PhD candidates are required to make a significant and original contribution to a discipline or profession by submitting one of the following, equivalent to 70,000 – 100,000 words:
- a written research thesis
- a written research thesis including associated papers
- an artefact, such as a creative work or design product, with an accompanying exegesis (critical explanation).
A PhD candidate is expected to:
- conduct independent research of high originality and quality
- independently conceive of, design, conduct and complete a research project or program
- develop a critical knowledge and understanding of the research area and methodological approaches
- communicate convincingly with clarity and relevance to appropriate audiences.
For fees and duration please click here
Entry requirements
You must have completed at least four years (or equivalent) with a minimum average of 70% of tertiary education studies in a relevant discipline at a high level of achievement, and must have been approved for the award of the degree(s) for which you studied.
A high level of achievement is defined as the equivalent of a four year Swinburne Honours degree that includes a significant research component in the fourth year, leading to an Honours degree class 1 (average grade between 80-100) or class 2A (average grade between 70-79) level.
Four years of tertiary studies can be demonstrated by the completion of any of the combinations of qualifications below, at the required standard of achievement:
- a Bachelor’s degree (three or four years) and a Masters by Research; or
- a Bachelor’s degree (three or four years) and an Honours year; or
- a Bachelor’s degree (three or four years) and a Masters by Coursework; or
- a Bachelor’s degree (four years) in an approved discipline.
You will also need to check the specific entry requirements for your program.
In addition, you must reach the required standards of achievement based on any prior qualifications and research experience.
English language requirements
Candidates must meet one of the following requirements:
- obtain a minimum IELTS overall band of 6.5 (Academic Module) with no individual band below 6.0 or a TOEFL iBT (Internet-based) minimum score of 79 (with a reading band no less than 18 and writing band no less than 20); or Pearson (PTE) 58 (no communicative skills less than 50) no longer than 24 months before submitting your application
- successfully complete a total of 24 months (full time equivalent) of formal study where the language of instruction and assessment was English at AQF level 7 or above (or equivalent) at an approved university no longer than 60 months before submitting your application.
Available PhD Projects
Swinburne Sarawak also offers specific PhDs which are aligned with existing research projects.
Healthcare and Well-being Innovations
Discipline | Principle Investigator | Program | Title/Topic |
Science | Dr. Hwang Siaw San | PhD | Bioactivity and Therapeutic Potentials of Sarawak Plant Extracts Based on SBC Indigenous Knowledge Repository in Cancer, Diabetic Mellitus and Cardiovascular Disease |
Science | Dr. Hwang Siaw San | PhD | Prevalence of Familial Hypercholesterolemia in a Malaysian Population with Myocardial Infarction and its Association with Clinical Outcomes |
Science | Dr. Hwang Siaw San | PhD | Development of Integrated Rapid Lateral Flow Immunoassay Detection System for GLP-1 and GIP |
ICT | Prof. Lau Bee Theng | PhD/MSc | Ontology of Natural Scene Categorization Using Information Fusion and Knowledge Transfer Based Machine Learning |
ICT | Prof. Lau Bee Theng | PhD/MSc | Development of a depression screening tool for primary healthcare settings using image and vocal data |
ICT | Prof. Lau Bee Theng | PhD/MSc | Development of a device to detect distress in an aged care facility using sound |
IoT, Analytics and Optimization
Discipline | Principle Investigator | Program | Title/Topic |
Mechanical | Dr. Almon Chai | PhD | Modelling of high-frequency ventilation |
Mechanical | Dr. Almon Chai | PhD | Modelling of fluid-structure interaction of closely-spaced bodies |
Mechanical | TBA | PhD | Transitions to turbulence in reciprocating flows |
Mechanical | Dr. Soon Kok Heng | PhD | Dynamic-nonlinear modelling of back-end-of-line bond pad structures |
ICT | Prof. Sim Kwan Yong | PhD/MSc | Metamorphic Time-Series Forecasting |
ICT | Prof. Sim Kwan Yong | PhD/MSc | Autonomous Error Detection and Trapping in Blockchain |
ICT | Prof. Sim Kwan Yong | PhD/MSc | Usage Log Mining for Software Fault Discovery |
Math | Dr. Lee Ming Ha | PhD/MSc | Combined double sampling and variable sampling interval attributes control chart |
Math | Dr. Lee Ming Ha | PhD/MSc | The design of the run length distribution of the t chart with estimated process parameter |
Rural and Urban Development
Discipline | Principle Investigator | Program | Title/Topic |
Civil | Dr. Choo Chung Siung | PhD | Geotechnical application of beneficiated coal combustion products for road construction |
Civil | Dr. Choo Chung Siung | PhD | Characterisation of beneficiated coal combustion products for road construction |
Civil | Dr. Adeline Ng Ling Ying | PhD | Performance of Concrete with Manganese Slag as Partial Replacement Material |
Smart Agriculture and Sustainable Environments
Discipline | Principle Investigator | Program | Title/Topic |
Science | Ts. Dr Irine Runnie Ginjom | PhD/MSc | Utilization of fruit and vegetable waste and by-products |
Mechanical | Dr. Soon Kok Heng | PhD/MEng | Development of PHA-biofibre green composites with grafting modifications |
Sustainable and Clean Energy
Discipline | Principle Investigator | Program | Title/Topic |
EE | Dr. Lai Chean Hung | PhD | Energy management and optimization of rural microgrid with multi-level control strategy |
Science | Dr. Chua Hong Siang | PhD/MSc | The development of gas sensors for the identification and quality control of agricultural products |
Science | Dr. Chua Hong Siang | PhD/MSc | The synthesis of polymeric fluorescent nanoparticles and its utilisation as optical sensing receptors |
Science | Dr. Daniel Tan Lee Tung | PhD/MSc | Biosurfactant formulation using biosurfactant-producing microorganisms (to be confirmed) |
Science | Dr. Daniel Tan Lee Tung | PhD/MSc | In vitro Propagation and Genetic Fingerprinting of Pineapple Cultivar MD2 |
Science | Dr. Irine Runnie Henry Ginjom | PhD/MSc | Characterization of starch from fruit seeds |
Science | Dr. Irine Runnie Henry Ginjom | PhD/MSc | Microbial processing of fruit waste for enzyme production |
Chemical | Prof. Jaka Sunarso | PhD/MSc | High purity lignin extraction from lignocellulosic biomass using low-transition-temperature mixtures (LTTMs): A source of lignin valorization |
CSR & Sustainability
Key Reseacher(s) | Student Assigned | Title/Topic |
Prof. Lim Weng Marc | PhD | Opening a donor’s wallet: What makes donors want to donate (more) to charity? |
Dr. Ling Chui Ching | Master & PhD | CSR and Sustainability Initiatives by Listed Companies in Malaysia |
Dr. Tan Vie Ming | Master & PhD | Stakeholder engagement in sustainability reporting by Malaysian companies |
Dr. Jee Teck Weng (Jeffrey) | Master & PhD | Perception and factors affecting adoption of green innovation practices among SMEs in Malaysia |
Dr. Yii Kwang Jing | Master & PhD | Green banking and environmental sustainability |
Dr. Yii Kwang Jing | Master & PhD | The antecedents and consequences of renewable energy consumption, production and efficiency. |
Tourism, Hospitality and Destination Marketing
Key Reseacher(s) | Student Assigned | Title/Topic |
Prof. Lim Weng Marc | PhD | Unpacking the relationships between destination attributes, traveller perceptions, and travel intentions |
Dr. Jee Teck Weng (Jeffrey) | Master & PhD | Destination branding and management through the lense of social media posting and e-marketing mastery |
Dr. Jee Teck Weng (Jeffrey) | Master & PhD | Destination marketing or tourism marketing?: Blended tourism model |
Human Resource Innovation
Key Reseacher(s) | Student Assigned | Title/Topic |
Dr. Voon Mung Ling | PhD/Masters | Human Resource and Leadership Practices in Malaysian and Australian Organisations |
Dr. Bibiana Lim Chiu Yiong | PhD/Masters | Comparative study on employees’ perceptions of smart technology and artificial intelligence in the workplace |
Dr. Voon Mung Ling | PhD/Masters | Moderators/mediators of relationship between deviant behaviours and employment outcomes |
Women’s Empowerment
Key Reseacher(s) | Student Assigned | Title/Topic |
NA | Empowering women entrepreneurs in Dalat, Sarawak through tourism entrepreneurship | |
Prof. Ida Fatimawati bt Adi Badiozaman Dr. Voon Mung Ling |
NA | Women Leadership roles in enhancing tourism entrepreneurship in Dalat, Sarawak |
Business Innovation
Key Reseacher(s) | Student Assigned | Title/Topic |
Dr. Rodney Lim Thiam Hock | PhD/Masters |
|
Education Research
Cluster | Key Reseacher(s) | Student Assigned | Title/Topic |
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning | Prof. Ida Fatimawati bt Adi Badiozaman | Masters/PhD | Tracking the student lifecycle. Student Engagement – engagement in retention modelling as a key parameter |
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning | Hugh Leong | NA | Predicting student retention through data analytics |
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning | Prof. Ida Fatimawati bt Adi Badiozaman | PhD | Preservation of intangible heritage through technology among an indigenous Dayak Ethnic Group community in Borneo |
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning | Masters/PhD | Hybrid Learning Challenges:
Unfolding Students’ Experience During Covid Times And Ways Forward |
|
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning | Masters/PhD | Embracing blended learning in Malaysian higher education: students’ skills, engagement and outcomes | |
Education & Technology | Augustus Raymond Segar | NA | Interactive Documentary of Melanau cultural heritage preservation |
STEM | Dr. Chong Kok Hing | NA | Assessments of the Impacts of Low-End High Immersion Virtual Reality Head-Mounted Display Towards Deep Learning in Fluid Mechanics |