David Irvine Postgraduate Scholarship

Acknowledgement of Country 
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Program highlights

• Generous stipends available
• Get hands-on experience in a leading scientific organisation.
• Get access to specialised expertise, equipment and training

About CSIRO

As Australia's national science agency, CSIRO is solving the greatest challenges through innovative science and technology. Many of our iconic innovations were once considered impossible until someone, just like you, joined us and took on the challenge.

Visit CSIRO.au for more information.

The Opportunity

CSIRO’s Data61 is proud to announce the David Irvine Postgraduate Scholarship, established to honour the legacy of the late David Irvine AO. This initiative recognises his distinguished service to Australia, his leadership in founding the Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre (CSCRC), and his enduring commitment to advancing research and innovation in cyber security. The David Irvine scholarship offers a unique opportunity for talented students to pursue a postgraduate degree in cyber security at one of the CSCRC Participant Universities. Scholars will contribute to cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research addressing real-world challenges in a field critical to Australia’s national interest.

During the scholarship with CSIRO, students will benefit from access to a world-class research environment, tailored coaching and development programs, and a supportive environment designed to help them build a dynamic and impactful research career.

To honour and extend the foundational partnership of the Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre (CSCRC), these scholarship opportunities are exclusively available to students from the CSCRC Participant universities.

Location: Any location in Australia.

Students must be enrolled at one of these CSCRC Participant universities: -
Edith Cowan University, University of Adelaide, Deakin University, University of NSW, Charles Sturt University, Queensland University of Technology

Tenure: Specified term of up to 3.5 years for PhD and 2 years for MPhil.

Expected Scholarship Start date: 1st April 2026

Scholarship benefits

The David Irvine Scholarship provides comprehensive financial support to PhD/MPhil students undertaking a CSIRO-aligned cyber security research project. Recipients may be awarded:

Either a full scholarship valued at:

In addition:-

• PhD students will be eligible for $7,000.00 training allowance, with per annum allocations, over the life of the scholarship, at the discretion of the CSIRO Supervisor
• MPhil Students will be eligible for $5,000.00 training allowance, with per annum allocations, over the life of the scholarship, at the discretion of the CSIRO Supervisor.
• Tuition fees are not covered under this scholarship.
• Relocation costs are not payable for students.

Who is eligible?

To be eligible to apply, you must:

• Have First Class Honours or equivalent undergraduate degree in Cyber security, Computer Science or Artificial Intelligence
• Be admitted to the PhD or MPhil program in one of the CSCRC partner universities and be enrolled full-time.
• Be no longer than 12 months into their PhD; or no longer than 6 months in their MPhil.
• International students must be residing in Australia with the appropriate visa and originate from the countries listed in this link Defence Trade Controls (Foreign Country) Instrument 2024 - Federal Register of Legislation.
• Receive a tuition fee waiver from the university.
• Have at least one confirmed supervisor from the university.

Appointment to this role may be subject to conditions including provision of a national police check as well as other security/medical/character clearance requirements.

Diversity and Inclusion

We are working hard to recruit people representing the diversity across our society, and ensure that all our people feel supported to do their best work and feel empowered to let their ideas flourish.

About CSIRO
At CSIRO Australia's national science agency, we solve the greatest challenges through innovative science and technology. We put the safety and wellbeing of our people above all else and earn trust everywhere because we only deal in facts. We collaborate widely and generously and deliver solutions with real impact. 

Child safety

CSIRO is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people involved in our activities and programs. View our Child Safe Policy. 

How to apply:

To apply, you will be required to:

1. submit a Resume/CV and Cover Letter (as one document) in the ‘Resume/CV’ field.
2. upload your current or most recent academic record in the ‘Cover Letter’ field; and
   Official transcripts are required for all tertiary qualifications, with evidence of achieving First Class Honours (or equivalent) as the minimum academic requirement.
3. complete this MS Form David Irvine Scholarship, which contains a section for your project concept proposal, choosing a theme from the Research project Theme list:-

Research Project Themes

1. Resilient Systems
2. Security and Configuration Management of IoT Systems
3. Development of Next Generation Authentication Technologies
4. Predict, Detect, Respond to and Investigate Cyber Threats
5. Platform and Architecture for Cyber security as a Service
6. Security Automation and Orchestration
7. Privacy Preserving Data Sharing in a Connected World
8. Law and Privacy

You will need to provide:-

• • • A research idea advancing cyber security through an interdisciplinary approach to solving real-world challenges, focused on critical technologies and critical infrastructure aligned with one of the suggested research themes.
    • Clear articulation of the problem, methodology, and potential impact.

Contact us

For any enquiries or requests for assistance in connecting with potential CSIRO supervisors, please email marthie.grobler@data61.csiro.au.

Applications close: 

12 January 2026, 11:00pm AEDT

We strongly encourage you to apply early, as the selection panel will be reviewing applications as they come in.