Sleep and Readiness: what is the optimal nap length during night shifts?

Are you ready to shape the future of workplace productivity and safety? Join a cutting-edge research team at CQUniversity’s Appleton Institute in Adelaide, tackling one of the most critical challenges of modern workforces: optimising nap strategies during night shifts.

This fully funded PhD scholarship offers the chance to:

·  Work alongside world-class researchers in sleep, napping, and safety.

·  Contribute to evidence-based policies that enhance performance, safety, and productivity for night workers globally.

·  Travel to Sweden to collaborate with leading experts in sleep and circadian research at the prestigious Karolinska Institute.

·  Be part of a global network, with collaborators including NASA, Swansea University, and the University of Pittsburgh.

Eligibility Requirements

·      Completed a Bachelor’s Degree with Honours I or IIA, a Master’s Degree, or an equivalent qualification, in a relevant field (public health, psychology, sport and exercise science, etc.).

·      Australian or New Zealand citizen, permanent resident of Australia, or an international student (tuition fees for international students will be waived).

·      Approved for admission to a Doctor of Philosophy program at CQUniversity.

·      Able to enroll full-time as an internal candidate at CQUniversity’s Adelaide campus.

·      No prior Commonwealth or CQUniversity-funded research scholarship, unless terminated within six months.

·      Not receiving an equivalent award or scholarship that provides more than 75% of the stipend rate.

Desired Skills

·      Strong writing and communication skills.

·      Excellent planning and organisational skills with the ability to work independently and in a team, meet deadlines, and prioritise tasks.

·      Willingness to travel for data collection or conferences, potentially nationally or internationally.

Your research will tackle the operational challenge of determining the optimal nap length during night work. This project is funded by the Australian Research Council Discovery scheme and will be conducted in our world-class sleep laboratory. The outcomes will advance science, inform policy, and deliver practical tools for industries reliant on night work, from healthcare to transportation.

The scholarship is provided by CQUniversity and will be awarded through a competitive selection process. We are currently seeking expressions of interest (EOI) for the project likely to commence in July 2025. The scholarship provides a tenure of three years, with a PhD submission expected within four years of commencement.

The Appleton Institute is a multidisciplinary research institute known for its excellence in areas such as sleep and circadian science, occupational health and safety, and operational readiness. The successful candidate will benefit from a dynamic research environment, collaboration opportunities with industry and community partners, and support from world-leading experts in sleep research.

Submit your Expression of Interest (EOI) via email to Dr. Grace Vincent at [email protected] as soon as possible. For additional information, you can reach out to Dr. Vincent at [email protected] or by phone at +61 (08) 8378 4518. Join our collaborative and innovative research team and contribute to impactful workplace health and safety research!