The School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science proudly hosts world-class researchers in a diverse range of specialist fields. We are home to the Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research (GCSCR), which is dedicated to increasing our understanding of current challenges facing the modern world. Through the application of innovative humanities and social science research, incorporating the knowledge of academics from a broad range of interrelated disciplines, we are at the cutting edge of humanities and social science discourse.
We are also home to the Safety Science Innovation Lab which was founded to capitalise on the opportunities for collaboration between science, health, business and the humanities and social sciences. Our approach recognises that critical innovations in safety science won't necessarily come from new technologies, but from a better understanding of complexity and social construction.
The successful applicant will be based at either Griffith University Brisbane South (Nathan) or the Gold Coast. Remote study may be available, subject to approval. The project will require regular collaboration with Global Safety Innovation Summit (GSI), including focused blocks of time throughout the PhD embedded within GSI or participating companies.
The supervisors for this project will be Dr Clarissa Carden, Associate Professor Drew Rae, and Zoe Nation, Director of Global Safety Innovation.
This PhD is grounded in real world practice. Global Safety Innovation (GSI) is a network of organisations across high-risk industries working toward safer workplaces. Rather than researching safety measurement from the outside, you will work directly with GSI's partner organisations throughout the PhD, spending focused blocks of time embedded within their operations to see firsthand how safety data and reporting systems are built, used, and contested.
Success will mean working across two worlds: rigorous methodology with academic supervisors, and genuine collaboration with practitioners inside partner organisations. The project aims to improve understanding of the conditions under which innovation in safety measurement is possible, exploring questions such as: What factors increase or decrease the social acceptability of alternative measures within and beyond organisations? What makes a new measure practically useful for improving safety? And how is consensus around new measures established, maintained, and translated into practice?
Your supervision team for this project brings together expertise in organisational safety, community-engaged research, and human factors. You will be supervised by Dr Clarissa Carden, an interdisciplinary researcher specialising in community safety, wellbeing, and social justice; Associate Professor Drew Rae, a leading safety researcher whose work examines how organisations manage risk and safety performance; and Zoë Nation, a human factors and safety specialist focused on improving the systems, practices, and behaviours that shape safety outcomes.
This position is primarily based at Griffith University Brisbane South (Nathan) or Gold Coast. As Griffith is a multi-campus University you may be required to work across other campus locations. Griffith University’s sites are located on the lands of the Yugarabul, Yuggera, Jagera, Turrbal, Yugambeh and Kombumerri peoples.
The selection of applicants for the award of higher degree research scholarships at Griffith University involves consideration of your academic merit and research background. To be successful within this role, a background in sociology or safety science is desirable. You will have evidence of a passion for social research, with a strong desire to undertake practical, applied scholarship to respond to industry challenges. Ideally you will have had some experience in heavy industry or applying safety in a working context.
International applicants to research programs must demonstrate they meet the program’s English Language Proficiency requirements, as outlined below:
English test results must have been obtained within two years of the program commencement date, and only in-person test results will be accepted.
About the scholarship
This scholarship will be jointly funded by Global Safety Innovation and Griffith University. The total scholarship value is $50,000 per annum for three years, with the possibility of a six-month extension.
What Griffith offers
As a scholarship holder, you will study at a university that ranks among the top 2% worldwide and spans across campuses in Southeast Queensland. At Griffith University, we’ve worked hard to create a culture that will challenge you to be curious, creative and courageous. We also support the professional and personal development of all our HDR candidates and invest in the skills of our people. Griffith University values diversity, inclusion and flexibility, and we encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, and people of all backgrounds to apply. Griffith's strategic goals are to also increase the proportion of women in senior academic and administrative roles and in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine (STEMM).
EOI Process
Please do not select the “APPLY” button. All expressions of interest must be submitted to ' clarissa.carden@griffith.edu.au', containing:
Closing date for expressions of interest is: Friday 11th of September 2026, at 11:59PM AEST.
The preferred applicant will then be invited to apply for the program and scholarship on-line
For project related enquiries please contact:
Dr Clarissa Carden
Email: clarissa.carden@griffith.edu.au
For administration enquiries please contact:
Griffith Graduate Research School
Email: hdr-scholarship@griffith.edu.au
