The MIRI PhD

MIRI is a multi-disciplinary organisation, undertaking research into accident and injury causes and prevention across all modes of transport, in the workplace, in the community and in the home.

When you join our research team you become an active part of the largest accident and injury prevention research facility in Australia, and one of the most respected institutes of its kind in the world.

One of our key strengths lies in addressing research questions of direct relevance to injury prevention and translating our research results into prevention policy and programs.

Our researchers and students come from a broad range of disciplines, from psychology, epidemiology, public health and statistics to engineering, medicine, nursing and science.

When you pursue your research interests with us, you will work with and learn from Australia's leading injury prevention experts.

Course details and how to apply

Whatever your area of study, we have a PhD project of interest to you.

Ageing 

The vision for ageing research at MIRI is to promote safety and enhance mobility in order to maintain independence and quality of life for older people. We are undertaking research in all settings that relate to older people from private homes, public roads and other public spaces to workplaces and residential care settings. Themes include the development and use of health and transport sector databases, economics and measuring the burden of injury, and the design of safe systems and products.

Children and young people 

Our research in this area is diverse and far-reaching. We focus on the major areas of concern, from product and household injury prevention to safety programs for young pedestrians, the safety of child passengers in vehicles and crash prevention strategies for young drivers.

Community safety 

Our researchers are heavily involved in developing community based intervention strategies. By concentrating on programs that alter behaviour, promote environmental change, or advocate a change in legislation, we are trying to challenge social norms about acceptable safety behaviours.

Design and product safety  

We are working to improve community recognition and use of technology in enhancing transport and other aspects of safety, including understanding the role of human-machine interactions associated with the design, deployment and evaluation of these technologies. With considerable experience in this area, we continue to take a leading role in product-related injury prevention strategies to improve consumer safety.

Developing countries 

Our researchers are currently undertaking essential groundwork to further expand the area of injury prevention in developing countries and are fostering relationships with in-country partners, government agencies and non-government organisations. They are also expanding existing relationships with international agencies such as the WHO, UNICEF, and the World Bank. As a designated WHO Collaborating Centre on Violence, Injuries and Disabilities for the Western Pacific, MIRI has a specific focus on the 27 countries of this region.

Rail, air and sea safety 

We are well placed to expand our research program in this area and to take a leading role across the field, given the our existing expertise and capabilities in motor vehicle and road transport safety, marine safety, and general aviation safety.

Road safety 

Road safety has been the cornerstone of our transportation injury prevention activities since our inception. We have gained international acclaim for our work in this area and are recognised as one of the world's leaders in road safety and injury prevention. While current research activities cover significant Australian and international road safety problems, there are new emerging issues that need to be addressed. We use instrumented vehicles and naturalistic driving methods to learn from everyday motorists. We will continue to lead the field to combat the immense social and economic consequences of road injury.

Simulation and modelling  

Computer modelling, driving simulation research and on-road vehicle testing using instrumented vehicles have played a central role in reducing Australia's road toll. These technologies retain significant potential to increase the sophistication of our approach to injury prevention across the transport network, and in the future may be applied to other areas where injury can occur.

Sports injury prevention

Sports injury prevention research is the focus of researchers within one of our major research centres(ACRISP). Our internationally-recognised research program focuses on understanding the patterns and causes of sports injury, as well as in identifying and trialling strategies to prevent these injuries. We also focus on translating this knowledge to ensure changes in safety behaviours and environments from elite athletes to community sports participants and people participating in leisure pursuits.

Surveillance and injury data 

One of our key research areas involves identifying current problem areas in injury and projecting future problems to support proactive, rather than reactive, priority setting. This involves making the best use of available data, formulating appropriate measures of the problem, developing methodology for accurate projection of future problems and identifying countermeasure targets.

Work safety 

The ‘workplace' is a vast and diverse arena, presenting a significant challenge for injury prevention. Much of our work in this area has focused on the development of safe systems by understanding human abilities and weakness (or errors) in each workplace. We analyse typical work tasks, the environment and the equipment. We work with relevant industry bodies, WorkCover and other government agencies, insurers, regulators and non-government organisations to identify the key issues and industries involved, as well as strategies for understanding the causes of workplace injury and the best methods for prevention in each sector.