The University of Queensland is funding one PhD scholarship in connection with an Australian Research Council-funded project “The Social Life of Royalties” led by Dr Susannah Chapman (School of Social Sciences, The University of Queensland). The PhD project would suit candidates with backgrounds in anthropology, sociology, cultural studies, science and technology studies, or a related field.

The larger study, to which the PhD project is attached, will explore changes in intellectual property protection for plants in Australia and how these shifts are influencing practices of audit, traceability, and ownership in agricultural supply chains for grains and fruits. Congruent with some of these changes has been the rise of new branding practices for fruit. The successful PhD applicant will develop a project that explores the rise of brand name fruits within Australia’s food sector and its relationship to emerging relations of food production and/or consumption, including novel forms of commodification, audit, marketing, and signification. It is envisaged that this project would use a mixture of ethnographic and archival research.

The successful PhD applicant will be based in the School of Social Science at The University of Queensland. More information about how to apply can be found at: https://graduate-school.uq.edu.au/phd-scholarships-humanities

There is considerable flexibility in the focus, scope, and methods of project that the successful applicant can develop. Prospective applicants should feel free to contact Susannah Chapman if they have questions.