PhD Scholarship – Population Changes in Adolescent Alcohol and Drug Use: What should we be tracking and who is at risk?
Job No.: 693097
Location: Turning Point, 110 Church Street, Richmond 3121
Employment Type: Full-time
Duration: 3.5-year fixed-term appointment
Remuneration: The successful applicant will receive a tax-free stipend, at the current value of $37,145 per annum 2026 full-time rate, as per the Monash Research Training Program (RTP) Stipend
- Be inspired, every day
- Drive your own learning at one of the world’s top 80 universities
- Take your career in exciting, rewarding directions
About the project
Young people and adolescents are identified as priority populations in current National Alcohol and Drug Strategies given that Alcohol and Drug (AOD) use during this key developmental phase can result in negative and long-lasting effects on the brain and body. However, patterns of adolescent alcohol and drug use (AOD) have been changing over the past 20 years, with fewer young people consuming alcohol and cigarettes, and higher proportions using illicit drugs (AIHW,2025). In addition, patterns of alcohol consumption have seen disparate cohort effects - so while rates of alcohol use have dropped overall, a relatively high proportion (more than one-third) of young Australians have consumed alcohol at risky-levels. Together, these changes mean that we need better population-based data systems and models to monitor harms associated with AOD use. This project will use a suite of population-based sources and aim to identify locations and sociodemographic sub-groups most at risk of AOD harm; understand the types of harm caused; and seek to investigate what causes young people to present (and re-present) to emergency and community health services. This PhD will involve work with world-first datasets developed by Turning Point, including the National Ambulance Surveillance System and population-based resources involving the National Health Data Hub to answer these questions. This work will result in research that policy makers and governments can use to develop education campaigns and future policies that benefit adolescents and young Australians. This is more than a scholarship—it’s a launchpad for shaping the future of addiction care.
About the partnership
This applied PhD is hosted by Monash University’s Eastern Health Clinical School (EHCS), in partnership with Turning Point.
The successful candidate will be part of a multidisciplinary cohort of researchers and students based at Turning Point in Melbourne, Australia. For more information about the important work that Turning Point does, please visit the website.
Turning Point is affiliated with Eastern Health Clinical School, within the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences (MNHS) at Monash University, and undertakes close collaborative work with the Monash Addiction Research Centre (MARC).
Monash University is a member of Australia’s Group of Eight coalition and is internationally recognised for excellence in research and teaching as one of the world's top 80 universities. Embedded in an ecosystem of health, academia and industry, it delivers the research outcomes, skilled workforce, technology and partnerships to improve human health locally and globally.
Supervisory team
The principal supervisors will be Dr Rowan Ogeil and Dr Ryan Baldwin.
Dr Ogeil is a Senior Research Fellow at Monash University, and the Strategic Lead of the National Addiction and Mental Health Surveillance Unit at Turning Point. In his role, he leads novel research projects centred around: (i) understanding AOD, mental health and suicide and self-harm behaviours in ambulance data; and (ii) the impact of AOD use on sleep. He works closely with external stakeholders to ensure that policy makers are provided with evidenced-based resources to reduce AOD-harms across the community, as well as playing a significant role in teaching and community engagement at Turning Point.
Dr Baldwin is a Research Fellow at Monash University and Turning Point in the National Addiction and Mental Health Surveillance Unit. He currently works across a range of projects within NAMHSU, including data analysis, report writing and manuscript development. Ryan has a research background in psychology, with a particular focus on adolescent suicide and self-harm, adverse childhood experience and using population health data to examine outcomes following alcohol and drug policy implementation.
Eligibility Requirements
This opportunity is available to domestic students only.
Candidates will need to full the Monash University minimum requirements for admission to a PhD.
How to apply
To apply, you must submit an expression of interest (including CV and degree documents) at: https://forms.gle/RxQTAZzd57gLZ19A7
For general instructions on how to apply for roles at Monash, please refer to 'How to apply for Monash Jobs'.
Enquiries
For further information and application details, contact Turning Point Research Admin at research-turningpoint@monash.edu.
Applications Close: Monday 4th May 2026, 11:59 PM AEST
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