Indigenous Australian Innovators (Research Experience Scheme)

What you'll receive

Indigenous Australian Innovators is a scheme within the Faculty of Engineering. This scheme provides a paid research experience to support undergraduate Indigenous Australian students seeking to build their research experience across the fields of engineering, architecture and the built environment. Highlights of this scheme include:

• To provide current Indigenous Australian undergraduate students a paid cutting-edge research experience within the Faculty of Engineering and to encourage students to consider a future career in research and innovation (in academia or industry).
• Students get to apply knowledge to solve real-world problems. Research projects can have a focus across the research priorities identified in the Faculty of Engineering’s Research Strategy. This includes:
  • renewable energy
  • technology-driven health and healthy living
  • artificial intelligence and robotics-driven futures
  • innovative manufacturing and circular solutions
  • resilient and sustainable cities and regions
  • other enabling technologies and research.
• It provides an opportunity to work with and learn from world-leading researchers within QUT’s Faculty of Engineering.
• Through this scheme, students will be introduced to and gain access to mentors through their academic supervisor or an engineering professional in industry.
• This scheme also provides a pathway to the QUT Indigenous Australians PhD/Professional Doctorate to Postdoctoral Fellowship (P2P) Program. The P2P program supports Indigenous Australians to gain a doctoral research qualification and follow a pathway into academic positions.

Students successfully selected to join the Indigenous Australian Innovators scheme will receive one of two options:

• Students within the first two years of undergraduate study that have successfully completed one semester (between 48 and 192 credit points) will receive a tax-free scholarship ($3,500 for ~120-150 hours).
• Students within their last two years of undergraduate study (between 192 and 384 credit points) will be appointed as a casual research assistant (~200 hours at the QUT Professional Staff Salary Scale HEWA4 Step 01 which is remunerated at $46.73 per hour).

The timeframes for the above research experience options are flexible, with plans to be finalised with your supervisor once successful.

Note that students on a full-time study load would be expected to undertake a maximum 15 hours per week on this research experience scheme.

Depending on your chosen research area, this experience can also contribute to your Work-Integrated-Learning (WIL) requirements for your undergraduate degree in engineering. This includes the engineering-specific WIL requirements for those projects that may involve working with industry, or the general WIL requirements otherwise. For students with the School of Architecture and Built Environment, this experience can contribute to your unit ABB301 Work Integration Learning.

How to apply

• First submit a brief expression of interest (EOI).
• Find your research area of interest. Review the Faculty of Engineering’s Research Strategy or review our schools and research centres for ideas:
  • School of Architecture and Built Environment
  • School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • School of Electrical Engineering and Robotics
  • School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering
• Identify a potential supervisor through our expert search. Alternatively, if you are not sure who would be a suitable supervisor, we will happily help find your best options.
• Complete your UniHub application form. Our staff can assist you with completing this form after you have submitted your expression of interest.

• Statement of interest: Your statement of interest should provide a clear articulation of your motivation for participating in this scheme, outline how this scheme aligns with your academic and/or career goals, and reflect on how this experience would support your personal and professional development.
• Academic history: Demonstrated proficiency in your academic study and the units you have completed to date. Note: you only need to submit evidence of your academic history through the UniHub application form if you want to include past experience outside of QUT.

About the scholarship

This scheme aims to empower Indigenous Australian undergraduate students to become the next generation of innovators and engineering researchers. Indigenous Australians have a rich history of innovation, engineering, and scientific impact, predating modern academia by tens of thousands of years. As the original engineers, designers, and scientists of the Australian continent, Indigenous Australians developed sophisticated systems for managing the land, water, and resources, contributing to numerous fields. These include:

• aerodynamics
• thermodynamics
• navigation
• meteorology
• agriculture
• thermoplastics
• engineering
• physics
• aquaculture
• land management
• sustainability.

Leveraging this enduring legacy, this scheme aims to provide cross-cultural perspectives and novel insights that support contemporary research careers and opportunities to restore and care for Country, which are often absent when Indigenous voices are not engaged.

By providing tailored research experiences, mentorship opportunities, and financial support, this program seeks to nurture Indigenous Australian talent in engineering, architecture and the built environment, and encourage students to explore their passion for innovation and research.