Scholarship description
These Scholarships were established in 2017 and are funded by a Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
National Science Challenge project
The main purpose of the Scholarship is to support a PhD student in the Faculty of Science at the University of Auckland
who is undertaking research in a topic that supports the co-design and evaluation of digital interventions for common
mental health challenges in adolescence or computing research on ways to enhance digital mental health interventions
for youth.
Selection process
Application is made to the Scholarships Office
A Selection Committee assesses the applications
The Scholarships are awarded by the University of Auckland Council on the recommendation of the Selection
Committee
Regulation process
The Scholarship will be known as the HABITs Digital Mental Health Doctoral Scholarship in Computer Science.
One Scholarship will be awarded for PhD study in Computer Science, for a period of up to 36 months and will be of
the value of up to $27,300 per annum plus compulsory fees for all domestic and international students who are
eligible to study under the domestic fees policy (see Note iii).
The Scholarship may be awarded only to a new student applying for admission to a PhD in the Faculty of Science at
the University of Auckland who meets all the requirements of these regulations and who will be conducting PhD
research within the general area of the co-design and evaluation of digital interventions for common mental health
challenges in adolescence or computing research on ways to enhance digital mental health interventions for youth
The Scholarship is tenable by full-time domestic and international students who are eligible to pay domestic fees (see
Note iv).
The basis of selection will be academic merit, evidence of experience working with Māori or Pacific communities and
the quality and nature of the research proposal. Matters that may be considered in relation to academic merit include,
but are not limited to, academic record, standing of awarding institution, academic references, CV, research and
publication record. Where a completed programme with a University of Auckland GPA/GPE is the basis for entry to
the PhD, an applicant must have a GPA/GPE of 7.00 or above in that programme to be eligible for scholarship
consideration (see Note v).
The Scholarship will be awarded by the University of Auckland Council upon the recommendation of a Selection
Committee comprising the Associate Dean (Postgraduate) of the Faculty of Science, the Principal Investigators and a
Māori and Pacific representative from the HABITs science advisory team.
Domestic and international students will be required to enrol within 3 and within 6 months respectively of the date of
their unconditional programme offer, otherwise the scholarship offer will lapse. Awardees must also meet all
requirements of their admission and scholarship offer before any payments will be made.
The Scholarship will provide support for up to 36 months of study and payments will commence from the doctoral
enrolment date. A further six months of scholarship funding, subject to Scholarship Sub-Committee approval, may be
available (see Note vi).
To comply with the full-time study requirement in Regulation 4, the amount of additional and paid work a Scholar may
undertake either inside or outside the University shall not exceed a total of 500 hours per scholarship year (see Note
vii).
The HABITs Digital Mental Health Doctoral Scholarship in Computer Science may not be held concurrently with a
University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarship or with any other New Zealand government or foreign government-
funded scholarships or grants. However, it may be held with any other study award or grant where the regulations for
that award or grant permit, and where the University of Auckland Council so approves, up to an additional maximum
of 75% of the stipend value of the HABITs Digital Mental Health Doctoral Scholarship in Computer Science. If the
value of the co-tenured scholarship exceeds 75% of the HABITs Digital Mental Health Doctoral Scholarship in
Computer Science stipend value, the emolument for the HABITs Digital Mental Health Doctoral Scholarship in
Computer Science will be reduced to limit the additional co-tenured stipend value to 75% of the HABITs Digital
Mental Health Doctoral Scholarship in Computer Science stipend value.
The University of Auckland Council, in consultation with the donor, has the power to terminate or suspend a
Scholarship if it receives an unsatisfactory report on the progress of a Scholar from the Associate Dean
(Postgraduate) of the Faculty of Science.
The University of Auckland Council has the power to amend or vary these Regulations, in consultation with the
donor, provided that there is no departure from the main purpose of the Scholarship.
Applications close with the Scholarships Office on 31 July in the year of the award.
Notes [i] – [x] below are deemed to be Regulations
Notes;
Further information about the project and possible topics can be obtained by contacting Professor Jim Warren at
[email protected].
Students who have been offered a scholarship must meet all requirements for admission into their intended
programme in order to take up the scholarship offer.
Compulsory fees are those only related to the PhD, plus Student Services Fee.
To be eligible to pay domestic PhD fees, recipients who are permanent residents of New Zealand or Australia,
Australian citizens or international students may only be resident outside of New Zealand for a maximum total of
twelve months over the period of their enrolment in their doctoral degree and only for the purposes of conducting
research.
Where the programme is an undergraduate honours degree (or equivalent undergraduate degree or integrated
undergraduate and postgraduate degree), the grade point average or equivalent will be calculated over the final two
years of full-time study (or equivalent) in the programme. In all other cases, the grade point average or equivalent
will be calculated over the entirety of the programme.
Domestic and international students are required to either a) enrol and begin their studies within 3 and within 6
months respectively of the date of unconditional of within 6 months respectively of the date of unconditional offer in
the programme or b) in exceptional circumstances, have obtained approval from the Associate Dean (Postgraduate)
of the Faculty of Science for a delayed take up time. PhD enrolments and scholarship payments must commence on
the first of the month.
A further six months of scholarship funding, subject to Scholarship Sub-Committee approval, may be available to
those PhD students who have held a HABITs Digital Mental Health Doctoral Scholarship in Computer Science.
Recipients of a HABITs Digital Mental Health Doctoral Scholarship in Computer Science will be required to give
undertakings that they will comply with the regulations for the Scholarship and will notify the Scholarships Office of
any change in their enrolment, employment or funding status. The University of Auckland may, in the event it can be
established that a recipient of a HABITs Digital Mental Health Doctoral Scholarship in Computer Science is not
complying with these regulations, terminate the Scholarship and require repayment of the funds received from the
date of the breach.
Paid work that is undertaken as part of an approved University of Auckland Internship, is not counted towards the
500 hours of additional and paid work that a Scholar may undertake while in receipt of a scholarship.
These regulations are subject to Senate and Council approval