UQ-SUSTech

Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) is a public university, founded in the lush hills of Nanshan District, Shenzhen. It is working towards becoming a world-class university excelling in interdisciplinary research, nurturing innovative talents and delivering new knowledge to the world.

UQ has established a collaborative PhD arrangement with SUSTech where candidates are jointly supervised by UQ and SUSTech staff, undertaking periods of research at both institutions, and graduating with a UQ degree.

About the scheme

Interested UQ Academics should reach out to SUSTech faculty to develop a collaboration. You can find a list of all SUSTech departments on their English Website.

SUSTech will collate projects and advertise them to prospective students.

The format of the program is fixed, where students will spend only the first two years at UQ, and the following 2 years at SUSTech. This is unfortunately not flexible in its arrangement due to visa conditions (some very strict exceptions have been put in place as a result of COVID-19, but the program will revert as soon as travel restrictions are lifted due to the nature of the funding model). Please consider this when structuring your projects. You should also plan for how you will communicate with and supervise the candidate during their time at SUSTech.

Funding & timeline

Students will receive a stipend from UQ at the UQ rate for the 2 years they study in Australia, they will receive a stipend from SUSTech at the SUSTech rate for the 2 years they are there. All candidates will receive a UQ Tuition scholarship for up to 4 years.

When considering a commencement date, students and advisors should allow at least 6 months for visa processing after receiving an offer.

Timeline Guide:

1 September - reach out to SusTech collaborators
Late Sept (SUSTech deadline) - Project call closes
1 October - Advertise projects to prospective SUSTech applicants.
1 November - students must apply to SUSTech by this date
- UQ Advisors and their SUSTECH collaborator should field enquiries, conduct interviews and progress applications.
December - Shortlisted SUSTech applicants apply in the UQ application system.
Early January - UQ receives a final list of which students will be supported under the scheme, and what projects they will be assigned to.
Early - mid January - Advisors notified whether the candidate they have been liaising with is being supported by SUSTech. Advisors have two weeks to confirm they will support the nominated candidate, finalise any further interviews required, and complete the School Recommendation Form.
End February - March - Offers of successful applicants sent.

PhD student testimonial

There were several joint PhD programs between SUSTech and other top universities including UQ. My SUSTech supervisor has a strong collaboration with Chemical Engineering at UQ. In addition, UQ is famous for its engineering, which could definitely be a good choice for me.

Since last October, I have been staying in UQ for PhD. I find my supervisor nice and patient. Although he is always busy with his research programs, he often spent time discussing with me about my work and give many suggestions. With his help, I have been much more familiar with scientific research, and the project is undergoing well.

As for UQ, I feel very fortunate to study here. It has beautiful campus with friendly students and staffs. I like libraries and those studying places most. They do provide excellent environments for studying. In the campus, I also use the experiment equipment and other services very often, and I found staffs enthusiastic and patient.

Yunhui Hua

SUSTech student — Yunhui Hua at Brisbane's New Farm Park