Scholarships & funding

USYD-UofG Collaborative PhD Scholarship - Responsible AI for Actionable Homelessness Intervention Across Welfare Regimes

Project details

Frontline homelessness workers face daily decisions about allocating scarce housing resources and selecting support pathways that offer the best prospects for sustained stability. Contemporary artificial intelligence applications in this domain have focused predominantly on risk prediction—identifying individuals likely to experience adverse outcomes. However, prediction alone fails to address the question most critical to practitioners and policymakers: what intervention would actually help? This research develops a novel class of responsible AI algorithms that move beyond risk scoring toward actionable, feasible intervention design. The framework generates counterfactual explanations identifying the minimal combination of service modifications—such as adjusting referral timing, altering case management intensity, or restructuring support sequencing—required to meaningfully improve housing stability outcomes. Unlike existing explainable AI methods that recommend changes to single features in isolation without optimality guarantees, the proposed algorithms model interaction effects between interventions and identify optimal combinations while respecting operational constraints. A central methodological innovation is the cross-national comparative framework, developing and testing the approach across Australia's liberal welfare regime and the United Kingdom's social welfare model. The framework embeds three responsible AI principles: interaction modelling capturing synergies and conflicts between interventions; uncertainty quantification providing reliability bounds for decision-makers; and equity auditing preventing systematic disadvantage to marginalised populations. Through participatory co-design with service providers, the research ensures algorithmic recommendations reflect operational realities and community values.

Supervisory Team

Principal Supervisor: Dr Rosa Taghikhah (USYD)

Secondary Supervisor(s): Professor Bowei Chen (UofG), Professor Junbin Gao (USYD) & Dr Anupam Singh (UofG)

About the School/Research Unit

The University of Sydney Business School is a leading business school in the Asia-Pacific region, home to a vibrant research community in data science, analytics, and computational social science. The Research Discipline of Business Analytics specialises in machine learning, optimisation, and AI-driven decision support. The supervisory team at USYD (Dr Rosa Taghikhah and Professor Junbin Gao) brings expertise in AI and algoritm development.

The Adam Smith Business School at the University of Glasgow is a triple-accredited (AACSB, EQUIS, AMBA) business school with internationally recognised research in management science, data analytics, and decision-making under uncertainty. The supervisory team at UofG (Professor Bowei Chen and Dr Anupam Singh) brings expertise in AI applied to business and societal challenges.

Together, the two institutions provide a rich cross-disciplinary and cross-national research environment for the successful candidate.

Eligibility

Applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria

• Applicants will have a a First Class Honours degree, or Master's by Research with outstanding results (at least 80%) [or overseas equivalent]
• Applicants must also have completed a 20,000 word (approximate) honours or Master's thesis (an entry requirement of USYD's Doctor of Philosophy (Business) programme)
• Applicants must be able to study full-time basis only
• Applicants must have a demonstratable interest in the topic area under investigation.
• Applicants must be able to commit to enrolling/registering on PhD programmes at both institutions simultaneously and spend time physically based at each institution during the PhD
• Successful applicants must be physically based at USYD for commencement of the Collaborative PhD.
• Applicants should have strong quantitative skills, including experience with programming (Python preferred), statistical modelling, and/or machine learning.
• Background in one or more of the following is neccessary: computer science, statistics, mathematics, or a related quantitative discipline.
• Experience in explainable AI is advantageous but not required.

Please note that all applicants must also meet the entry requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy (Business) [USYD] and the Management, PhD [UofG]. 

Number of Scholarships

1

Value

The scholarship is available as a full-time +3 (3 year) PhD programme only. The programme will commence in January 2027. The funding is provided by USYD and includes:

• An annual stipend valued at 42,754 p.a. (2026 rate) via a UPA for domestic students or USYDIS for international students;
• Tuition fees covered by RTP fee offset for domestic students or covered by University of Sydney Tuition fee scholarshipfor international students;
• A one-off Sydney Global Mobility Joint PhD Travel Scholarship ($5000 AUD)

Additionally, the UofG's College of Social Sciences will provide a Fee Waiver to cover the tuition fees for the UofG PhD programme.

Other information

The successful candidate's home institution will be the University of Sydney, where year one and three will be spent. Year two will be spent at the University of Glasgow. 

How to apply

Applicants must apply via the Scholarships Application Portal (please see Scholarships Application Portal - Applicant Guide for more information). The funding opportunity is under 'College of Social Sciences Postgraduate Research Funding > COSS-25-017'), uploading the following documentation:

• USYD-UofG Scholarship - Responsible AI application form (in Word format)
• Academic transcripts (All relevant Undergraduate and Master’s level degree transcripts (and translations, if not originally in English) – provisional transcripts are sufficient if you are yet to complete your degree).
• Academic Prizes
• Contact details for two referees (where possible your referees should include an academic familiar with your work (within the last 5 years). Both referees can be academics but you may include a work referee, especially if you have been out of academia for more than 5 years). Please note, a CoSS PGR Funding Reference template will be sent to your referees for completion)*. Note that no member of this project's supervisory team can act as your referee. Please see CoSS PGR Funding Reference request guide for further guidance
• Curriculum Vitae (CV) (academic where applicable)

*Please note that when you enter your referees contact details on the Scholarships Application Portal and send the reference request, your referees are expected to provide their references by the closing date of the Scholarship (below). It is strongly recommended you complete this as soon as possible, as late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

 

Closing Date: 21 April 2026

References from referees are due no later than 28 April 2026

Selection process

Applications will be assessed by the project team. Shortlisted applicants may be requested to attend an Interview.

All scholarship awards are subject to candidates successfully securing admission to a PhD programmes in USYD's University of Sydney Business School and UofG's Adam Smith Business School. Successful applicants will be invited to apply for admission to the relevant PhD programmes after they are selected for funding.

Contact details

Questions on the project: Dr Rosa Taghikhah or Professor Bowei Chen

Questions on the Scholarships Application Portal only: College of Social Sciences Graduate School