What you'll investigate

The successful applicant will apply theological ethics and philosophy to develop ethical guidance for Catholic community services organisations on embedding environmental sustainability in their policies and practices. It will undertake an exploration of how Catholic Social Teaching, particularly the themes from Laudato Si' and Fratelli Tutti, and aligned theories of environmental and intergenerational justice can be reflected in Catholic community services organisations environmental strategies. It will generate both environmentally and theologically aligned outcomes, together with usable frameworks and toolkits to guide the direction and management of environmental impact and sustainability concerns across CCBB and the broader community in an ethical manner.

Opportunities for methodological and theoretical mentoring and collaborative publishing will be facilitated.

Please note: The successful applicant will be required to assign their intellectual property (IP) to ACU as a condition of enrolment.

Scholarship package

The successful applicant will be awarded a scholarship package consisting of:

* International candidates only

Your research community

Principal supervisor

Associate Professor Bridget Pratt; Professor David Kirchoffer

Associate Professor Bridget Pratt investigates how health systems and health research should be structured to advance social, environmental, and ecological justice.

Professor David Kirchhoffer specialises in fundamental ethical methodology questions concerning the understanding and application of concepts such as human dignity, autonomy and the common good (including Catholic social thought) to applied ethical issues.

Faculty

Faculty of Theology and Philosophy

Research at ACU's Faculty of Theology and Philosophy explores fundamental questions of meaning, ethics, and belief through rigorous scholarship and critical inquiry. Rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition, our researchers engage with contemporary issues in theology, philosophy, and religious studies to foster dialogue, deepen understanding, and contribute to the common good.

Visit the faculty research website

Affiliation

Queensland Bioethics Centre

The Queensland Bioethics Centre (QBC) is a collaboration between the Archdiocese of Brisbane and Australian Catholic University. QBC was first established by the Archdiocese in 1981 to become a library and resource for the public on bioethical issues. It was one of the earliest such centres in Australia. Today, the QBC continues its work in collaboration with Australian Catholic University.

The objective of the QBC is to promote a distinctively Catholic approach to the field of bioethics through the following range of possible strategies:

1. Research: to deepen and advance knowledge and understanding of the ethical standards relevant to human health and well-being from a catholic perspective, and in particular with respect to clinical practice, medical research, the allocation of healthcare resources, and areas of interest to the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, the Bishops of Queensland and the Archdiocese of Brisbane;
2. Teaching and Learning: to offer courses and professional development programs in catholic moral theology and philosophical ethics and in the ethics of health care provision, medical research and health care resource allocation from a catholic perspective;
3. Political and Ecclesial engagement: to collaborate with the Church in Queensland and Australia in order to engage local and federal Governments and make submissions to relevant inquiries in areas relating to bioethics from a catholic perspective;
4. Consultation: to provide consultation to the public, the Church and to Health Services in relation to bioethical issues in order to give advice from a catholic perspective.

Visit the QBC website

Industry partner

This PhD scholarship is being co-funded by Catholic Care Broken Bay and will involve an industry co-supervisor from that organisation and industry internship.

How to apply

Applications close: Monday 11 May 2026, 11:59 pm AEDT

Step 1: Assess your eligibility

Eligibility

Before you apply, confirm you meet the following eligibility criteria:

• This opportunity is open to domestic and international applicants.
• The eligibility criteria for the PhD program at ACU can be found in the Higher Degree Research Policy.
• The eligibility criteria for research scholarships can be found in the ACU Research Training Program Scholarship Policy.

Requirements

In addition to the eligibility criteria, the successful applicants should ideally have:

• research experience in bioethics, including conceptual and/or empirical ethics methods
• some familiarity with environmental sustainability, including in healthcare contexts
• experience in writing publications in peer-reviewed journals
• Some familiarity and ideally experience in the Australian social services sector

Conditions

By applying, you acknowledge and accept the following conditions:

• The scholarship package is subject to satisfactory progress and full-time study mode.
• The scholarship conditions align with the ACU Research Training Program Scholarship Policy.
• The successful applicant will be required to assign their intellectual property (IP) to ACU as a condition of enrolment.

Step 2: Express your interest

Interested candidates are encouraged to contact Associate Professor Bridget Pratt prior to applying for the PhD program and scholarship, to express their interest and discuss the project in detail.

Email: bridget.pratt@acu.edu.au

Step 3: Submit your application

To be considered for this scholarship, applicants must submit all documentation required for an application to the PhD program at ACU, as detailed in the How to Apply instructions, plus:

• A CV outlining relevant academic and practical experience; and
• A cover letter detailing demonstrated interest and/or experience in the program of research described.

When completing the PhD application form, please indicate that you are also applying for a stipend scholarship and include the name of this project "NAME".