UTS Doctoral Scholarship in Law (Elder Law)

UTS is offering a funded PhD (Law) scholarship for a candidate interested in socio legal research on ageing, decision making and law reform. The candidate will join a multidisciplinary ARC Discovery Project Solo Agers and Decision-Making: Promoting Choice and Control ARC DP260101085 that investigates how to better support ‘solo agers’ – older adults who lack trusted family or friends to act in statutory decision roles (e.g., enduring power of attorney, enduring guardian). These individuals face a heightened risk of decisional isolation, which can lead to state appointed guardians or administrators making decisions about their finances, living arrangements, services and care. The project will generate new knowledge to expand meaningful options for solo agers by examining alternative decision role models, including appointments of peers, volunteers and/or professionals.

Within the context of this project, the PhD research will focus on doctrinal and socio legal research, including on legislation and implementation models in other countries that enable non kin appointments to statutory decision roles. This may include comparative legal analysis and empirical research with legal and policy experts in selected jurisdictions. The doctoral research will contribute to law reform, elder law scholarship and national and international initiatives to promote the rights of older people.

The successful applicant will be given research supervision, support and training, and will be expected to be an active member of the ARC Discovery Project team.

Applicants for the scholarship must also apply and be admitted to the PhD degree at UTS.

Applicants should:

• have a background in law, ideally in elder law and wills/estates
• have completed a Bachelor Degree with First Class Honours or Second Class Honours (Division 1), a Masters of Research degree, or be regarded by the University as having an equivalent level of attainment
• be accepted into a UTS PhD degree in the Faculty of Law
• commence the PhD degree program in the year in which the scholarship commences.

• Academic merit in previous undergraduate and/or postgraduate study
• Research and other relevant experience of the applicant, especially experience in doctrinal and socio-legal research methods
• Quality of the research proposal and its relevance to the ARC Discovery Project.

Faculty Pre-Assessment now open.

Central applications are due to the Graduate Research School by 15 April 2026. Faculty pre-assessment approval must be obtained prior to this date.

Faculty of Law: Associate Professor Nola Ries