UQ–IITD will attract the best global talent – including high-achieving students, academics, researchers and scientists – to work on goal-directed, cross-disciplinary grand challenges that are of interest to Australia, India and the global community and that also align with our research strengths.

UQ–IITD will enable UQ and IITD to enrol the brightest and most talented students in a joint PhD with joint supervision from both institutions. It is anticipated that the majority of students will be recruited into the joint-PhD program in Delhi (i-students), and there will be a small cohort of Australian scholars (q-students). 

  • i-students will spend 3 years in India and a minimum of one year in Australia
  • q-students will spend 3 years in Australia and one year in India

PhD program

It is expected that candidature will be a maximum of 4 years in all disciplines, depending on students’ progress, with scholarships offered for a maximum of 4 years. Both i-students and q-students will be expected to undertake some coursework. Upon successful completion of the program, students will be offered a PhD degree from both UQ and IITD.  Students of the Academy will: 

  • Gain a joint global qualification from two institutions (UQ and IITD) in 4 years
  • Receive a generous scholarship
  • Enjoy the use of world-class facilities and resources, and gain exposure to a new research ecosystem, network and environment 
  • Benefit from global expertise via dual supervision between UQ and IITD 

Industry links

The collaboration will involve strong industry links involved in supporting PhD students. Industry-supported PhD scholars will work on challenging research problems posed and defined by UQ–IITD’s industry partners. Industry supervisors will also advise their students, along with the UQ and IITD supervisors.

This industry collaboration will allow for a mobility or fellowship scheme to enable academics and postdoctoral fellows to spend time at each institution, expanding research links and offering career-development opportunities for early-career researchers.