Research scholarships

The successful candidate will work at:

• GUGC during the first and the last year of the four-year PhD research program
• Macquarie for the second and third years.

You will be supervised by:

• Professor Philippe M Heynderickx at the Centre for Green Chemistry and Environmental Biotechnology (GREAT), GUGC
• Professor Vladimir Strezov at the Centre for Energy and Natural Resources Innovation and Transformation (CENRIT), School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie.

The performance will be formally evaluated after a period of nine months from the start date. The evaluation will assess the progress and performance. Based on a positive evaluation, the PhD can be continued at Macquarie in the second year.

As part of this research project you will:

• conduct personal (applied) research in the area of hydrothermal carbonisation with the combined purpose to:
  • chemically treat/reduce typical carbon-containing feedstocks (eg plastic waste, food waste)
  • optimise this process in order to produce carbon for ironmaking purposes
• perform wet-laboratory hydrothermal carbonisation experiments to upgrade the yield in carbon
• conduct techno-econometric analyses to evaluate the technology
• write scientific papers including the output of the experiments during the research
• assist your supervisors with tasks in ongoing and future R&D projects
• collaborate with the research team at GUGC
• work flexible hours if needed and occasionally participate in events outside of the regular working hours.

Availability

This scholarship is available to eligible applicants to undertake a direct entry four-year PhD program at Macquarie and GUGC, full-time, commencing 1 July 2026 (open to negotiation).

Eligibility

Admission and scholarship criteria of both universities must be met:

• For GUGC, see procedures for admission and joint PhD
• For Macquarie, see PhD entry and English language requirements and graduate research scholarship eligibility criteria.

Additional criteria

Applicants must:

• hold, from February 2023 (or earlier), a Master of Science degree with strong focus on engineering/chemistry
• have (at least) three years of related experience after obtaining your master degree.

The above condition, to have three years of related experience, is not required if:

• you have Korean nationality or have studied in a Korean Public University for a master program
• you hold a master degree from a highly ranked overseas university, specifically:
  • a university ranked within the top 200 selected by TIMES
  • a university ranked within the top 500 in the QS World University Rankings.

You must also have:

• excellent verbal and written communication skills, corresponding to a minimum score of 80 on the TOEFL iBT test, both written and orally
• completed the IELTS test with all bands above 6
• good academic writing and presentation skills
• an excellent academic track record.

A candidate will be selected based on their scientific background and knowledge, and educational experience.

It would be an advantage to have:

• practical laboratory experience with performing wet-lab experiments
• publications in chemistry/engineering fields.

Applicants must not already:

• hold a doctoral degree
• be matriculated for a doctoral degree at GUGC, Macquarie University, or another institution.

Components

The scholarship comprises the equivalent of a full-fees award and stipend/salary for a period of up to 48 months. Students are expected to have submitted their thesis for examination by the end of that period.  

The GUGC contribution (year 1 and year 4) will include:

• salary: starts from annual base salary of 28,059,375 KRW (monthly salary of 2,338,281 KRW, gross)
• bonuses: additional two bonuses in June (92 per cent of monthly salary) and December (100 per cent monthly salary)
• housing unit/allowance: a single unit of dormitory operated by Incheon Global Campus (IGC) is provided for foreigners. If the selected candidate has a Korean nationality, the housing unit shall not be provided by IGC, but they will receive a housing allowance of 725,000 KRW monthly.
• severance shall be paid when the contract ends and if the candidate works more than one year
• private health insurances: Marsh private health insurance provided, including basic medical reimbursements
• extensive annual paid leave and holidays: the selected candidate shall have 35 days paid annual leave per year. Additional holiday from Christmas (Dec 25) to New Year (Jan 1).

The Macquarie contribution will include:

• tuition fee scholarship for Macquarie fees
• stipend scholarship at an annual rate of AUD $39,700 (tax exempt, 2026 rate), paid pro-rata for the period spent on campus at Macquarie
• airfare allowance for flights between the South Korea and Sydney up to AUD $4000.

Unless otherwise specified, the scholarships do not cover:

• any continuation, extension, or resubmission period/fees
• a research training grant or another equivalent award for research expenses
• support for travel, immigration, health insurance and related charges between the partner institutions.

How to apply

1. Expression of interest

Applicants should submit an expression of interest (EOI) for the global PhD project via email directly to both supervisors.

This must contain:

• CV including information about publications
• transcripts of most relevant/recent degrees
• information about thesis components (thesis mark, word count, weight/length in comparison to the degree overall)
• a PDF version of the master thesis
• motivation letter (including a statement of suitability as a candidate for the project (max 500 words)
• indication that the student meets the English language requirements for entry into a PhD program at either universities, or willingness to obtain relevant English language proficiency test results.

The documents must be merged into a single PDF file (< 10MB) and sent to both:

• philippe.heynderickx@ghent.ac.kr
• vladimir.strezov@mq.edu.au.

The subject line should be: PhD_Position/Co-tutelle_GUGC/MQ_Name, Name = your last name.

Note: only the selected candidate/s will be contacted for the next step.

Application process

Interviews (in-person or online) will take place in stages from the first available time.

Applicants are encouraged to submit an EOI immediately as the position will be filled upon finding the right candidate.

We reserve the right to hold EOIs on file for potential future job openings.

For submission of your file and any inquiries, contact us at GUGCAcademicHR@ugent.be.

Selection process:

1. CV screening
2. interview
3. internal committee
4. approval
5. acceptance notice to the candidate selected
6. formal application and contracting.

2. Full application

• The preferred candidate will be required to submit a formal application for the PhD program and cotutelle/joint PhD scholarship through Macquarie’s online application system.
• Upon formal application, the Macquarie Global Programs Team and GUGC International Office/Doctoral School will draft and finalise the student agreement. Enrolment is subject to formal offer, acceptance and agreement finalisation at Macquarie.
• All relevant entry and immigration requirements for both institutions must be met.

Contact us

Further enquiries about the global PhD scholarships may be addressed to: