: (02) 4239 2116.
To share feedback about HDR studies at UOW, contact HDR representatives or the Student Advocacy Council by email:
HDR representatives
If you have experienced a problem with a UOW service, product, staff member or student, and you would like a formal investigation to commence, then you should submit a formal complaint to the Complaints Management Centre.
Sometimes, you might want to relay concerns, suggestions, or information about your HDR course or experience to a specific person—such as the Dean of the Graduate Research School or an HDR representative anonymously. You can submit your feedback anonymously by filling in an online form.