This PhD scholarship is provided as part of the NSW Affordable Housing Doctoral Training Network (AHDTN). The successful candidate will work closely with academic researchers, government agencies, housing sector partners and researchers within and beyond the AHDTN to accelerate Affordable and Sustainable Housing in NSW.
This social-science based scholarship provides candidates with the flexibility to pursue PhD research focused on diverse dimensions of affordable or sustainable housing including: social, economic, environmental, spatial, technological and/or governance dimensions. Research findings will be used to support the delivery of affordable and sustainable housing outcomes in NSW and nationally.
In the context of persistent housing affordability and climate crises, governments in New South Wales (NSW) face critical challenges in ensuring residents have access to affordable, climate-adapted housing. Through the Australian Government’s National Housing Accord and NSW State-level planning and housing policies, housing has moved centre-stage in public policy debates. However, key challenges remain, including:
- entrenched barriers and social inequalities in housing access
- addressing the ‘double’ challenge of affordability and sustainability/resilience
- ensuring consumer protection while streamlining regulatory frameworks
- productivity, labourforce and innovation constraints
- social, market and policy barriers to socio-technical transition
- aligning housing supply with consumer demand
- financing, infrastructure and governance gaps
This PhD will examine the effectiveness, limitations and consequences of current approaches to housing provision with a focus to be developed in conversation with the successful candidate but that could include the social, economic, environmental, spatial, technological and/or governance dimensions of housing systems. The project may concentrate on owner-occupied, private rental or social housing.
Research methods will involve qualitative analysis (e.g. interviews with households, industry stakeholders and/or policy-makers) alongside demographic, policy and institutional analysis. It may include larger scale surveys and/or mixed-method case studies of affordable and sustainable housing projects across NSW.
Potential PhD projects include, but are not limited to:
- analysis of ‘first-mover’ affordable and sustainable residential densification projects to harness lessons for accelerated supply
- economic and geospatial analysis of affordable, sustainable housing supply in regional NSW
- centring First Nations and non-indigenous knowledge and strengths in resilient, affordable housing solutions
- economic and social analysis of young adults’ engagement with and experiences of affordable and sustainable housing markets in regional NSW and/or outer suburbs
- delivering climate-adapted, disaster resilient housing in NSW’s regions
- enhancing affordable and sustainable housing supply that meets the needs of diverse households at different life stages
- balancing land release with disaster and climate-risk
- balancing higher-density housing development with retention of greenspace
- modular, sustainable, affordable housing: industry skills, structure and capacity
- consumer buy-in, uptake and stewardship of ‘smart sustainable’ housing models and technologies
- governing the affordable, sustainable housing transition: building cross-portfolio policy capacity
The research is expected to make a substantive contribution to public debates on affordable and sustainable housing provision, planning and urban governance, while also delivering theoretically-rich, policy-relevant insights to support the accelerated supply of housing in New South Wales and nationally.
Faculty: Faculty of Arts, Society and Business
Study area: Social Sciences & Advocacy
Student type: Domestic students, International students
Student status: Current student, Future Students
Scholarship amount
UOW Base Rate ($36,943 per annum for 2026)
Duration
3.5 years
Application process
It is strongly recommended that applicants provide a CV and draft Research Proposal to Dr Nicole Cook ncook@uow.edu.au before consideration.
Eligibility requirements
Eligible candidates must have:
- a First Class Honours degree in Geography, Planning or aligned Social Sciences disciplines; OR
- a Masters by Research Degree (MRes or MPhil) in the Social Sciences or Planning; OR
- a Masters Degree by Coursework in the Social Sciences or Planning with a significant, 20 000 word thesis component, where the thesis component achieved a grade of 75% or more.
Application closing date
01 May 2026
Contact information
Dr Nicole Cook