Digital Intimacy and Inclusion: Sexual Health, Relationships & Online Engagement
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Western Sydney University
- Career category: Research/ Data analysis
- Job type: PhD
- Experience level: Other (specified in job description)
- Organisation type: Research
- Remote option: No
- Right to work requirements: Anyone can apply
- Remuneration: AUD 35,188 AUD / yearly
- Work schedule: Full-time
- Length of contract: Temporary/ Fixed-term
- Deadline: 30/05/2026
- Location: Australia
This research scholarship is for a highly motivated PhD candidate to examine how LGBTQA+ people with intellectual disability engage with digital platforms for sexual health, relationships, and LGBTQA+ community connection.
Digital spaces such as online dating, social media, and sexual health websites are increasingly central to how people learn about, express, and experience sexuality. Yet, people with intellectual disability often face systemic barriers to participation in these spaces, including exclusionary design, limited access to inclusive information, and heightened risks of stigma and discrimination. Grounded in a disability and sexual justice framework, this project will investigate both the risks and possibilities of digital engagement, producing new insights into how LGBTQA+ people with intellectual disability navigate intimacy, community, and sexual health online. Using participatory and arts-based methods—including co-design workshops and photo- and object-elicitation interviews—the project will co-produce knowledge with LGBTQA+ people with intellectual disability. Outcomes will include inclusive digital resources and practical strategies that advance equity, agency, and justice in online sexual health engagement.
The project is part of a larger program of research, Transforming Sexual Health through Co-design with LGBTQA+ People with Intellectual Disability. It will be conducted in collaboration with LGBTQA+ people with intellectual disability, sexual health and disability service providers, and an interdisciplinary team of academics with expertise in disability, LGBTQA+ health, and sexual health.
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 the Institute.
- This project has potential for a placement with Inclusive Rainbow Voices, the first LGBTIQA+ Disabled People's Organisation in Australia, which advocates for the human rights of all LGBTIQA+ people with disability. The candidate would develop practical skills in advocacy and stakeholder engagement, while building strong networks across disability and LGBTQA+ sectors.
Eligibility criteria
We welcome applicants from a range of backgrounds, who are keen to apply their skills in disability, sexual justice & LGBTIQA+ health. This project is ideally suited to a candidate who is motivated to work in partnership with marginalised communities and who is committed to equity, disability justice, and sexual rights.
- Hold qualifications and experience equal to one of the following (i) and 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 in subjects relevant to public health, health psychology, social sciences or related areas.
- Have an understanding of the importance of intersectionality and the social model of disability.
- Be willing to learn skills applicable to qualitative and arts-based research.
- Be enthusiastic and highly motivated to undertake further study at an advanced level.
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