*** Please feel free to circulate widely (apologies for cross-postings) *** 3-year PhD Scholarship (Understanding Mobile and Social Media in the Pacific) School of Media and Communication, RMIT University Australia Application deadline: 31 October 2012 This three-year scholarship is for a PhD candidate who will contribute to the fieldwork for an ethnographic study of mobile and social media in 1-2 Pacific countries. S/he will spend at least 12 months over the three years of candidature documenting, archiving and analysing mobile and social communication practices and infrastructure. As a discrete case study, but key component of the comparative study, the PhD candidate will participate in and contribute to a recently funded Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Grant "Mobilising Media for Sustainable Outcomes in the Pacific Region" (see below for project summary). They will also become a PhD Member of the Digital Ethnography Research Centre: * http://www.digital-ethnography.net* Eligible candidates will have a BA, BA with Honours or MA/MSC in Communication, Anthropology, Sociology, Science and Technology Studies, Informatics, Media Studies or other related discipline. They must be willing to undertake ethnographic fieldwork in up to two countries in Melanesia, Micronesia or Polynesia with a focus upon online and mobile media. Ideal candidates will have linguistic expertise and/or be willing to learn the language(s) of their fieldwork site(s). International and Australian nationals are eligible to apply. The Scholarship, which covers tuition, fees, a small stipend and other research expenses, will begin in March 2013. Initial expressions of interest should be sent to Dr. Heather Horst at * heather.horst@rmit.edu.au* Please note that all applicants will need to apply for and be accepted to the PhD program in Media and Communication at RMIT University. The Application deadline is 31 October 2012. Application details can be found at: * http://www.rmit.edu.au/browse/Our%20Organisation%2FDesign%20and%20Social%20C... * About the School of Media and Communication at RMIT University: RMIT University has a long and distinguished history of applied and theoretical media research, with our doctoral graduates positioned throughout the sector. The School of Media and Communication, formed in 2009, supports research across a number of sub-fields in media and communications, which allows for both discrete disciplinary excellence and interdisciplinary interventions. Our researchers were ranked above world standard in our fields in the recent ERA round (achieving a 4 ranking in 2001 FoR code). The new School has a total staff of over 200, an academic staff of 128, and 107 HDR candidates (80 PhDs & 27 Masters). In addition, the School has two APDs, a QEII, three Vice Chancellor’s Senior Research Fellows, a VC Fellow, and an Early Career fellow. The School also supports a top academic journal, Communication, Politics and Culture (previously ranked A through ERA) and a series of Centres, Groups and Labs including the Digital Ethnography Research Centre, the Communication, Politics and Culture Centre), the Games and Experimental Entertainment Lab (GeeLab), the Exertion Games Lab, the Creative Writing Group and others. Mobilising Media for Sustainable Outcomes in the Pacific Region Australian Research Council Linkage Grant (2012-2015) CI Heather Horst, CI Jo Tacchi and PI Domenic Friguglietti Funding Dates: October 2012- October 2015 Project Summary: One quarter of Australia’s $4.8 billion in aid will be spent in the Pacific region in 2011-12. Adoption of communication for development as a strategy can improve the effectiveness of development assistance, which will result in improving development goals and desired outcomes. We will develop a grounded understanding of the social and economic conditions and changes associated with media and communication in the region. Using this knowledge to inform the design of development initiatives, we will evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions and their communication components and develop transferable design principles. The aim is to support Australia’s goal to improve the effectiveness of its international development assistance. -- Heather A. Horst Vice Chancellor's Senior Research Fellow School of Media and Communication College of Design and Social Context RMIT University Melbourne Victoria 3001 Australia Phone: +61 3 9925 3988 Email: heather.horst@rmit.edu.au Web: http://heatherhorst.org