About this project

Fathers' involvement in parenting has many benefits to children, including optimal infant and young child feeding, higher academic achievement, child self-esteem, interpersonal competence, enhanced development and happiness. Research also shows that active paternal engagement impacts positively on children's behavior, sleeping patterns, mental health and later psychological wellbeing. However, while there is substantial evidence for the beneficial impact of fathers' involvement with their children, and fathers are more engaged in their children's lives than they have been in previous generations, methods for successfully engaging fathers in perinatal and early parenting services are not well explored, especially for at-risk disadvantaged families. Crucially, fathers report feeling excluded from or ignored in perinatal health services and parenting interventions that focus on the well-being of children. The low level of father engagement is concerning, especially as there is evidence to suggest that father-focused services and interventions could provide crucial support to fathers and lead to improved outcomes for children.

Engaging fathers in perinatal health services and parenting interventions can support fathers to develop skills and confidence to engage more actively with their children. However, engagement of fathers with perinatal services and recruitment to parenting interventions can be challenging due to social, cultural, workforce and service barriers, and this may weaken the efforts of such initiatives to support effective co-parenting. This research will address the above gaps in literature and service delivery.

What does the scholarship provide?

· Domestic candidates will receive a tax-free stipend of $35,188(AUD) per annum for up to 3 years to support living costs, supported by the Research Training Program (RTP) Fee Offset.

· Support for conference attendance, fieldwork and additional costs as approved by School/Institute.

· The successful candidate will be enrolling in Western Sydney University. However, they will be collaborating with a multidisciplinary cohort of researchers across institutions and research centres.

Eligibility criteria

This opportunity is available to domestic students only.

We welcome applicants with a background in public health, medicine, health science, health promotion, nursing, and implementation science

The successful applicant should:

· hold qualifications and experience equal to one of the following (i) an Australian First Class Bachelor (Honours) degree, (ii) coursework Masters with at least 25% research component, (iii) Research Masters degree, or (iv) equivalent overseas qualifications.

· demonstrate strong academic performance.

· understand the importance of parenting services, early childhood, men's health, and co-design

· have experience in systematic reviews/meta-analysis, quantitative data analysis using software such as R/STATA/SPSS, and qualitative data analysis using software such as Quirkos/NVivo.

· be enthusiastic and highly motivated to undertake further study at an advanced level.

How to apply

1. Review the project’s eligibility criteria. You will need to provide in your application a document which explains how you satisfy the project’s eligibility criteria.

2. Contact Associate Professor Amit Arora ([email protected]) to discuss your eligibility and intention to apply. You may want to arrange a phone call, video call or meeting to discuss your application. You will need to request a letter of support from the lead researcher to support your application for the scholarship. Please see the link here: https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/future/study/how-to-apply/higher-degree-research-candidates/how-to-acquire-a-supervisor-letter-of-support

3. Submit an online application for the project by logging into the Western Sydney University Online Portal and selecting 'Project Scholarship'. Note: You do not need to submit an application for Doctor of Philosophy or Research Scholarship. Please apply here: https://apply.westernsydney.edu.au/Admissions/Account/Login?ReturnUrl=%2fAdmissions

Enquiries: For questions and advice about the research project, please contact the Lead Researcher Associate Professor Amit Arora: [email protected]

Deadline: 31st October 2025